Sheet Mask Review : The Face Shop Real Nature Red Ginseng

Its been a while since I've done a mask post, to be honest I haven't used a mask in ages because my nose has been blocked and masks just felt too smothering.  

This mask is from a mid-year haul I did from RoseRoseShop.  I have had samples of Red Ginseng creams that I really liked, however the creams were quite expensive (I think around $58 for 30ml) so I thought I would try these from The Face Shop - I generally like their masks and haven't had any allergic reactions or major irritations from them so far.

This mask came in a 3 pack and worked out to AUS$3.74 - so $1.25 a mask.  Which even with shipping is a third of what you might pay for a single Face Shop mask in some shops here in Australia.

I didn't have a plan for which mask to wear - it was a spur of the moment idea and thought I might as well try something I haven't before whilst my skin is in a happy place.  The mask is means to be a hydrating mask so better for normal to dry skin.

Red ginseng itself has compounds in it (ginsenosides) that are anti-inflammatory and have some anti-oxidants in them.  This makes red ginseng useful for dermatitis, dry, inflamed skin.  Wooo! Because of these ginsenosides the collagen levels in skin are also boosted, which makes the skin have more moisture and look smoother.

The mask itself is the usual heavy cotton but this time instead of being plain old white, it was a pale rusty colour.  My understanding is that this is from the red ginseng and the cocoa present.  I cant tell you if there was any smell to this because I have lost 95% of my sense of smell from Imuran.

The mask in the packet did not come out sopping wet like the Aloe and Rice masks do, however there was still a good 10ml of essence in the bottom of the packet after I took the mask out.  I spread the rest of the essence on my arms and legs and they seem to have benefited from it.

The mask was nice and easy to wear and did not tear when I unfolded it.  It also did not make my face tingle, sting, itch or burn during wearing - I had patch tested it earlier and that seemed fine but I have had masks that are ok in patch tests and then with the mask itself, irritate my skin.  Around the 20min mark it started to feel dried out and I took it off.  Its summer over here and I had the Air Con blasting so that might be a reason why it didn't last 30mins like the Aloe and Rice masks tend to do.

The next morning my skin was not in any way inflamed or such, in fact it looked the opposite, clear and smooth.  Not dewy or brightened - I didn't expect that because that was not the purpose of the mask.  However when I cleaned my face with micellar water I noticed the cotton pad came away with some of the same colour as the essence!  Not overly disturbing, and nice to know that the colour didn't sink into my skin.

I have two left of these and there not a mask that has "wowed" me, so I dont have it on my list to repurchase.  But I do plan on looking for more Red Ginseng masks to try - what ones would you recommend? 

When Freebies are Besties : Physiogel Daily Moisture Therapy Intensive Cream

I've been on a bit of a mission to find moisturisers (both face and body) in Australia that contain ceramides. This has been more difficult than anticipated.  Why dammit?

So ceramides?  Ceramides are important in preventing water/moisture loss through the skin as the molecules hold onto water molecules.  Unsurprisingly people who have eczema have fewer ceramides in their skin, so using products that contain ceramides helps to refill these levels and also restore the skins barrier.  Now that my skin has stabilised from the Imuran I want to maintain my skin barrier as best I can so I don't have to go back onto Prednisolone.

I have Restoraderm in my collection, but that's on the pricier end of drugstore moisturisers ($25 for 250ml) and it does not rock my world.  I tend also to only buy this on special.  I know that Ego QV and Cetaphil are always recommended for dry/eczema/sensitive skin but my skin reacts badly to some of the QV creams and I didn't care much for Cetaphil, it was very "nothing".

One of my friends got the Priceline Skincare Goody bag several weeks ago and one of the items in the bag was the Physiogel Daily Moisture Therapy Intensive Cream.  My friend has the opposite skin type to me, so this was far to greasy for her.  Thus I acquired it.

So far I know that this is available in 100ml at Priceline for $14.  Which is on par for the Restoraderm.  However this has a much shorter list of ingredients and my skin liked this product more, there was something in the Restoraderm that made my skin feel uncomfortable.

Ingredients : Aqua, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butryospermum Parkii Butter, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Squalane, Carbomer, Sodium Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Ceramide 3

I like the fact there are very few "filler" items in this list.  There are several ingredients that are helpful for the skin - squalane is a component of our skin and when used in creams it acts as an emollient and keeps moisture on the skin.  Shea butter is also quite high on the list, shea is very good for dry skin and eczema prone skin. Glycerin helps to draw water further into the skin.

This cream is a medium weight (Nivea creme would be heavy weight, Restoraderm is light weight to me), spreads easily and sinks in very nicely without leaving a tacky feeling.  My skin feels softer after applying this and the fast absorption makes it idea for the morning.  This also layers nicely under Nivea creme for a night time treatment.  I've nearly finished the tube and am scraping all of it out!

I've done a bit of research and have found that nearly all the Physiogel products have ceramides in them so I plan to buy some different creams and see how they perform.

What ingredients have you been on missions for?

Reddit made me do it. Covergirl ClumpCrusher Mascara

I value reviews from other people and while on the AustralianMakeup reddit forum I kept on seeing positive reviews of ClumpCrusher from Covergir.

Then Woolworths had 50% off Covergirl.  Seriously the AusMakeup forum is damn good at finding and announcing sales.  Good times to be had!  Many dollars to be spent!

Reader.  I bought the mascara.

Now you ask why is that a big deal?
Well I've never really liked Covergirl after some incidents (allergic reactions) with their foundations many years ago and they just seemed to be a "no-go-zone".  This is the ONLY Covergirl product I own.

But this mascara is awesome.  The brush is the rubber bristle type that I favour and this stuff layers really well.  Its not an overly wet formula and dries quickly so that the layers don't clump (der).

I reach for this most often now and it can be a light day time look or a heavier night look depending on the layers.

The photo below shows naked lashes (right) and double coat of the ClumpCrusher (how I normally wear it).  This is a really light-weight mascara and my lashes don't feel heavy or sink down from multiple layers.  Nor do I feel my lashes underneath my eyebrows - if you've never experienced it, it is a seriously weird sensation.

It also helps blend my real lashes and false lashes when I wear them (another phase I'm going through - Daiso lashes.  Yes.  Many many Daiso lashes have been bought).

I was worried that I was allergic to it but realised that it was my sunscreen when it got into my eyes (science experiment - wear mascara on a day when you don't wear sunscreen.  See if eyes get itchy.  Such Science. Many variable. Wow.).  Results in - not allergic to it, which is a bonus.
Would I repurchase?  Yep. But only on sale.  I've yet to find a mascara that I'm willing to spend more than $10 on.  I've yet to find a mascara that beats my all time favourite from Essence.