Korean skincare routines have kicked up a lot of buzz lately and we’re all in! Being in the beauty business we’re always in search of ways to have bright, flawless, radiant skin. Who doesn’t want skin like our lovely ladies in Korea, right? Our beauty team at POPxo joined in on the K-beauty mania and tried the 7 day sheet mask challenge. Read on if you want to know how it worked for us.
Priyanka Ghura, Beauty Editor
Dullness and acne marks have always been huge skin concerns for me, which is why I was totally on board for this challenge. My adult acne calmed down after the first few years of my twenties, but I still do get that occasional angry, big zit every now and then, no matter what I do. So I was a tad bit apprehensive about my sensitive skin breaking out with trying so many different sheet masks, but luckily no such thing happened.
Skin Type: Combination + Sensitive Skin
Sheet Masks Used:
1. Sephora Collection Face Mask – Pomegranate (Rs 450)
2. Innisfree It’s Real Squeeze Mask Manuka Honey (Rs 100)
3. Innisfree It’s Real Squeeze Mask Strawberry (Rs 100)
4. Sephora Collection Face Mask – Rose (Rs 450)
5. The Face Shop Real Nature Cucumber Face Mask (Rs 100)
6. Innisfree Skin Clinic Mask – Vita C (Rs 150)
7. The Face Shop Real Nature Aloe Face Mask (Rs 100)
Here’s what I thought: Right off the bat, I would have to say the sheet mask that I didn’t like at all was the very first one I tried – the Pomegranate one by Sephora. After leaving it on for 20 minutes, I was surprised to see that my pores were visibly larger and my skin seemed greasier than usual. This was a disappointment since pomegranate is known to be great for the skin. I guess it’s just my skin that didn’t agree with it too well. Next, I tried the manuka honey one by Innisfree which I was pretty impressed with. My face seemed brighter in the morning as well as more supple. Yay! While I felt similar results with Innisfree’s Strawberry sheet mask too, I felt the honey one was more hydrating.
Moving on to the Sephora Rose mask the next day and The Face Shop Cucumber one the following day, by now my skin was feeling brighter and fresher with every sheet mask I tried, which is great, but the results of both of these were similar – it didn’t really feel like they had done much for my skin. I also tried the Innisfree Vitamin C sheet mask, while it certainly did make my skin look super fresh in the morning, I felt like it wasn’t as hydrated as I would have liked. Finally, the last mask I tried was the Aloe one by The Face Shop, again my skin felt brighter in the morning, but I didn’t notice any magical results.
The sheet mask I’ll buy again: While I do make it a point to try a mask a few times in a week, doing this every single night after a long, tiring day did seem challenging but it was also relaxing once I had the mask on. While this experiment did nothing for acne scars, I did feel a difference in hydration, in fact, I haven’t needed to use my moisturizer the morning after trying any of the masks. My favourite out of the 7 would be the Innisfree Manuka Honey one as it made my skin feel the freshest out of all. I’m glad I tried this though, as Korean beauty and sheet masks are something that fascinates me to no end. Let’s hope this fresh, brightness lasts now!
Kannagi Desai, Junior Beauty Editor
Honestly, I haven’t had any latent skin trouble, nor have I had any pigmentation issue (if the universe is listening to me, know that I am knocking on wood very hard as of right now.) An issue that I usually face though is at times when I feel like my skin lacks lustre and bounce or just feels parched. Whenever the dryness returns, I turn to my bevy of sheet masks and I am good to go for a few weeks or more. So, when we decided to go for this, I was really happy but then when I looked at what we were about to do, I was a little scared. Is there a thing like overhydration?
