face mask Archives - Curiously Carmen

My Melody Face Mask

October 4, 2015

When Maki went to Taiwan and Hong Kong last month, she came back with an assortments of gifts and souvenirs for me! Thank you, Maki, if you’re reading this! I don’t buy many Asian beauty brands, but to my knowledge, I believe that they are a lot cheaper in Asia so it is a good time to stock up on them while you are there.

I received a bunch of facial masks from her, which I am slowly trying out.. as well as an liquid eyeliner that I really love! One of the facial masks that she got me was the My Melody face mask.

For those of you that don’t know, My Melody is one of the Sanrio characters. You can think of Sanrio as the Disney of Japan… their characters are very popular and everywhere in Asia! The most popular Sanrio character is probably Hello Kitty.

I grew up with a lot of Sanrio characters in my life, my favourite characters would have to be Hello Kitty, Keroppi, Little Twin Stars, My Melody… and the list goes on. I’m feeling so nostalic as I type this, I had Keroppi stickers all over my room and door when I was a kid!
This is what the packaging looks like – simple and minimalist, yet still very cute!
Although I took a Japanese beginners class three years ago, sadly I did not continue with it although I hope to be able to read fluent Japanese one day. That, or be able to travel to Japan and understand or get around!

With that said, clearly I can’t tell you what the ingredients are or what this mask claims to do. I’ll just leave it up here for you all to see and if you can translate the back, please leave a comment down below =D
I was very surprised when I took out the mask, and saw that it was an actual My Melody face! How cute is that?! Seriously, Japanese products are amazing and are so detailed. It also smelled like strawberries, which was an excellent delight.

At first, my skin reacted a bit with the mask as it stung a little, which went away in less than 30 seconds. I left it on my face for 15 minutes, and I thoroughly enjoyed the scent of strawberries the whole time. I am a big fan of strawberries, if you didn’t know 😛

I was a bit confused as to if this mask would fit my entire face, since it is more horizontal than vertical. It actually covered my whole face area, except for the tip of my nose because the nose flap was a bit too short for me.

Overall, I thought that this mask was very cute and I enjoyed using it. I really loved the packaging and design of this. The mask felt very moisturizing, although I wish I could read Japanese so I can tell what this mask targets.

Thanks for reading!

-Carmen

Montagne Jeunesse Honey Manuka Peel-Off Mask (Part 3/3)

January 17, 2015

Hi guys!

My apologies that I haven’t written a post all week…I missed writing here so much (thank goodness for draft posts, bloggers will understand haha). This week has been hectic and I didn’t have any time or energy to write a coherent post.

I also have been working on my first ever giveaway (!!! Ahhh!) coming up soon, so be sure to check back on the details 😉

During the holiday break, I first introduced two Montagne Jeunesse masks on my blog, sent to me courtesy of Obssessed Canada. Today, I am finally going to talk about the last one of those masks that I received… turns out that I coincidentally saved the best one for last =P Well, in my opinion at least.. I liked this one the most out of all three, even though the other two were good as well.

These were the three I chose from Obsessed Canada, they have around twenty different Montage Jeunesse products that you can chose from on their website. I picked the top three that sounded appealing for my oily skin type. I had already written on the Blemish Mud (click here) and Mud Pac (click here), today I will talk about the Manuka Honey peel off mask!

I love using honey in my skincare routine! I used to quickly whip up my own honey & sugar masks when I felt my skin feeling yucky, or if I was at the boyfriend’s house and did not have any masks to use. With that said and my love for honey, let’s get the review started!

When I first opened the packet, I noticed how lovely the scent was! It was a mix of sweet honey and jasmine, very calming and soothing. The consistency and colour of this mask looked just like honey, which makes sense as it is made mainly with manuka honey.

Manuka honey is a type of honey reigning from New Zealand and Australia, and has been suggested to have antibacterial properties. It also contains aloe, chamomile, and caramel to name a few!

There were also a few non natural ingredients in this as well which isn’t worth mentioning because I don’t know how to spell lengthy chemical names by heart nor do I know what the purpose of each of those are.

Montagne Jeunesse Manuka Honey Peel Off Mask 4 — Picture taken from chantalscorner.blogspot.ca

As you can see, it looks just like honey! Applying it on my face was fairly easy, it did not drip everywhere.

However, I strongly recommend making sure all your hair is tied back because it’s sticky (due to the honey). Some of it got stuck in my hair and it took me some time to wash it out.

