Sheet masking is a huge trend in East Asia and my first foray into them were these Tony Moly I'm Real masks. They came in a set of 11 and were sold on Amazon and there seemed to be one for every skin need. In the first of this two part series, I'll be discussing the following masks:
- Skin Purifying: I'm Real Makgeoli Mask Sheet
- Skin Purifying: I'm Real Seaweeds Mask Sheet
- Vitality: I'm Real Broccoli Mask Sheet
- Clear Skin: I'm Real Rice Mask Sheet
- Brightening: I'm Real Lemon Mask Sheet
- Pore Care: I'm Real Red Wine Mask Sheet
Skin Purifying: I'm Real Makgeoli Mask Sheet - 7/10
I used this when going through a hormonal breakout and left it on for an hour (I know it says 20-30 minutes but I fell asleep!). It didn't worsen the breakout but left my skin very oily afterwards. On the bright side, it smelt delightful and my skin did look a little brighter after that. But the oiliness afterwards trumps all the good it did do, hence the average score.
Skin Purifying: I'm Real Seaweeds Mask Sheet - 9/10
I left this one on for 95 minutes, again during another hormonal breakout and it was actually amazing. I've come to realise that all Tony Moly I'm Real masks smell great but this one did much more than this: it didn't worsen the breakout, my skin was instantly brighter after and it left my skin nicely moisturised and not at all oily. It calmed my skin during this breakout and I could see myself buying this one again for use as an emergency sheet mask.
Vitality: I'm Real Broccoli Mask Sheet - 7/10
Pros? Well, my skin was brighter after, there was a visible decrease in redness (though I can't be sure if that was a cooling effect from the liquid within the mask itself), didn't worsen any spots I had and my skin felt hydrated after. I decided to leave this one on for as long as possible just to see how long it would take to completely dry and it took 90 minutes.
But the bad? Well, my skin felt extremely oily for the next 24 hours. I wouldn't recommend this one if you have combination/oily skin.
Clear Skin: I'm Real Rice Mask Sheet - 9/10
This one and the seaweed one are my favourites from this first part. There was a decrease in redness after use (but again, can't be sure if just a cooling effect of the liquid), my skin tone looked more even, my skin felt very moisturised and extremely soft! Also, no new blemishes after. I honestly have nothing bad to say about this one and this is another I'll most likely purchase again once I'm done with my current sheet mask supply.
Brightening: I'm Real Lemon Mask Sheet - 7/10
My skin did in fact look brighter after using this mask but I've found that to be a common effect of most sheet masks I decide to use on my face. The smell was nice and citrus in nature but the one negative? Well, it left behind a very sticky residue. And I just wasn't that impressed with this one!
Pore Care: I'm Real Red Wine Mask Sheet - 8/10
Having always said I've got huuuuuge pores (which have now decreased in appearance thanks to adequate moisture and a proper skincare routine), I thought this mask would work a little bit of magic. Shrink my pores it did not but it did make my skin feel really moisturised and my face did have a slight dewy glow. The smell had a slight sweetness but nothing red wine about it if I'm honest.
To conclude this first part, here is a brief summary:
- Tony Moly I'm Real sheet masks smell nice;
- They all seemed to brighten my skin;
- They all also seemed to be good at adding moisture to my skin - though some clearly better at this than others (based on how oily my skin was afterwards).
Part II will be coming in a few months (I'm extremely slow at writing this up - all of the reviews are briefly handwritten in a notebook!) so stay tuned if you're interested in these sheet masks :)