Mask Monday is back (finally)! 

My little weekly feature where I share with you all some of the masks I have tried whether it be sheet mask, was off mask, peel off, hair mask or whatever kind of mask I get my hands on! Though, let's be honest, 99% of them tend to be sheet masks! Today's one is a super cute one

The sheet mask featured in this post was gifted to me by Mask Time in one of the monthly boxes. 

Holika Holika Essence Jelly Mask - Sweet Peko Edition // Strawberry

I've yet to use a product from Holika Holika before but I've heard a mixture of opinions when it comes to both their skincare and makeup. So, a good place to start might be with their skincare and sheet masks are usually the most affordable aspect of a brand's skincare range. Last year, Holikax2 did a collaboration with Fujiya Milky Candy and their mascot Peko for a range of adorably packaged products. The brand itself is highly popular in Japan and I've actually tried the Matcha version of the sweets and loved them (thanks Ellis!!). So this collab appealed to both fans of the brand and those who enjoy collecting adorable packaging. I highly appreciate how the actual packet looks like the sweet bags!

Scent & Essence // THIS DID NOT SMELL LIKE STRAWBERRIES!!! Which disappointed me greatly. Being infused with strawberry extract, I was hoping for a strawberry scent, however, it ended up being more citrus/slightly herbal (?) which was a little disappointing. There is a TONNE of the essence in this package though, there's definitely enough to either keep the excess in a pot to use for a few days or apply on your body. It has a water jelly type texture, which is quite refreshing and gives the impression it's going to be very moisturising.

Fit & Material // As with a lot of novelty character masks, this mask has Peko-chan's face making up the design of the entire mask. A little creepy, sure. But cute all the same. Though my daughter ended up finding it a bit scary on me. It was a little big for my face particularly the bottom half of it, so I had to do a lot of pulling about to make it sit and fit onto my face properly. The actual mask itself is quite thick and sturdy and feels woven.

Overall // I used this for 20 minutes following a double cleanse and tone. 
Initially, my skin appeared brighter and thoroughly moisturised. It felt supple and overall just felt really soft. The mask left a lot of essence on my face so I had to massage it in for a little bit to make sure my skin just didn't have a thick layer sitting on the skin and so that it could be absorbed faster. There was a little stickiness left afterwards that took maybe half an hour or so to go away, but this isn't too much of a big issue because it wasn't dramatically sticky. This was generally a very well performing mask, doing as it says and doing it well.

Repurchase? Since this was limited edition, I know this won't be around for all too long, so I may buy one or two more but I'm probably going to go ahead and try some of Holika Holika's other sheet masks along with their make up.

Let me know your mask of the week!

Purito started appearing all over K-beauty Instagram as soon as word got out about it and its popularity has continued to grow and grow. Being a brand that intends on having products that are honest and safe, containing naturally sourced ingredients. It's easy to see why this has made them popular, caring primarily about the actual quality and effects of the product rather than just the appearance of the packaging, though I do really enjoy the aesthetic of their packaging in all honesty!

I was recently contacted by Shikaglam (this site is in Spanish as they are based in Barcelona) who is the only current European distributor of the brand. They sent me a whole bunch of samples to try from Purito and to give my impressions on them. So I have decided to do this in the form of a wishlist of the products I liked the most from the selection given and give a little mini first impression on said products. 

Purito's products are generally quite inexpensive, with the most expensive products being about £18. So while maybe not ideal if you're on a very tight budget, but still affordable even if it's just to try one or two products from them. I've given all the samples I got a few uses to see how I found them and below I have listed the four products that I enjoyed the most and would like to continue using at a later point in time.

Defence Barrier PH Cleanser 

I've used this a couple of times in the morning as I enjoy using a light, gentle cleanser in the morning to just get rid of any dust and debris that has fallen onto my skin while I've been sleeping. I've found this to cleanse extremely well while not being harsh on the skin. Leaving it feeling clean but without that ~squeaky~ clean feel (which is what I look for). It does have quite a strong scent to it, however, this is natural due to the ingredients contained as they haven't added excess fragrance. I would like to see how this fares on my skin over prolonged usage and I've been looking for an ideal morning cleanser.

