I’ve had this blog post in my drafts since the beginning of lockdown, so now it’s time to finish it off – otherwise by the time I get round to it, Summer will have already graced us and gone. The focus of this post is fairly simple, yet I hope it is informative. I’ve narrowed down your search of K-beauty to one sheet mask for every skin type. The sheet masks I have selected will most likely not be the only one you will stick too, though perhaps you’d like to consider the mask for you skin type to be one that you use on a regular basis. Deciding on just five sheet masks was tricky, but here are my recommendations…
DRY SKIN
For my dry skin friends I’ve chosen a mask designed to deeply hydrate your skin as well as the surface of skin. Don’t worry, it’s doesn’t have a thick, heavy or greasy texture and finish. It’s the Leaders Ex Solution Aqua Advanced Facial Mask. I was debating whether to suggest my favourite Mediheal D:NA Aquaring mask which has a light creamy texture, but as it’s now summer time this Leaders mask has a more appropriate texture to it’s ampoule.
This Leader’s mask is centred around N.M.F (betaine) and glycosaminoglycans. It contains glacier water from the alps in replacement to common mineral waters – my very limited hangul reading skills actually came in handy for once, as this ingredient hasn’t been translated into English on the packaging (yay me!). Its targeted at moderately dry skin, which may also suffer from sensitivity and an oil~moisture imbalance as a result of such dryness. So why this mask in particular? – To be honest its very similar to that of Mediheal’s N.M.F sheet mask, so I wouldn’t say it’s totally unique but the way it improves skin’s hydration and skin softness for at least two days after one use is admirable.
I don’t have dry skin but I have tried in on occasions when my skin was flaky because of the cold weather conditions. It kept the soreness of dry patches at bay for 2+ days, meaning I didn’t necessarily have to use a sheet mask every single evening; making it the ideal mask for those on a budget or pressed for time.
NORMAL SKIN
Normal or well controlled and balanced skin needs moisture and hydration too. It’s the type of skin that seems to be kept healthy with a minimal routine of cleansing, toning, moisturising and SPF – but occasionally could do with a pick me up half-way through the week (or at the end of the week if you’d prefer). Patch type sheet masks are good for you as they tend not to be as saturated with as much ampoule or essence as most whole sheet masks. Also they give you the freedom to target specific areas of your face, if you feel like your entire face doesn’t need that additional boost of hydration. KOKOSTAR Watermelon Slice Mask Sheet provides a desirable amount of hydration which isn’t too light nor too intensive or specialised.
A packet contains 12 slices/patches of two different sizes. Depending on how many you use per time, you can get 2~3 uses out of one packet – making it more cost effective. These days you can even find them on Amazon for less £3. I really like how they contain soybean and allantoin. Surprisingly it does truly contain a fairly large quantity of watermelon extracts for authentic freshness.
COMBINATION SKIN
In my opinion, I think finding a sheet mask for combination skin to be the most challenging considering different areas of your skin require different levels of hydration and specific care. Of course you could opt for patches similar to those I mentioned for normal skin types; considering you can pin point certain areas that you want to lightly hydrate and possibly use more creamier patches (or create your own mask with the toner/essence pad method) for areas which are drier. But that’s a lot of fuss and isn’t always practical.
With all this considered, I suggest the 3 step JayJun Cosmetic Intensive Shining Mask. Step 1 has a essence and hydro gel-type eye cream to set a lightweight base of hydration in preparation for the delivery of well balanced ingredients in the sheet mask (step 3). It has a high water content, but isn’t too runny as it is plentiful in collagen and glycerin. It is considerate of maintaining an overall balance of hydration plus skin strengthening ingredients to not encourage excessive sebum production at the t-zone and steady any irritation that may also come along with having combination skin. It’s in my top 10 favourite sheet masks as everything from the essence, actual ingredients and fabric tick all the boxes for me.
OILY SKIN
When it comes to sheet masks for oily skin, you’ve got to consider ‘is there a good ratio of watery ingredients to nourishing oiler ingredients?’. By this I mean you can’t just look for a mask with the most fluid essence available – because skin just can’t absorb water molecules like that. What you need is something rich in aloe vera: the aloe water acts moreso as the water element in the formula whereas other ingredients that are oiler but not greasy will act as the nourishment you need to find that calming balance of water~oil. Of course there are countless combinations of high water content to high nourishment and vitamin holding ingredients, however you’ll often find that aloe, propolis or royal jelly form the bases of the majority sheet masks for oily skin.
Usually for my oily skin I’m all about green tea. Green tea was gifted to us oily skin people! Although I think we can all agree that green tea masks are so common to come by that we don’t need another reminder of their existence. Instead I’m recommending the Banobagi Vita Genic Jelly Mask*, for its calming/relaxing and balancing functions. What I should have said earlier, is that us oily skinned people should consider masks with a jelly essence/ampoule (not to be mistaken for sheets that are literally made for agar jelly or hydrogel). This mask is jam packed with vitamins – nothing but goodness as it is free from 11 harmful ingredients which could interfere with oily skin.
ALL SKIN TYPES
Well, of course this has to be a Hyaluronic acid mask. HA is one of the most inclusive ingredients for all skin types and a wide variety of skin concerns. It can hydrate moderately dry skin minus the heavy texture/finish, yet equally please oily and aging skin types. For this category I’ve chosen no other than the Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Deep Moisture Water Mask*. I think when some people read the words ‘deep moisture’, there is a negative assumption that it’s going to be a product only for dry skin and will leave skin feeling uncomfortably sticky or richly moist.
Its the sort of mask you could use everyday if possible without the fear of breakouts, pore congestion or any other form of stress to skin. It’s not super basic, but its not an overly complex formula neither. Everytime I see this mask in OliveYoung in Korea or online, I have to stock up on a few. Its even packed with Glycosaminoglycans, Allantoin and Panthenol. And alcohol free. What else could you possibly want from a mask?
I’m going to do a follow up of this post, next time based on sheet masks for every skin concern. Let me know, have you tried any of these masks or do you have some recommendations to share in the comments section below?
Thanks for reading!
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Disclaimer – Products marked with an asterisk (*) are gifted items. Any opinions expressed are my own.
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