THE PRODUCT(S):
The Face Shop Raspberry Roots Sleeping Mask: Drawing on the pure and natural strength of the Himalayas, extract of Himalayan raspberry root tones and lifts skin for refined facial contours. Skin problems? Try sleeping on it with this overnight beauty mask and wake up to porcelain smooth skin. Himalayan Raspberry Roots and Grain Extracts optimize elasticity and tighten pores while thoroughly hydrating and replenishing skin of lost nutrients. Additions of plant extracts in the formulation promote the natural secretion of pleasure-inducing beta endorphins and stimulate the formation of collagen for more youthful skin.
It comes in a cloudy gel form that spreads like water easily without much hassle, although it leaves a layer of shine and sheen on my face after application.
VERDICT: I got this trial/sample version while on my previous a.k.a last The Face Shop haul for hair products, I really had no intention of getting a sleeping mask from Korean beauty shops as I believe most of them are somewhat overhyped. But for their shampoos, it's a different story as it's under-hyped but reliable, trustworthy and useful. Anyway, despite the sales staff in getting me to buy a sleeping mask, which I politely reject, they gave me this trial/sample tube instead so I can try out while reassuring me that it's a really good product that gets rave reviews and is really popular among their clientele.
This sleeping mask has a wonderful fruity smell that is clean and fresh, kind of reminds you of walking through a field with nothing but beautiful sweet smelling fruits as far as the naked eye can see. Just don't ask what fruit though as my sense of smell can be quite bad sometimes, so it's a little hard to differentiate scents sometimes, but this fruity smell isn't overpowering nor cloying at all. And the scent actually dissipates upon spreading it on your skin, which I think is rather great. It's better than trying to struggle with a sleeping mask that smells weird and puts you off in using it, huh?
Unfortunately, I think it's a over-hyped product that doesn't quite deliver as compared to "how popular it is with our clientele", which I quote the SA saying to me. Maybe it's my skin problem, maybe it's not me but them, I don't know. But I can assure you that after dutifully using this for close to a year, I don't really see much improvement in the pore tightening claim it has. Skin elasticity-wise, there might be some improvement, but it isn't that obvious to tell at first glance either. Kinda like a "Meh!?" to me, to be truthfully honest.
A quick way to know if you have dry overnight skin upon waking up is to look for bedsheet lines on your face. If you see it, your skin is losing moisture when you sleep at night. But if you don't, that means your skin is doing okay.
Hydration wise, it's a little hydrating as my skin doesn't look too dry and taut when I wake up in the morning. Let's just say, my skin doesn't have bedsheet lines showing when I check with the mirror in the morning, it didn't help that I toss and turn like a human burrito when I sleep, so it's definitely going to leave bedsheet and pillow lines on my face and I am also prone to lying face down when I sleep. It's just that I fall asleep and sleep better than I lie face down instead of face up, yeah, I'm a weird sleeper alright LOL
However, I find that after applying this sleeping mask, my face tend to look a little greasy and oily and mind you, I don't put that much products on my face before bed. I literally followed the application instructions to a T as I don't like having my skin feel "heavy" with products just before bedtime. I only apply sparingly, but a quick check on my face seems to suggest that I overload the products instead. But the saving grace is that it doesn't make my skin feel oily upon application as it's a gel-like consistency and texture that spreads easily and evenly on my skin, just that it makes my skin looks oily and greasy though.
Thankfully, it doesn't make my skin look red nor make it feel itchy after a night of application. And the best part is that it doesn't trigger my sensitive pimples that I might have on certain days too. But the ultimate gross part? It has parabens in it, so how it got popular among Singaporean females amazes me. If it's a sample sachet, I don't mind the parabens as it is just one-off. But to have to use a product that contains paraben on a daily basis or even twice weekly is enough to make our skin go astray in the long run.
PRODUCT RATING: ✓
WHAT I THINK: It's actually a good product for me as it doesn't irritate my skin or even irritate existing pimples on my skin, but it's the presence of 5 different types of parabens that make it a turn-off for me. If it's just 1 type and it's a product that is recommended to be used once a week, I still find it acceptable. But because my skin tends to suffer from dehydration overnight, I tend to use it up to 3 or 4 times a week to combat the dryness of my skin at night, which makes it a bad product to use on a long-term basis.
WHERE TO REDEEM SAMPLE: I think The Face Shop should have sample sachets for buyers to take home and try. I got this small tube due to a $100+ purchase.
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Why not like my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/PuNiaosProductReviews to be informed of latest samples I found, which is duly updated? It will definitely save you the trouble of having to hunt down samples :)