Centella Green Level All In One Mild Pad 

This was actually one of the products I had my eye on the most when it came to Purito. I've been so intrigued by the idea of these types of pads from various brands and I know Centella is an ingredient that is supposed to be amazing for acne scars. I usually used this after my double cleanse or in the morning when I wake up to get rid of dust and found it left my skin feeling smooth and hydrated at the same time and I hope that with regular use, they would help my scarring. This is definitely going to be one of the purchases I make from Purito in time and a lot of my K-beauty pals love them too.

Centella Green Level Eye Cream

Eye cream is something in my skincare routine and I know it's something that I should be using a lot more. This intends on restoring moisture to the undereye area and that's exactly what I need (though really I could do with tattooed concealer or something as I'm cursed with chronic eyebags). My trial of this product has left me with the skin around my eyes being thoroughly hydrated and I feel like this could be a great addition to my routine skin care.

Sea Buckthorn Vital 70 Cream

This is a cream I've actually seen doing the rounds and from my trials of it, I've found it to be very nourishing and moisturising without leaving any oiliness on the skin. The natural fruity scent that comes from the ingredients as well makes it even nicer to use. Buckthorn is an ingredient that is supposed to help with skin tissue regeneration, so I'm hoping if I was to begin using this regularly, it may help with some of my hyperpigmentation.



I will, at some point, get a hold of these products throughout the year and give my full and thorough opinion on the products I do pick up. I can highly appreciate the quality of the products and how they have behaved on my skin in the short trial time, however, I would like to be able to see a long term effect. So, be sure to keep an eye out for a haul of these products and my eventual views on them!

Have you tried Purito before? If so, which products of theirs would you recommend?
If not, are there any from them you're desperate to give a go?

Happy New Year Everyone! Hope everyone enjoyed the holiday season however they ended up spending it! Now, I know you all missed me posting on my blog ever so much, so here I am back with some more content for you all to enjoy and I hope in 2019 I am able to bring you guys more insightful content to help you on your own beauty journey.

COSRX is a brand I've been lusting over for the past 5 or so years but just never managed to get my foot in the door by buying their products. However, I finally began getting a few bits and pieces at the end of last year to give them a try and see what products from them I would like. One thing I am trying to do with my skincare routine is to make sure I am adding acids regularly. I've only recently been learning about the exfoliating benefits of them especially for people like myself who suffer from acne and acne scarring. The first product I had bought was the AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner which I have been using the past month or two and have been really enjoying it. For Christmas, I asked for these two products I am going to talk about in this post along with all the make up I got too (keep an eye out for that!)

COSRX AHA 7 Whitehead Power Liquid

PHA Moisture Renewal Power Cream

Peripera was a brand I only dabbled in last year, but they have quickly become one of my all time K-beauty brands. The standout point for me when it comes to Peripera is their lip products, for the affordability, the products perform amazingly and their colours available are simply gorgeous. They recently released their Autumn collection called Pink Moment, with gorgeous pink scrapbook style packaging and products with some form of pink or coral undertone. I decided to grab a few products from the range, every type apart from the eyeshadow palette because it wasn't easily available at the time of me getting this range. So, today I am going to share with you my little haul of goodies.

PERIPERA INK THE GELATO // PINK MOMENT #8, #9, #10



Of course, the key selling point of the range was the lip products, they sold products in both their original Velvet formula and their newer Gelato one. As I had never tried the newer formula I had to grab a few of these while I could. I chose the shades #8 Black Tea With Milk, #9 Peach Pink and #10 Cherry Cinnamon. My reason for choosing these particular shades was the fact that these seemed to be the ones with the slightly warmer undertones to them.


While they might look pretty similar in the swatches, they definitely have their own unique undertone and even though they look quite dark on my hand, the colours are very muted when applied to the lips. Black Tea with Milk is definitely an orange beige, while Peach Pink is a peachy beige and cherry cinnamon is a brighter pink beige. The colours work well for simple autumn looks or even just to give your face a little colour to it.

My experience with this formula has been great so far, it's non-drying and is kind of like a combination of a lip tint and lipgloss, probably quite close to the Airy Ink Velvets, but with a less ~airy~ finish to it. It's non-sticky and smells really gorgeous too! Definitely worth a try even if you're not able to grab a hold of these particular shades due to this being a limited edition collection.



PERIPERA PURE BLUSHED VELVET CHEEK // #7 COZY CREAMY ROSE


I've only ever used Peripera's base products and their lip products, so trying a blush from them was a new thing for me completely. I wanted a warm colour that could be used with most colour schemes and also not be too bright. So this rose colour seemed ideal for what I wanted.

