Sheet Masks: Balea, Banobagi, Etude House, Esfolio & Lovemore

BALEA Tuchmaske

Available in DM for 0.99 €

Aqua 

Based on what I see on blogs and Instagram this is the most recommended of Balea masks. It's a part of Balea's Aqua line designed for dehydrated skin and it's made in South Korea like the rest of Balea masks.

Sheet: Apart from the black mask, all Balea's sheets are thick as a blanket, rigid and very annoying when on the face. You're constantly aware of it, it absorbs most of the essence and even though the size isn't that big, it doesn't fold that nicely. I just really dislike the sheet material, it ruins the while experience.

Essence: Is like a serum consistency. It absorbs/dries fast, but it leaves a layer behind, which later disappears

Scent: Clean, but sharp. Overall the scent is nothing special. 

Effect: It gave the skin a hydration boost, so it leaves the skin looking more fresh, but that's it - to be fair it doesn't promise more anyway. It doesn't have that temporary "omg my skin looks so good" effect that Asian masks have, probably because it doesn't contain any of the brightening ingredients. If it weren't for the annoying sheet material, I'd say this is an ok mask for some quick hydration, but I won't buy it again. I didn't notice any burning as some others did.

Ingredients: here.

Worth it? Only if I'd be desperate for any sheet mask, but it doesn't compare to Asian masks.

 Tuchmaske mit Aktivkohle-Vlies

Sheet mask with active coal

I got this due to a high content of salicylic acid. It's meant for blemish-prone skin, so I used it when my skin wasn't having its best days.

Sheet and fit: I didn't expect the sheet to be so nice, especially considering how bad Aqua and Born to be Lazy is. It's comfortable and sits nicely on the skin, it's not even that large and folds nicely. As the packaging indicates it's black.  It's got eye flaps like all Balea masks, which are useless here, since I don't want this essence near my eyes.

Essence: in all Balea masks there's very little of liquid compared to Asian masks and it's enough only for the mask to be relatively soaked. But it's a lot better than Born to be Lazy and it sticks nicely on the skin. Essence is light, like a toner and it absorbs quickly.

Scent: it's got a pleasant medicinal scent.

Effect: None to speak off. I used it when I had a few spots, but this didn't help to diminish them or accelerated healing. It also didn't do anything for the look of pores or blackheads. After I took it off, my skin started to feel tight and it was matte, but that's it. It's the closest one to Asian versions in terms of material of the sheet and how comfortable it feels, but in terms of effects, it's nowhere near. 

Ingredients: here.

Worth it? No.

Born To Be Lazy (LE)

As cute as the packaging is, I actually wasn't drawn to it, but I got this one purely based on ingredients, since they look quite nice with almond oil and hyaluronic acid high on the list. 

Sheet: the same as at Aqua - one of the most uncomfortable sheets I've tried. It's a combination of being too thick and too large, so I almost gave up and wanted to take it off as soon as I can. 

Essence: It's got a milky essence, but there is so little of it that adherence on the skin is poor. So together with a thick sheet, very little essence and poor, large fit for me, this basically feel off my face within 10 minutes.

Scent: As I opened it I was immediately hit with very strong sour apply candy scent, which I don't mind at all, but if you're sensitive to fragrance I'm just telling you this is the strongest scented masks I've tried (comparable to Secret Key). 

Effect: despite such annoying sheet material and poor essence, my skin did look presentable in the morning softer and nourished, so it wasn't a complete waste of time. All Balea needs to do is add more essence and change the sheet to one of those thin ones.

Ingredients: here.

Worth it? No, until they change the sheet and add more essence. 

BANOBAGI Vita Genic Anti-Wrinkle & Whitening Jelly Facial Mask 

eBay (seller house_of_fashion.2013), $2.69

Vitamin A- lifting

Sheet & Fit: it's a 100% cotton sheet and one of those thin ones that are very comfortable, also almost invisible on the skin when wet. The sheet is a bit large, but since it's thin, it's easy to make it fit well. It's very soaked with essence and it drips when you're unfolding it.

Essence: such a wonderful essence at this one. It's clear, but it feels like a comforting lotion. When I took the mask off, I could constantly feel it on the skin and it was very tacky, so this is definitely a mask you should use before going to bed, or even rinse it off. These is a ton of essence left in the pack, more than at any other I've seen. You could easily transfer it and use it as a serum.

Scent: it's one of the more heavily fragranced. The scent is not one of those that's easy to compare to something, but it's almost fruity, yet mostly chemical.

Effect: this has one of the best effects on my nasolabial folds. On one side it virtually disappeared by the morning, and the other was barely visible. Even during the day, they didn't become as obvious as the usually do. But in terms of other effects, I found this one lacking, as there was nothing more than deeply moisturising, so no additional brightening, evening of the skin or softness. I will repurchase this one, though I suspect it's breaking me out a bit because I've been using the extra essence just on my area around the lips and it's where I got a few spots.