Comparing to the other two MJ masks used, the consistency of this one was a lot thinner and lighter. The pack, just like the previous two, had more than enough for one person so I highly recommend doing the mask with a friend or having a ziploc bag handy to keep the leftover pack in (preserves freshness and less messy). I asked the boyfriend to use the rest of the mask for me as I didn’t want to store it, and he agreed to try it =) Guys can do masks too okay!!!

peel_off_face_mask — It felt like I was peeling off my own skin! (Photo from eco-lina.com)

After fifteen minutes, both of our masks had completely hardened and I helped him peel his off first. Honestly, at first it was really weird because it looked like I was peeling his skin off.

I removed mine afterwards, and it was the first time I tried a peel off mask. I think it’s easier and cleaner than washing it off with water. As you’re peeling it off, it also feels good because your skin feels so tight when the mask is drying on your face!

The peel off mask was new to the both of us, but I actually really like the idea of it and will look into buying peel off masks (once I get past the idea it looks like I’m peeling off my own skin, haha!) It’s less messy, and one of my BIGGEST pet peeves are getting my sweater sleeves wet from washing my face… yes I could roll it up higher but I always forget until it’s too late.

Our skin felt really soft and smooth afterwards. Honey and aloe are known to be great for your skin, so it’s no wonder that our skin felt so great. The boyfriend even said my skin looked glowing and I’ve never heard him say that!

I’ve never been blessed with smooth, clear, and glowing skin so to hear that was very surprising… I guess it is a step forward (until my skin goes back to its usual self, but it’s all about preventative measures right =P)!

You can get this mask online at Obssessed Canada for $2, with free shipping over $25!

Stay tuned to hear about my first ever giveaway!

-Carmen

This product was sent to me by Obsessed Canada, and I was not paid to write the review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and not altered by the requests of Obsessed Canada.

Montagne Jeunesse Mud Pac Mask (Part 1/3)

December 29, 2014

For all my Canadian readers, I am very excited to introduce Nail Polish Canada and Obsessed Canada to you all! As Canadians, we know how much harder it is to get beauty products we want due to shipping restrictions, or high shipping fees.

I can’t even count how many times I’ve gotten so excited over a product, only to find out that they don’t ship to Canada (AHEM Urban Decay Black Friday sale… that was my biggest US shipping heartbreak to date) or the shipping fees cost more than the actual product.

With sister companies Nail Polish Canada and Obsessed Canada, they offer free Canadian shipping on orders over only $25 or a $3 flat rate, which are both pretty great deals. Nail Polish Canada has brands such as China Glaze, Deborahh Lippmann, Essie, OPI, Sally Hansen, and much more! They have offices located in both Toronto and Vancouver so you can expect fast shipping as well, regardless if you’re on the East or West coast!

When Obsessed Canada asked me to write some reviews of the Montagne Jeunesse products they carried, I gladly took their offer up! I’ve never heard of Montagne Jeunesse before, so after some brief research, I found out that they are an UK based company.

Out of all the Montagne Jeunesse products that Obsessed Canada carried, I picked the top three I wanted to try: Manuka Honey, Blemish Mud, and Mud Pac based on their product descriptions. Unfortunately, I have been quite busy so I haven’t been able to try all of them yet. This post will be on the mud pac only!

The blemish mud pac is best used weekly for deep cleansing. It is suitable for acne prone skin and has a blend of Dead Sea mud, lavender, and seaweed.

I was quite surprised at how much product there was in the package (20 grams), considering that it is a one time use product. In fact, there was so much leftover that I talked my boyfriend into doing the mask with me because I didn’t want to waste the product. Well, I could have sealed it up I guess, but I preferred to use all of it right away, while it was still freshly opened. Even after applying it on his face, we still a tad bit left over so we applied a tiny bit more on our faces and washed away the leftover.

Texture and consistency- taken from ACosmeticAffair.Blogpost.Com — Texture and consistency- taken from ACosmeticAffair.Blogspot.Com

The mask was very cooling, and the texture of the mask made it very easy to work with. The mask was very smooth and thick, and had a minty green colour to it as well as slight mint scent.

After leaving the mask on for 15 minutes, we removed our masks with warm water and dried with a towel. Immediately, I noticed that both of our skin were really soft and looked really refreshed. It worked really well for me and I felt that it did a great job with deep cleaning!

Stay tuned for part two of Montagne Jeunesse masks! In the meantime, check out Obsessed Canada and Nail Polish Canada, or read some of my other posts! You can also buy this at Obsessed Canada for $2 Canadian, with free shipping over $25!

-Carmen

Press product featured, all opinions are my own.

Lush Herbalism cleanser review

July 29, 2014

I talked about this briefly in my June 2014 favourites post , but I have been loving this cleanser so much lately that I just decided to write a completely separate post! Back in May, I picked up this sample while I was at my local Lush store with a friend. Initially, I didn’t like this product at all but it grew on me.