Alright, I'm not someone who wants to gush too much about how much I adore something but this is now my favourite blush formula. It glides onto the skin like velvet, feels like velvet on the skin and doesn't streak. It melts into the skin leaving a pretty, natural-looking flush.

I'm 100% going to be buying more of this product in different shades, one of each colour I wear!

PERIPERA INK LASTING PINK CUSHION // #1 PINK IVORY



Cushions are another product I love from Peripera. Moderate coverage for a decent price. I've previously had the Mint Cushion, which had a yellow undertone to it and I knew the Ivory shade suited me well in the winter (I'm a ghost) so I went for the Ivory again (I'm Beige in the summer but I could have probably gotten away with the Sand shade at the peak of my tan) One thing I have been told about the Pink Cushion is that it has a slightly cooler undertone as the tones are pink. I feel like it's quite minimal and rather than being a full-on cool-toned base, it's more of a brightening one. The design of the cushion as a whole is adorable, the pink case combined with the stylised cushion puff is just all over gorgeous.

This cushions coverage I would say is medium, but you can build it up in areas that you feel you need to. I don't like wearing full coverage anyway as I feel it just looks too cakey on my skin. So this works well for me.


PERIPERA INK COLOR CARA // #8 PINK CHOCOLATE

I'm usually just a plain black mascara kind of person. Usually, because I mostly wear black eyeliner. However, the idea of a pink-tinted brown was intriguing to me so I had to grab one to give it a try. I had also heard some great things about Peripera's mascaras too.


I've honestly not used this as much as I would like to as I only wear it on days where I'm not wearing any eyeliner. However, I find the colour to be nice and subtle and the mascara itself helps add some length and a little volume to the lashes.


This whole range is absolutely beautiful, the packaging catches the eye so much and will allow for you beauty bloggers to get creative with your blog photos to fit in with it. Not only that, but the products perform extremely well. You all know how much I love my Peripera and will continue to keep purchasing their products. Have you tried this range? What are your favourite Peripera products or ones you would like to try the most?

Diving into the world of sheet masks can be an extremely daunting thing. There's so many that it can be hard to find where to actually begin. I've worked with Mask Time a few times to share with you their boxes, usually featuring about 10 or so sheet masks for you try out and treat your skin to. However, if you're not 100% sure on whether or not sheet masks are going to be your thing and don't know what brands you want to use, they also have smaller boxes containing 4-5 masks for you to begin your journey.

This box was sent to be my Mask Time. 

This box, in particular, was August's box, so with summer coming to an end, elements of summer remain in the mask to keep giving you that summer glow. The goal of the box is to give you masks that help treat acne, reduce pigmentation and moisturise the skin. So what are the four masks included?


A'pieu Icing Sweet Bar Sheet Mask // Watermelon

I've actually reviewed this mask before when I purchased it myself and its one that I absolutely love so was super happy to find it in this box! This mask in particular aims to exfoliate and promote the regeneration of skin cells while soothing and moisturising the skin, leaving you with that famous 촉촉 appearance! Plus it has that super strong scent of watermelon that I adore (plus you know I A D O R E A'pieu).


Dr. Plus Banana Milk Mask

Who else loves banana milkshake? I know I do, it's probably my second favourite next to white chocolate! This is one I'm excited to use as I love the scent of bananas and this mask hopes to help you with acne, moisture levels in the skin and if you're lucky enough to still have the sun with you to be able to cause sunburn (not here, that's for sure!) then this should hopefully be the one for you!


AooL Pore & Spot Care Mask


This is another mask that I have reviewed albeit more recently. Breakouts happen, usually due to hormones and some underlying skin conditions. Acne has been something I've suffered from since I was 9, while I have had treatment in the past through medication that took the bulk away, I still get hormonal breakouts and that's where this came in handy to help me reduce the redness of the spots that had decided to make an appearance. I mentioned in the review but AooL actually goes by ShionLe now (modelled by the boys of Astro!)




Proud Mary Cereal Pore Mask Pack

This the final box in our box is one that seems packed with a bunch of different benefits including anti-aging, skin texture improvement, tightening pores, skin cooling, balancing oils, bacteria fighting, wound healing and breakout preventing!! That's a lot of things this mask wants to do for you. So, here's hoping that it matches up to that when I get around to testing it out!



