Hey Guys!✨
Today i'm reviewing the first of 3 different Bio-Cellulose masks, kindly sent to me by the B∙Liv team to review! which is the:
B∙Liv Soothe Me Now - Soothing Bio-Cellulose Mask
[Review 1/3]
[Review 1/3]
I was really excited to receive these masks (and especially so quickly!) since i'd seen them being reviewed and recommend by other bloggers, so I was honoured to be chosen to review these masks for myself too!
The first mask I chose to try first was the "Soothe Me Now", since the opportunity I got to try it was at the end of a pretty tiring non-stop day, where i'd also been to the beach. So I had a lot of harsh cold wind blowing on my face and a lot of redness here and there. Plus I wanted something soothing and stress relieving on my skin so this seemed like the best place to start!
The first thing I noticed with each individual Bio-Cellulose mask I reviewed, was that they're slightly heavier than normal/cheaper facial masks. I figured that masks made from better quality materials would naturally feel a tad bit heavier, however it was a bit of a surprise!
The packaging design itself is rather retro and simplistic in my opinion (something I like) and has a similar design to something originating from the 90's. The packaging for the masks themselves are somewhat colour co-ordinated (the soothe me now packaging is orange/peach).
On the front, some important/basic information is displayed. Which includes what material this mask is made from and some results based on an independent study into the usage of this mask. It claims that after 28 days:
Skin Dryness is improved by 55.6%
Imperfections are improved by 24.2%
Fine Lines are Decreased by 16.7%
On the back of the mask, it has a whole host of information (the most i've seen on the back of a sheet mask!) which includes a brief summery of what this particular mask is intended to do, which is:
"Allow the power of flower to bless your skin with a calming touch. Deeply infused with Organic Immortelle Flower Extract which has wonderful restorative properties, this soothing bio-cellulose mask effectively helps repair and rejuvenate skin"
Below is a brief description of what "Bio-Cellulose" is:
"Bio-cellulose is a specialised nano scale fibre structure that fits perfectly like your second skin. It serves as a high volume serum reservoir i.e hold moisture while allowing air to transfer freely and skin can breathe better. It's 30 nanometers fiber increases extra contact surface area for crevices and wrinkles; maximising the absorption of effective essence"
*It's important to note that Bio-cellulose masks are made of nano sceptic fiber. This fiber can naturally vary in thickness but in no way does this effect it's efficiency or function.
The Ingredients for this facial mask are:
"Aqua (water), Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Algin, Chlophenesin, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Mannitol, o-Cymen-5-OI, Helichrysum Italicum Flower Extract, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Potassium Sorbet, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-15"
The key active ingredients for this facial mask are:
Organic Immortelle Flower:
This Mediterranean plant lasts for an incredibly long time, it's known to be more soothing than chamomile and more regenerating than lavender.
Soothing Peptide (Acetyl Tetrapeptide-15):
A tetrapeptide that helps to increase skins sensitivity tolerance and threshold and effectively reduces the sensation of discomfort.
Hyaluronic Acid:
HA helps to keep the skins layers full of moisture to help maintain hydrated skin. It holds water, to be specific 1000 times of it's weight, to keep collagen hydrated and to promote a youthful look.
Starting with a freshly cleansed face here, ready to try out the Soothe me now mask!
After opening the packet and removing the contents, you'll find the mask neatly folded like so, it's also saturated in serum so it won't be drying out anytime soon! I was really intrigued by the texture of the mask and look of it! At first it feels like you're holding netting (the type of material you'd get under tutus to make them "puffy") and I originally thought that that was the actual material of the mask.
But in actual fact it's part of 2 protective layers guarding the mask on either side. I figured you would remove one side, apply it to your face and then when you're happy with the position of the mask, you'd remove the other layer! (i'm mostly used to masks that don't have protective layers haha!)