I hated the texture of it, how I had to add water to the mixture before applying it on my face, and how messy it was to use! But after a week of putting up with the messiness, I noticed that my skin tone improved and I wasn’t as oily if I used this product the day before. After carefully rationing my sample so that I could maximize the use (LOL we’re all guilty of that, don’t even lie! haha) and careful consideration (sadly I don’t make much money at my part time job and I’m on a student budget), I decided to purchase the full size a month later.
I believe I bought the 100 g pot, which was $14. I’m used to buying drug store cleansers, so this was pricier than I was used to. But since I tried it before, I knew that it would be worth the price!
**Read more: Lush Cosmetic Warrior fresh face mask **
The texture of the cleanser was something I have not seen before. I took a closeup, because I’m not too sure how to describe it. It is a bit moist and flaky, and a tad bit grainy. I read on another review that you aren’t supposed to get this cleanser wet, or it can start to go bad since it contains natural ingredients.

However, I got my sample size pot wet by accident and I haven’t seen it go bad yet (had it for a bit over 2 months now).
Ingredients (as listed on site): Ground Almonds, Kaolin , Glycerine ,Chlorophyllin Water (Aqua) , Nettle, Rosemary, Rice Vinegar Extract, Rice Bran, Gardenia Extract, Rose Absolute,Chamomile Oil, Sage Oil, Fragrance | After reading the ingredients, it makes sense why there is a grainy texture to the cleanser- probably the ground almonds and/or rice bran. I love being able to read the ingredients list and know exactly what most of the ingredients are /how it is derived.

Steps: As mentioned above, I initially hated the cleansing process with this cleanser. It comes in a moist-ish type of packed clay tub.
Step 1: Take a pea sized amount with your fingers, and put it in your palm.
Step 2: Take a dab of water and gently drop it into the cleanser, so that it resembles a traditional cleanser. This part can be a bit messy, so be sure to do it over the sink. Then, you transfer the mixture onto your skin and wash. Applying this onto your face can be messy too, as the watery liquid can possibly run down your arm or neck/ aka everywhere it was not meant to be.

Pros:
-Keeps skin oil free, does not over dry
-Controls breakouts really well; I use this more often when I feel my skin breaking out and it usually does a great job in combatting the breakouts or making them not as bad
-Leaves skin feeling very soft and smooth (it is a gentle exfoliant as well)
-I would recommend this if you have oily, acne-prone skin

Cons:
-Messy!!!
-May be hard to adjust to at first
-Pricier than drugstore cleansers
-Since it is made with natural ingredients, they suggest finishing the tub within three months of purchase incase they go bad
-Unpleasant, herbal, earthy smell

Thanks for reading! Leave me a comment and tell me what you think about this product!
-Carmen

Lush Comestic Warrior (Fresh Face Mask)

May 22, 2014

I have had a slight addiction with Lush skincare products this past month, it’s all I’ve been using! I recently went back to Lush to look around, and was drawn to their fresh face mask section. After reading the ingredients in the masks, I wanted to try them and asked for a sample first. Unfortunately, I was told that they do not give samples of the fresh face masks as they expire in 3 weeks, and use only the freshest ingredients. Fair enough!

I ended up purchasing the cosmetic warrior ($7 CA) after reading the ingredients, here’s how it went.
The cosmetic warrior face mask is made with kaoline, fresh green grapes, fresh free range eggs, honey, cornstarch, glycerine, fresh garlic, tea tree oil, limonene, and perfume. Because of those ingredients, I can tell why the mask has to be kept in the fridge and expires in 3 weeks.
When I first opened the tub, I noticed that it was only 3/4 full of product. A lot of reviews warned people about the smell of this product due to the garlic and tea tree oil.

However, when I put it on, I didn’t find the smell to be unbearable. I didn’t really smell the garlic, but the tea tree oil scent was strong.I slathered a generous amount on my face. I figured that since it expires so quickly, I might as well use it up faster, and while the ingredients are at its freshest. I left it on my face for about 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, the mask had hardened slightly. I washed it off with warm water, which took a few tries as the areas that I put more product on was harder to wash off. I noticed that the mask turned into a soapy, creamy lather after washing my face with it. Now, the best part: the results? After drying my face, the first thing I noticed was how soft and clean my face felt. It also felt really moisturized, more radiant, and healthier.

Pros:
-Leaves skin feeling really soft, clean, moisturized, refreshed
-Non messy
-Made with all natural ingredients and vegetarian (as it says on the label)

Cons:
-Have to use within 3 weeks
-Have to keep it in the fridge all the time
-Can be seen as “pricey”, you don’t get that much product for $7

-Carmen