So this post is to simply introduce to you some of the masks that you can get from Mask Time in their Glow Starter box. Obviously, this changes each month but more often than not, you're able to still purchase the boxes at a later point in time while also purchasing them singularly if necessary. You can actually still purchase this exact box from Mask Time for £12.95 if these are the exact masks you want to give a try. Having tried half the box already I can vouch for their choices that they pop into the boxes and I'm always excited to see what combinations appear each time.

If you were to make your own box of masks for people to try, which ones would you put in and why?

I have all the nourishing, brightening, firming and vitalising sheet masks in my stockpile. However, one type that seems to be ignored by me when it comes to masks, are ones used to treat acne. While of course, one use isn't going to magically take the acne away, it can help diminish the appearance of them either by reducing the size or the redness. So, today I decided to try out the AooL Pore & Spot Care Mask. AooL is a brand that is owned by Shinan Cosmetics and the brand's main focus is skincare, having a line of 5 different sheet masks to be able to be used daily depending on your skin condition, with this one being acne fighting.

My main hopes for this mask is for it to hopefully reduce the pigmentation of some of the larger spots of my current breakout while also helping old acne scars fade. The mask claims do these things while also helping you nourish the skin in the process.

INGREDIENTS

Water, Methylpropanediol, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Butylene Glycol, Pinus Palustris Leaf Extract, Ulmus Davidiana Root Extract, Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Flower Extract, Pueraria Lobata Root Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Betaine, Panthenol, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Chondrus Crispus Powder, Allantoin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Carbomer, Tromethamine, Potassium Hydroxide, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Ethyl Hexanediol, Ethylexylglycerin, Fragrance

I actually found this mask a little too big for my face, which tends to be quite rare as they are mostly generally well fitting. This one had to be pulled about a bit to help me make it have as much of the surface area on my skin and not folded over itself. It was however very comfortable and for being quite thick, didn't feel all that heavy nor slip. The scent was quite medicinal but not overpowering. The mask is to be left on for 10-20 after cleansing and toning as per usual and then removed with the remaining essence being patted into the skin.

After removal, I noticed my face was soaked in essence as was the mask. So I massaged the essence into my face and neck while taking the sheet mask and rubbing it on my chest as I've been suffering from some chest acne lately. I gave myself some time to allow the essence to actually absorb into my skin before giving my thoughts on how my skin looked and felt afterwards. There was no stickiness left afterwards, my skin felt smooth and soft and definitely moisturised. The redness in the largest spot on my face looked a lot less red and painful than before but was still raised (probably due to there still being fluid inside). Along with this, my skin looked super bright!

It's always exciting to try new brands but from what I've been able to research as much as I could, it seems AooL is now ShionLe, which was launched this year and are actually using Astro (ya girl loves Eunwoo ♡) as their models for the brand, so while it might not be possible to find this mask as Aool, it can be found under ShionLe. They sell the same masks that they did as AooL and they can be purchased in boxes of either one type or a mixture.

I'll definitely be purchasing this mask again and some of the other versions of them as I was actually spending some time looking at ShionLe's products and these were one of the things that caught my eye! So if you need something to help you with your acne on those really bad days, this may be the one to go for!

Let me know your favourite acne fighting masks!

Recently, Wishtrend held an event to apply to be a reviewer for Klair's brand new UV essence. I had put my application in but had forgotten to notify them of me doing so and hadn't actually realised for a couple of weeks. I asked about it and queried whether I was too late for the event and while I was, they were ever so kind to still send it out to me to try out! Sunscreen is something I don't use as often as I should, I guess I fall into the mindset of living in Scotland where it is usually very dreary and that there's little sun so I don't really need it. A lot of the makeup bases I have actually have SPF in it already but the days that I go out bare-faced, my skin isn't always protected, but I also don't want my face to look super white from having applied a sunscreen to it.

Jinmee / 진미 is a brand new UK based Korean beauty brand helping you follow the K-beauty philosophy of skincare first. Bringing products to let you simplify your skincare routine while also getting the most out of the products you use. Taking inspiration from the owner, Karen Hong's own Korean heritage and the sheer focus on skincare. While the skincare industry is so vast with so many products aiming to help with any skincare problem, Jinmee wants to teach you that the application of your products is just as important as the product itself. They recently got in contact with me to work with them for the launch of the product I'm going to be speaking about today, which they have generously gifted to me.

Jinmee comes from the term best beauty, which I believe derives from the hanja 眞美 / true beauty. 