Skin Type: Normal/Combination
Sheet Masks Used:
1. Innisfree It’s Real Squeeze Mask – Pomegranate (Rs 100)
2. Innisfree It’s Real Squeeze Mask – Green Tea (Rs 100)
3. Innisfree It’s Real Squeeze Mask – Rose (Rs 100)
4. Sephora Collection Face Mask – Avocado (Rs 450)
5. The Face Shop Real Nature Shea Butter Face Mask (Rs 100)
6. Innisfree Skin Clinic Mask – Collagen (Rs 150)
7. The Face Shop Real Nature Honey Face Mask (Rs 100)
Here’s what I thought: The first two days I was honestly super happy, I loved how my skin felt, I loved how I woke up with shiny skin every morning. Of course I was still drinking the same amount of water, but still, my skin felt extremely supple. I started the regime off with my usual favourites – ALL the face masks from Innisfree. I have always used those and have been comfortable with the results. Thereafter, I used The Face Shop Masks and I stood corrected, I had switched teams. All in all, I think my least favourite mask would have to be the Innisfree It’s Real Squeeze Mask – Pomegranate, it felt oddly sticky and my skin was dry 10 minutes after I took the mask off. The Sephora mask, on the other hand, I felt like did nothing for me, it didn’t moisturise nor did it hydrate, it was just there, like a piece of furniture in the attic.
The sheet mask I’ll buy again: Definitely, the two winners of this experiment for me were, The Face Shop Real Nature Shea Butter Face Mask and Innisfree Skin Clinic Mask – Collagen. With the first one, I felt like I had slept in a bathtub of moisturiser (in a good way). I woke up to this bounce on my skin that I haven’t felt before and it lasted the whole day! With the second, there was definitely a slight firming action that happened. I am not old enough to worry about anti-ageing but I am definitely old enough to know that the process has begun. It was refreshing to see that this mask did make my skin feel a little tighter if nothing else.
Nidhi Kavle, Senior Beauty Writer
Always on the hunt for a quick fix for my skin woes, I yearn for youthful, dewy, radiant skin. I can’t bring myself to commit to the 10 step K-beauty routine so I decided to try this 7 day sheet mask challenge instead. It was easy, hassle-free and involved minimal effort.
Skin Type: Combination / Oily, Acne Prone.
Sheet Masks Used: I used sheet masks from The Face Shop that address dullness, blemishes and acne. I picked mine up at Nykaa, on an offer of 7+7.
1. The Face Shop The Solution Radiance Face Mask (Rs 150)
2. The Face Shop The Solution Brightening Face Mask (Rs 150)
3. The Face Shop Real Nature Rice Face Mask (Rs 100)
4. The Face Shop Real Nature Peony Face Mask (Rs 100)
5. The Face Shop Real Nature Lily Face Mask (Rs 100)
6. The Face Shop Real Nature Red Ginseng Face Mask (Rs 100)
7. The Face Shop Real Nature Lemon Face Mask (Rs 100)
I started off by keeping the sheet mask in the fridge for 10 mins and moved on to wash my face with a daily exfoliating face wash. I used hot water to open up my pores and finished off by applying the cold sheet mask over my face. I did the same thing every day. I skipped applying my usual moisturizer since my skin was quite hydrated after each mask.
Here’s what I thought: As much as I’d love to tell you that this 7 day sheet mask challenge gave me the flawless and spotless skin I always dreamed of – It didn’t. Don’t get me wrong, the masks are hydrating and relaxing, but they’re not going to work magic if you have deeper rooted concerns. On the 7th day of this challenge, my skin felt hydrated and soft. That’s about it though, no miracles no scar fading. I don’t have dry skin so I wasn’t blown away by the hydration. But I have to admit, those 20 mins of keeping the cold sheet mask on my face every night were very relaxing, the perfect way to end a long tiring day!
While this 7 day challenge was fun, I can’t keep up this routine. My favourite sheet mask was definitely the Radiance Mask, it has Vitamin C and I love the way my skin looked the next day!
Lesson Learnt: Flawless skin isn’t a 7-day process and neither is any product going to be your quick fix. I’ve promised myself to try harder and not cut corners when it comes to taking care of my skin. I plan to give up dairy, caffeine and sugar; catch up on my beauty sleep and eat right!
If you’re looking for something that’s not in a mask form, I recommend trying out the Laneige Water Sleeping Pack it’s a lightweight overnight gel that will work its magic while you sleep.