Review: WHEN Face Masks

As these past few months have been incredibly busy and fast paced, I’ve found it more necessary than ever to take a breather and dedicate some time to unwinding and de-stressing, as not to implode from all of the pressure. Without a little “me-time” I don’t know how I would have made it.

That being said, one of the key elements of “me-time”, and perhaps one of my favorites, is face masks! Today, I’m featuring these awesome sheet masks from When Beauty.

When Beauty is a Korean beauty brand targeted for the modern individual, pressed for time. They have a unique range of mask types for distinct situations and are becoming really popular in the States with the rage of Asian beauty starting to trend.

When was kind enough to send me 2 of their masks for me to review through BrandBacker, (general disclaimer) and I had picked one up myself already. All of them are perfect for the “me-time” moments I’ve earned these months! Here’s my thoughts:

Travelmate:

• Formula/Format– When masks are not your typical sheet mask. They are made from a bio-cellulose, coconut jelly material that retain the essence 10x better than traditional paper or fabric sheet masks. It is a jelly like texture on the skin, very soothing and cooling. I wasn’t aware that this was coconut based. I am allergic to coconut when ingested, but in skincare it goes either way for me. This formula luckily did not irritate my skin at all and was very hydrating, perfect for after the flight I took when I got back from Disneyland at the beginning of the month. (Don’t worry the vlog is coming I promise!) My only gripe is that the shape of the mask is not that universal, in my opinon. It was a little short around the edges for me. 4/5
• Ingredients– The key ingredients include hyaluronic acid, saccharide isomerate, and ginseng extracts to keep skin healthy-looking, and chamomile and Swiss Alpine herb extracts to soothe skin. There appears to be mostly plant based extracts and water retaining properties in this mask and a majority ranking as 1s in the ewg database. The only concerning ingredients are the unnamed fragrance (a mild irritant for sensitive skin) and PEG-60 and castor oil (which are mild preservatives). 4/5
  • Full Ingredient List: Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Citrus Grandis Seed Extract, Bambusa Textilis Stem Extract, Pinus Palustris Leaf Extract, Saccharide Isomerate, Polyacrylate-13, Polyisobutene, Polysorbate 20, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Gentiana Lutea Root Extract, Archilea Millefolium Extract, Artemisia Vulgaris Extract, Colloidal Platinum, Ginsenosides, Fragrance, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil.
• Scent– There is a mild botanical scent to this, probably from a mixture of the extracts and added fragrance. Nothing special, but I wish they didn’t add any fragrance. 3.5/5
• Packaging– These masks come in an airtight, sealed foil packet. The foil keeps the mask cool and preserved. They are slim and great for travel, but I will say that the thick foil is a bit difficult to peel the top off of to open the packet. I love the minimalist and colorful design of the packets though! Inside, the mask is folded and has 2 protective layers to keep it from wrinkling and tearing. It is absolutely drenched in essence to ensure that it doesn’t dry up! 4/5
• Effectiveness– This mask is great for boosting hydration to the skin! It left my skin very soft and plump the next morning after wearing for the recommend 30 minutes. I had no irritation, no dryness, and no problems! 5/5

Glamour Base:

• Formula/Format– Just as before this is a bio-cellulose jelly like mask. I found that this one had more trouble forming around my chin though. Although still cooling, this one had a bit more of a sticky essence to the serum, but in a good way. 4/5
• Ingredients– This one has more of a focus on evening the skin with hyaluronic acid and ginseng extracts to keep skin healthy, and adenosine, collagen, and peptides to help improve skin elasticity. As before, this has mostly plant extracts and elasticity retaining properties that have low ewg ratings save for the fragrance and PEG/ castor oil preservatives. 4.5/5
  • Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Citrus Grandis Seed Extract, Bambusa Textilis Stem Extract, Pinus Palustris Leaf Extract, Polyacrylate-13, Polyisobutene, Polysorbate 20, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Colloidal Platinum, Ginsenosides, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-3, Adenosine, Fragrance, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil.
• Scent– This has a botanical scent as well, but I wish it didn’t have the added fragrance. I find it unnecessary. 3.5/5 
• Packaging– The same foil packet, with colorful minimal is used here. 4/5
• Effectiveness– I was surprised at how effective this was at creating a base for my makeup! It smoothed out my skin and as I rubbed the essence into my face, it made a slightly tacky base for makeup to stick to. I wore this for about 20 minutes (10 minutes less than recommended, but I was pressed for time) after quickly cleansing my face with my Nip + Fab Dragon’s Blood cleansing pads and before doing my makeup. The mask was worn at 6:00 and I finished my hair and makeup at around 7:15 (as you can see, I clean up well 😉 ). That night, I went out the bars with some friends and got home around 2:00, for an overall wear time of about 7 hours. I only primed the right side (in the picture) of my face to see how it would compare. As you can see, it did a pretty good job overall keeping my makeup on my face. There is some fading on my cheek where my blush is and there is some of my hyperpigmentation peeking through on the left cheek that has no primer. Also, my highlight is faded on my nose, but I think that’s because I kept sneezing haha. 5/5 

Final Thoughts:

Pros:

• Paraben, sulfate, and phthalate free!
• Vegan and gluten free!
• Unique bio-cellulose texture that is soothing and hydrating.
• Slim packaging is great for travel or on the go!
• Travelmate studies find a 41% increase in hydration in the first hour after use.
• Glamour Base studies find 39% increase in moisture and 16% increase in elasticity in the first hour after use.
• Only $7 per mask!
• Available at most beauty retailers including Sephora, Ulta, Anthropologie (online only), Birchbox.com (online only), Beautychoice.com (online only), and more!
• 5 different versions include Travelmate, 10 PM, Snow Magic, Glamour Base, and The Last Choice.

Cons:

• Added fragrance might be a mild irritant to sensitive skin.
• Not quite the perfect universal fit for every face.

Conclusion: 

When Masks are absolutely worth it! I love that they are unique in almost every possible way from their physical make up, to their variety of purposes. They’re effective at their intended use, have plenty more pros than cons, and are overall pretty awesome for “me-time.”

I hope you found this review helpful! Be sure to leave me a comment with your favorite “me-time” product below!

 

All my love,

Megan

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