Thursday, July 22, 2010

Review: The Hayan Collagen Essence Masks

I recently purchased The Hayan Korean masks and tried two of them in the past weeks. I bought a few so I picked the pomegranate enriched collagen essence mask first because I love the fruit and was looking forward to the smell. The picture below was taken just before I put the mask on.

My first impression was the fact that it was soaked with the essence to the point of dripping! So I carefully opened the mask and when I looked at it, I was surprised at how much bigger than my face it was. But I guess since these don't come in sizes, then it must be one size fits all.

The scent was a pleasant floral smell but not a true pomegranate smell. I put it on and found it a bit difficult to adjust to my face. Mind you this was my first time with a sheet mask like this so I found it a little fiddly. As you can see below, the mask did not sit on my face smoothly. I put this down to my technique of putting on the mask - I guess I should not have just slapped it on. I was too lazy to readjust it tho'! However, I managed to get it on and then lay down for 15 minutes to allow the essence to do it's magic on my skin.

When time was up, I took off the mask and expected to see something different but my face looked the same, the only thing I noticed was that it was soft and bouncy. Good right? Also, because the mask was still wet with essence, I used the excess on my neck and arms.

The soft and bouncy effect did not last till the next day and everything was back to normal by then. I was not truly impressed, I must say.

A week later I gave another mask a try and this time I chose the Pearl Collagen Essence Mask. I can only guess that this has pearl powder mixed in the essence because the ingredients are all in Korean.


This time I prepped my face by spritzing on some minerals and vitamin infused spray by Youngblood (review coming soon). I then applied the mask carefully, beginning at my forehead and then working my way down towards my chin. The tricky part for me was getting the mask to sit properly around the eyes and nose. But this time I got it right and settled down for half and hour. The instructions say that you should use the mask for about 15 to 30 minutes so I decided to keep it on for half an hour.

The results were much better this time. In the thirty minutes (I managed to shape, buff and shine my nails AND watch t.v at the same time!) the essence soaked into my face well and when it was time to take the mask off, I noticed that it was almost dry. Much better absorption than the first one I tried. This was caused I am sure, by keeping it on longer and allowing for the essence to properly soak in. My face looked clearly brighter, more refreshed and hydrated. This lasted well into the next day.

My conclusion is that in order to get the most out of these sheet masks, use them for at least half an hour and apply the mask onto the face well so it sits smoothly and the whole face can benefit from the essence it contains. I also rubbed the mask all over my arms and legs with what was left and woke up to softer skin.

Verdict:- Buy only if you have spare change and don't expect the results to last long. Keep using on a regular basis to maintain hydrated skin.

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