Ingredients: here

Worth it? Yes. 

Vitamin C - brightening

Fit & Sheet: Sheet is the same as at Vitamin A .

Essence: Again it's similar to the one at A. It feels so comfortable when you're touching the sheet, it's just an incredible feeling. It's sticky as it dries.

Scent: This one has chemical scent, almost slightly lemony or citrusy, but in a chemical way.

Effect: I didn't notice that big of a difference on my lines as at Vitamin A, but this one was meant for brightening and it did its job. However, it just wasn't that special compared to other brightening/whitening mask (Papa Recipe Bombee Whitening, My Beauty Diary Black Pearl, The Face Shop Solutions Pearl,..). I used this when my skin was in pretty good condition, the only thing I was aiming at was lightening a big blemish mark on my chin. It was a bit lighter, but the difference wasn't that significant. I'm thinking that this one might be nice to use as a treatment plan, so one every few days because ingredients are lovely and might have a better effect long term. It didn't break me out like vitamin A.

Ingredients: here

Worth it? I'm on the fence about this one because I think I haven't seen it's true potential, since I only used one. 

ETUDE HOUSE 0.2 Therapy Air Mask 

Cosmetic Love, $0.64

Hyaluronic Acid

Sheet: the sheet is only 0.2 mm thick and that makes it not just one of those almost invisible ones, but it's also very comfortable and soft. It's a bit big for my face like most and again on the lower part of my face since I have a petite face. 

Essence: like at most mask it's a light, toner-like essence that leave a slight tacky layer. 

Scent: very alcoholic. Seriously, it's like sitting my a barrel of schnapps, though it's a very chemical smelling alcohol. The scent is like a drunk punch in the face and I really wasn't a fan of it.

Effect: I expected hydration and that's what I got. It felt very hydrating and it left my skin looking nice. In terms of effect, it's a nice one, but also not amazing.

Ingredients: here

Worth it? Yes because it's super cheap, but I'm also not that comfortable with all the alcohol, though it wasn't drying at all.

Collagen

Promises skin firming.

Sheet: the same as at Hyaluronic acid.

Essence: milky essence, like a very a very liquid lotion and it needs quite some time to absorb.

Scent: nothing specific, a cosmetic type of scent.

Effect: this didn't do anything dramatic, it just nourished the skin, nothing else. It was like I used a regular moisturiser, but it's probably again that type of mask that has better cumulative effect. It promises a firming effect, but I haven't noticed anything like that.

Ingredients: here.

Worth it? No sure, maybe if I used a whole pack. At least it's cheap and it feels nice, so ok for a pampering.

ESFOLIO Vitamin Infused High Concentrated Essence Facial Mask

Milk

eBay, $1.80

 This one promises to help restore elasticity and add moisture. It contains alcohol high on the list, but I didn't notice the latter when I used it and an even more surprising ingredient here is ginseng, valued as one of the best anti-ageing ingredients. 

Fit & Sheet: this has a regular, thick mask. The fit is a bit big for me, but I just scrunched it up a bit.

Essence: this has one of the thicker essences that more resembles a lotion. It's absorbed pretty quickly and doesn't leave a sticky finish.

Scent: it's quite a strong scent and a bit strange. The closest I can describe it is like those hard candy with milk, but it's a bit more chemical than that.

Effect:I didn't think much about this one as it was on my face and immediately as I removed it because all it seemed was moisturising. But in the morning my skin just looked better and my smile lines were reduced, so it's elasticity claim and high moisture are real. It didn't help anything with a spot I had (from the Banobagi mask I'm 99% certain) and my skin wasn't softer or smoother, but I still liked this one.

Ingredients: here

Worth it? Yes.

LOVEMORE Intensive Hydrating Moisturizing Facial Mask

Wine Yeast - Whitening

eBay, $2.25

Contains ocean water as a base and promises to brighten the skin.

Fit & Sheet: This one had me confused when I opened it because you get three pieces - the protective plastic layer, the actual sheet mask and an additional blue paper protective layer, which I at first thought was the actual mask (that would actually make it cooler). The fit was ok, it's a bit big on the lower part, but in that respect actually very comparable to most others. It's a thin, silk mask, so almost invisible when wet. 

Essence: is super light and absorbs within seconds leaving no traces behind.

Scent: it's in the name - it smells like yeast.

Effect: Immediate results didn't leave me happy because my skin looked  more uneven than usual, but in the morning it looked really nice. The redness I had around an old/healing spot was diminished, the skin was fresh, even and smooth to the touch. Despite having an essence that's completely absorbed within a minute, my face didn't feel tight and I didn't feel like I need to rush with extra care. This one was overall nice if you don't mind the yeast scent and it's good also for those who have oily skin and/or who hate heavy skin care.

Ingredients: here.

Worth it? Yes, particularly for oilier skin types.

For more sheet mask reviews check here. Have a great day!