As stated before, the mask has 2 protective layers guarding it (you'll see why soon haha!) I found it much easier to remove the protective layer on the left first, and afterwards the layer on the right. Both are made from two different materials, to protect the mask as you unfold it (which is handy, I had a hydro mask once that came with only one protective layer and it was really stressful to unfold since it all stuck together 😩) which is needed to be removed first, and the last layer to be removed at the end of the application.
The first protective layer (featured here on the left) is the one I pealed off the mask first. Out of the two layers this one felt the most rigid with the material being similar to greaseproof paper. This layer is intended to be removed first, to allow you to be able to apply the mask to your face.
And the second protective layer (featured above) is intended to be left on the mask until you're satisfied with the position on your face, which can then be removed. This layer as mentioned before is pretty much the same as fabric netting, and because of the handy choice of material, it makes it conveniently easy to place and reposition the mask. The netting can conform to the shape of your face, (as the bio-cellulose mask itself it's very thin and fiddly on it's own) so afterwards it can be removed simply and easily without bringing the mask with it.
This is as apposed to say the one layer that comes with the Faith in Face Pearl Cellulose masks which is a rigid plastic material which doesn't really conform to the shape of your face the makes the actual mask itself hard to position and hard to peel off without it taking the mask with you (I guess you get used to it though haha!)
The mask is soaked in serum however, thankfully not dripping wet. So it doesn't create much mess (some hydrogel masks can create a lot of mess for me), whatever remnants end up on your hands can easily be rubbed onto your neck, décollatage or hands (I found that it absorbed quickly on my hands). Thanks to the protective layers I was able to place the mask pretty quickly without having to constantly readjust, and if I needed to, it wasn't an issue at all. One thing to note is there is a particular scent with this mask, I'd probably have to compare to a "new plastic" smell. It was definitely noticeable and it actually did annoy me slightly since it didn't seem to go away, but i did get used to it. I'd imagine it would give you a headache if you have a sensitive nose.
The mask itself adhere's extremely well to the skin, close enough to what I can describe as a "second skin". It's also extremely easy to smooth out the mask and it hardly leaves any creases! (using a Jade roller with this mask would be the ultimate experience!), I was actually also quite impressed by how well that mask fit on my face since i've had sheet masks before that have a lot of excess material and overlapping around the edges, with this mask that didn't occur. The best part of this mask is that where my chin is, it doesn't come "loose" and "drop down" like some masks i've used in the past, so there's no need to constantly smooth down the mask at the bottom due to gravity! Yippee!
The Bio-Cellulose material itself is also nothing that i've tried before, it's slimy and smooth and the mask is somewhat similar to Hydrogel, thin but much stronger. I used to be able to pierce hydrogel masks with my nails if I wasn't careful, however with these bio-culluose masks, their particularly strong (after i'd take the masks off, I tried to stretch and pull the mask to see how durable it really was and nothing happened haha!). It doesn't "rip" or become damaged when being moved about and repositioned, which can happen with the more delicate masks.
Now, the serum itself it's quite thick and rich, I found it to be a particularly hydrating and moisturising concoction that has a "gel like" consistency. Definitely more satisfying than the more "watery" serums you can get with some cheap sheet masks that don't really make much of a difference to the skin. I didn't need a lot of this product for it to be absorbed easily, however too much of it can saturate the skin and make it hard for your skin to absorb it. I had a little too much on my hand here at this point, so I had to spread it over a wide area for it to absorb effectively.
Once the serum had been absorbed by my skin, it left my hand silky smooth, hydrated and moisturised! Now, if it does that for your hands, what does it do for you face?
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Well! In all honestly didn't really want to take the mask off, and even after the recommend time (about 15-20 minutes) the mask was still rather moist and wet. After removing I "pat" the remaining serum into my skin and left it to absorb for a bit. Afterwards, my skin felt more hydrated, nourished and soothed. I also noticed my skin was less red! (and the morning after it just got better, since my skin tone had improved immensely with just one use! it had reduced a lot of redness around my nose and cheek area which is a plus!)
So even after one use it made quite a difference to the way my skin looked and felt (I was so happy I clearly got distracted and forgot to take after pictures 🙄 but i'll make sure to take some with the other two masks!).
