In my June Birchbox, I received one of those stick-on type masks.
I've seen this type before, though most of the ones I've seen have been small area application patches, such as for the eye area, or for the forehead. I'd wondered if they really do any good. Here was my chance to try out at least one brand's take on the stick-on mask.
Masqueology has a "Pore Minimizing" full facial mask "with Mushroom Extract" that is supposed to "minimize the visible appearance of pores" and "refine skin's overall texture and appearance". You can read more about what it has in it and what those ingredients supposedly do, or purchase 3 masks of your own for $24 at Birchbox HERE.
You start with a clean face and remove the mask from the package. It is very wet and, as you would expect, very cold. This feels quite nice on a sweltering summer day. However, I don't think I'd enjoy putting this cold, wet mask on if it were not hot weather. Anyways, you pull out this rather large, folded paper mask. It's thick paper, not thin, so you don't really have to worry about accidentally tearing it while you unfold it or put it on your face. It has cut outs for your eyes, nose and mouth, as you can see here.
I tried to make face-to-mask contact as much as possible. I folded down the parts around my eyes, nose and mouth, and wrapped edges around the outer rim of my face, and such as that. Then, I simply laid back and read while I left it on. The "stuff" on the mask had a cold, gelatinous, wet feel. The best way I can describe it is to compare it to aloe vera gel, if you've ever felt that. Not exact, but very close. It definitely has a slippery feel to it. I kept touching it and patting it down around the edges of my face. I'd then take the slimy stuff on my fingers and rub it in on the back of my hands. It seemed to have a very moisturizing effect.
After somewhere between 20-30 minutes, I peeled it up off my face. It was still wet as ever. This stuff didn't dry out. Here's the nice part: you simply rub in the residual moisturizing stuff as if it were face lotion (per directions). No need to wash your face of this stuff. My face felt nice and smooth. My pores looked a touch smaller, but I don't really have large pores in the first place. (Important NOTE: from what I've read, ALL pore treatments are only temporary fixes. You can't permanently alter your pore size. So this might make your pores appear smaller for a time, but the effect will diminish quickly.) Don't buy this mask so much for its ability to change your facial skin qualities.
If, however, you like to pamper your skin and you do NOT like those drying mud/clay masks (which hurt if you smile or laugh), or those peeling masks (which pull your fine hairs when you peel it off), or you just want a mask that is easy to smooth on and doesn't have goop that must be scrubbed off when you're done, this one's for you. To me, that's the best attribute of this mask. I don't have to try and scrub off all little bits of clay or whatever. You could use this anywhere...no sink required.
In summary: It's NOT gonna change your face on any permanent level, but it is a GOOD choice for pampering yourself because it's easy. It's GOOD for hot weather, but NOT for cooler weather. Since I don't use masks very often, and this is expensive to me ($8 per mask), I most likely will not get it again.