Today I'm super excited to share with you their first product the Hydrapuff, It's very common to use cotton pads along with your skincare, particularly when it comes to toner. But more often than not, you'll find these often quite thick pads can often soak up more product than it is actually applying to your skin. The Hydrapuff aims to reduce product waste (as much as 50%!) and be a multifunctional product. Not only letting you use it in place of cotton pads but easily being used as mini sheet masks to target specific areas with your skincare.





The pads come in a gorgeous box with splashes of bold watercolour, combining it with the brand's signature coral and a little rose gold. Simple but aesthetically appealing!



Each pad comes as a set of two, that can either be used as one on its own for swiping application of products or taken apart in half by tearing down the perforation line to make it two little parts of a sheet mask. You can use as many as needed to cover your face or target specific areas. For instance, suffer from redness in your cheeks? Use one pair of the Hydrapuff pads, soak it in a brightening serum, apply and leave for 5-10 minutes. You will only need a small amount of product for it to be fully moist.


They are incredibly thin compared to your average cotton pad, possibly about the same thickness as a sheet mask before any essence is added, if not a tiny bit on the thicker side.




I have only used these twice so far but am so far enjoying using them and I'm looking forward to trying out different products and DIY masks to make the most out of them and really amp up my skincare routine. I already have a few ideas in mind with what I'm going to use them for and you can bet I will be sharing them with you guys! If you have any ideas for things you think would work with this product, let me know and I can test it out for you!

The Hydrapuff is currently available on the Jinmee store retailing at £6.50 for 60 pairs and will launching in Topshop stores late October!

If you would like to learn more about the hydrapuff itself, be sure to check out their F.A.Q on the site to do so.

Will you be adding the Hydrapuff to your skincare collection?

Anyone else manage to accumulate a massive amount of sheet masks to the point you don't think you're ever going to be able to get through all of them? I'm currently finding myself in that position but I'm aiming to work through them over the next few months to at least reduce my pile down! Today I'm going to be sharing a little review on the Skinfood Beauty In a Food Mask Sheet in my most favourite ever scent/flavour of anything ever, watermelon. I love the scent of watermelon, even if it's that artificial one, it still smells the best to me and is super refreshing. Plus the actual fruit is delicious.

Water, Glycerin, Propanediol, Butylene Glycol, Citrullus Vulgaris (Watermelon) Fruit Extract, Isododecane, Nymphaea Alba Flower Extract, Sodium Polyacrylate Starch, Ethylhexylglycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Hizikia Fusiforme Extract, Aronia Melanocarpa Fruit Extract, Caulerpa Lentillifera Extract, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Hyaluronate, D&C Red No.33(Ci 17200), Fragrance

 As per usual with a sheet mask, after washing your face you apply the mask evenly to your face and leave it on for 10-20 minutes. I usually end up leaving the mask on for the full 20 minutes to get the most out of it. This particular mask fits very well to my face, there are a couple of slits, namely along the jaw and the inner corners of the eyes just to make it easier to adapt the mask a little to suit your face shape and feature aligning. This made it super comfortable to wear and I suffered from no slippage while upright. It has a moderate scent of watermelon without being too much, it's a little on the artificial smelling side but at the same time, also smells quite like an actual watermelon.



There is the perfect amount of essence in the package and it's not too moist to the point that it drips everywhere but there's enough to rub down into your neck to moisturise it.

Unfortunately, my experience with this mask has not been a good one. After taking the mask off, my skin was very red and blotchy and suddenly burning and felt hot to touch. It was just so painful and tight and just didn't look good. It didn't feel remotely nourished and felt drier than it was before I did the mask if anything. Wasn't what I was expecting from the mask at all. I don't normally react to sheet masks or any kind of skincare as my skin is pretty resilient to ingredients and isn't sensitive for the majority of the time. The mask was also manufactured this year as well, so it's not like it was expired or anything. It just didn't work well. That's not to say you will have the same reaction, but this is the honest experience I had with it.

I'm a little bummed. I really like Skinfood as a brand and have loved their skincare and make up for years, so for my first experience with their sheet masks to be like this is a little discouraging. However, I'm not going to write the masks off completely and will possibly give this particular mask or the other versions of it a try again in the future and see if my skin reacts the same then too. It may just be a case of the fact I changed my hormonal contraception this week and it may just be a hormonal difference causing my skin to react in such a way, or it could just be that this mask in particular just doesn't agree with me, sadly.