I'd definitely recommend this mask to those of you who have dry skin or are looking for a mask that soothes, hydrates and reduces redness, since I found that this mask does do what it says on the packet. These would be great for winter months or to be used at the end of a hot summer day after being stored in the fridge! And due to the stress free way of being able to apply such a thin mask, it makes the whole masking experience a rather enjoyable one rather than a time consuming chore.
I'd definitely recommend this mask to those of you who have dry skin or are looking for a mask that soothes, hydrates and reduces redness, since I found that this mask does do what it says on the packet. These would be great for winter months or to be used at the end of a hot summer day after being stored in the fridge! And due to the stress free way of being able to apply such a thin mask, it makes the whole masking experience a rather enjoyable one rather than a time consuming chore.
Personally, i'm actually rather curious as to how my skin would look after using the mask for 28 days like the packaging suggests...however a pack of 4 is a little out of my budget for me, the usual retail price is $35 (£24.84) however currently (as of 6/4/18) , it's priced at $25 (£17.74) which is a saving of 29% which in actual fact is a reasonable price for a good quality mask!
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| IMG Credit: bliv.com |
Using this mask was definitely a pleasant ride, here are my main Pros and Cons based on my personal experience of this facial mask:
Pros:
Quality:
I found that the choice of materials (including the mask and the 2 protective layers) and the gel like serum, gave the mask a quality feel. The bio-cellulose material doesn't feel like a cheap sheet on your face that dries out quickly. It conforms to the shape of your face, actually feels like it's hydrating/making a difference and doesn't come loose/peel off like at the edges or overlap like some masks can. The option of adding two different materials to protect either side of the mask also makes it easier and convenient for you to apply the mask, without having to fiddle around and get the serum everywhere! I personally am happy to pay a little bit more for quality.
Fit for Purpose:
I found that this mask does what it claims to do, and that's to hydrate, moisturise and soothe the skin (probably thanks to it's ingredients like HA and Acetyl Trapeptide-15). I did slightly notice some improvement on my fine lines around my under eye and mouth area (smile lines eek) and I imagine with regular use the improvement would continue. But my favourite result by far from this mask was the reduction in redness to my face around the sides of my nose and on my cheek area. This was particularly evident the morning after where the improvement to my skin tone was definitely noticeable.
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Cons:
Scent:
The mask does come with what only can be described as a "new plastic" smell. Not really a pleasant or an unpleasant one, but definitely is noticeable. I would imagine that for some of you it could possibly induce a headache, luckily for me I did grow accustomed to the scent fairly quickly but it didn't really fade, and still lingered for some time after the removal of the mask.
Price:
Now as before mentioned this product would usually be considered out of my budget. There are other similar masks that can be purchased slightly cheaper, however there are some similar masks and hydrogel masks that are the same price/more expensive. So really, this would link in with my quality point, are you happy to pay that little bit more for a quality product? if so, i'd say it's definitely worth it. Particularly since these masks are currently on offer with 29% off! (which doing the math, works out at $6.25/£4.44 per mask) which in actual fact is cheaper than (for example) the Origins sheets masks being sold at Marks and Spencer for £5/$7.04 per mask!
Overall I did enjoy using this sheet mask, and a special thank you to the B∙Liv team for allowing me the opportunity to try it! It's definitely been one of my favourite face masks that i've tried thus far, and I probably will consider purchasing it (however i'll make a proper decision once i've tried all three types haha!). This sheet mask is suitable for all skin types (I didn't break out or have any reactions to this sheet mask) so whichever skin type you are, this mask is one to try! If your main concerns are keeping your skin hydrated and soothed whilst wanting to reduce redness and fine lines, do consider trying this sheet mask, i'm postitive you won't be disappointed!
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Where to Purchase:
Can be purchased here (currently as of 6/4/18) for $25 (approx £17.75 converted)
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Thank you for reading!
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Have you used this sheet mask?
What did you think of it? lemme know in the comments below!
What did you think of it? lemme know in the comments below!
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