I had no intention to blog today, but the seaweed mask from FaceShop really worked like WOW that I decided to just share it here. Who knows, it might be suitable for you too.
Yes, Seaweed is its name, and as its name implies, it is GREEN in colour. Therefore after applying it all over your face, you pratically look very much like a goblin. Or an elf (not the LOTR handsome elves of course). So if you are green-o-phobic, be prepared. Here is how it looks, picture taken from www.thefaceshop.com :
If you read the description behind it says "smoothes uneven skin for a finer complexion". If you walk into FaceShop itself it says "tightens pores and control excess sebum production". Both claims are justified in one way or another, I can show you how.
During application the smooth texture of this mask helps your finger glide through your skin with an even dispersal of the product. It is written on the tube to leave the product on your face for 10-15 minutes, but from my experience, about 5 minutes is sufficient. This is because as it starts drying up, you will feel a gentle tug on your skin, and this is when it starts to "tighten pores and control excess sebum production". I am born with paranoia so after about 5 minutes I will wash it away, for fear that the gentle tug might evolve into some deep wrinkles.
Then again, I have normal type skin, just not radiant nor clear, and the mask is targetted at combination skin types. I bought this mask for it's clarifying and pore tightening purposes (I have big holes as pores), so I usually will keep it on my face for a period shorter than the recommended period. With this in mind, if you have slightly larger pores or you have excess sebum production problem, you might want to stick with the recommended 10-15 minutes.
The key to know when to wash it away is just to wait for just two-three more minutes after you feel the tug on your face. That should suffice. After all, you want it to tighten your pores, not creasing your face.
One thing I like to do is to stare at my reflection in the mirror right after I wash the green layer off (with lukewarm water). I know, the Narcissus in me at work again. But Narcissus has to be of decent looks to begin with, for he to fall in love with his own reflection, right? My reflection this morning after use was one with an evidently brighter face and a nose with less visible blackheads. The pores near the nose area were still faintly visible of course. You can't expect all the pores and blackheads to be all gone after one use, can you!
Also, as testified by a few of my friends, myself included, it leaves the skin feeling supple and tender after use. For me, I usually follow up with a thin layer of moisturizer to seal it up.
As you can see, it lives up to what it claims. It does even out your skin tone, brightens up your face, and minimizes the visibility of your pores, as it removes your blackheads. What more can you ask for, from a tube this small and a price this reasonable! Of course, everybody's skin is different and the same product may not work the same way on every skin. I'm saying it works for me, and I hope it works for you too (:
Other than this mask, FaceShop sells okay nailpolishes at super cheap price too. Their nailpolishes are considered quite decent for the price of 2.50, so I termed it "okay". They do not streak, they dry fast, and they are easy to apply, because of their thin and smooth texture, very unlike some in the market which are so thick that it becomes difficult to maneuver. But because of its thin texture, more often than not you find yourself having to apply at least two coats for a more complete coverage, and some may not like it because of this. I have no problems with building up the coats because this also makes room for creativity by mixing the colours - or switching the colour sequence to create a different shade. So I will stick by FaceShop nail polishes for my little nail experiments.
And yes, as you might have realized earlier in this post, I do see myself as a FaceShop whore. But I do not get my toners from them because most of their toners contain alcohol which I'm trying to stay away from, and so should you (:
