Friday, March 6, 2015

Asian Skincare Reviews: 5 My Beauty Diary Sheet Masks

I think of My Beauty Diary masks as the grand daddy of the sheet mask trend, especially for us in the Western hemisphere. Sure, there may be newer and better things out on the market these days, but it's still fun to try some of the classics. I have a selection of five different masks to review for you today: Apple Polyphenol, Bird's Nest, Mixed Berry, Bulgarian White Rose and Earl Grey Tea & Macaron.
Obviously, My Beauty Diary makes more varieties than just these 5, and you can either buy them individually or in a pack of 10, which is the more cost-effective option. The prices differ depending on where you purchase and range from just over $1 to $3 per mask. I find that eBay offers the best deals on these Taiwanese masks, but they're also available on Amazon, Sasa.com and I've even found them at Walmart online.
The Apple Polyphenol Mask claims to be brightening, clarifying as well as pore-tightening, and contains aloe vera and lemon, apple & sugar cane extracts. This one came with enough essence for two uses for me personally, so that's always a plus; what I do if I have enough essence left over for second use is I just fold the mask and put it back in the packet, secure the open top with a clip and pop it in the fridge between uses so that it doesn't dry out.

I don't have much to report about this particular variety: it moisturized a little, it brightened a little, it wasn't particularly soothing, which is possibly my favorite result I usually get from these sheet masks. The mask had a pleasant green apple scent, so if you like that, it feels quite refreshing. It was alright, but I wouldn't go out of my way for this variety.
Here's a little trivia for you, if you're quite confused about why you would want some bird's nest on your face. I assume that 'the bird's nest complex' that's supposed to be in this Bird's Nest Sheet Mask is in fact the key ingredient in a popular Chinese delicacy, bird's nest soup. The edible nests used to make the soup are built by little birds called swiftlets, which weave strands of their own saliva to form the nest. I know, you're welcome.

Apart from bird spit, the mask also contains glycerin, a hefty dose of hyaluronic acid, red and brown algae, gotu kola extract, rice and soy protein as well as aloe vera juice. The mask is completely saturated in a runny essence, so much so that I found some of the liquid dripping of my face while the mask is on; there's definitely enough product to be able to use this mask twice. I loved the effect of this one: my skin was noticeably plumper, brighter and more hydrated, and the scent was faintly soapy and pleasant. Big thumbs up!
The Mixed Berry Mask contains extracts of blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and other fruit, as well as brightening arbutin, hyaluronic acid, green tea and squalane. It's aimed at all skintypes but particularly dry. I don't have much to say about this mask - it was just okay. It had that artifical fruity candy scent to it, which I didn't enjoy, and I found that it didn't soothe or moisturize as well as some other varieties. I'd skip this one in the future.
The Bulgarian White Rose Mask claims to be whitening/ brightening as well as soothing and contains Bulgarian rose hydrosol (flower water), licorice and kiwi to help diminish hyperpigmentation, and cucumber and aloe to hydrate the skin. In theory, it sounds ideal for my dehydrated skin with post-inflammatory marks and scars, but in reality, I thought it was just okay. It had a subtle floral scent and less essence than the Bird's Nest variety. It did make my skin feel more hydrated and look more even, but I saw more noticeable results after using the Bird's Nest Mask.
The Earl Grey Tea and Macaron Sheet Mask does not, in fact, smell of macarons, which was somewhat disappointing - but it does have a subtle Earl Grey Tea scent with its refreshing bergamot note; as an avid black tea drinker, this scent was my absolute favorite. This mask is supposed to have an illuminating and clarifying effect, and contains black tea ferment, bergamot essential oil, sugar cane and fruit extracts, and sweet almond protein. The fiber mask is nicely soaked in essence (but drips a bit from the chin) and feels very cooling on the skin.

I left this one on for a bit longer (30 minutes versus 20) and used my fingertips to lightly tap the surface of the mask while it sat on my skin, and I have to say nearly all of the essence absorbed into my skin. When I removed the mask, my face was so much more even in tone that I thought it looked whiter, as weird as this sounds. My pores also seemed a bit tighter. At first, the remaining layer of the essence felt a bit tacky, but it absorbed into a velvety smooth finish in a couple minutes. I really really liked this one! Maybe it wasn't as hydrating as the Bird's Nest, but the brightening effect was amazing.

I hope this review was even remotely helpful for you; My Beauty Diary sheet masks are definitely a good place to start if you're new to Asian masks, and choosing from all the different varieties (Black Pearl! Broccoli! Luffa! Sake Yeast!) is at least half the fun. Have you tried any masks from My Beauty Diary? Which ones are your favorite?

12 comments:

  1. I've tried a handful of these and have to say they actually seem to do something for the skin, which I don't find is always the case with sheet masks. (And maybe all masks in general. Nice pampering feel but questionable.) I liked the Bird's Nest, too. Now I feel like running off on a quest for the Earl Grey ones!

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    1. Hahah, Liz, I know about your love for all things Earl Grey :D I've noticed a while back that a sample of Living Proof de-frizz hair serum smells of bergamot too. Now I'm hoping all of their line smells like that :D

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  2. I have heard a lot about My Beauty Diary. I usually buy Asian cosmetics via ebay. Is there any complete list of ingredients available? I like to try more Asian masks, but as I have a LOT of allergies it may be good to check them first.

    The Birds Nest one sounds great. But as I love the scent of berrys and stuff I think the Mixed Berry would be worth a try. Uuuh earl grey. I adore black tea xD Maybe I should try this one two.

    I have tried the Innisfree Rose Mask (from Korea) and I liked it. It contains lots of glycerin and rose water, but the impact was great. If you want to try another rose mask it's definately worth a try.

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    1. Hi Lila, well, the problem with these masks is that they often upgrade the line and I think slightly reformulate the essence as well, so even when you find an ingredients list online, sometimes it's hard to be sure whether the mask you're ordering is the same one you've checked the ingredients for :( But you can also buy the 'US version' of these masks and I think the ingredients for those are more reliable. Thank you for the recommendation, I've heard good things about Innisfree!

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    2. Thanks for the information. Mhhhm that's a real pity :-/ Well I don't want to buy cremes and masks before knowing the ingredients ~.~

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  3. Thanks for the review :D I like reading about the My Beauty Diary masks because I selected 5 in Asia not knowing anything about the brand (but cheap cheap!) haha I'll definitely keep my eyes peeled for the Bird's Nest and totally agree that there's a big variety of masks which is probably the biggest aspect of the brand. I have the Black Pearl, Hyaluronic, Strawberry Yogurt, Broccoli and Arbutin but still haven't tried any !
    ~Weng wengiful

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  4. Ooooo...how lovely! I've tried a couple brands but none from My beauty diary yet! (surprising right?!) I totally would love to try the rose and earl grey tea ones!

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  5. i love mbd masks and have tried the earl grey and macron one. i though it was ok but i love love love the aloe one. that's the one i always keep buying b/c its so hydrating and soothing. i use it a lot during the winter.

    jenn

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    1. Thanks for the recommendation, Jenn, I'll try the Aloe next time!

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  6. Interesting! I always trust Asian skin care, ya know, opposed to 'our' skin care...

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  7. I've never heard of My Beauty Diary, but those masks look interesting. Especially the Bird's Nest. Black Pearl sounds interesting too. I'm totally going to look into these.

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  8. Uh-oh, this sounds very interesting.... *runs to eBay*

    I haven't tried any Asian masks yet, but I'm very very curious about all their skincare in general. I've heard truly amazing things about some Asian products!

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