Applying masques and exfoliating my skin are two important steps in one's weekly skin care regimen. There are several types of masques out in the market and we buy the ones that suits our skin type or skin concern. Since I have oily skin with large pores I prefer the clay type. But I have several types of masques in my stash. I also exfoliate my face once or twice a week. People with oily skin should avoid doing this step very often as it triggers oil glands to secrete more oil. I learned that the hard way so I make sure I make it up for those stupid times.
This product we're going to talk about is one product that acts as both masque and face scrub. It is one of Skinfood's best-selling product for 10 years now. It is the Black Sugar Mask Wash-Off. What I have here is their 10th anniversary Gold Special Edition. It contains gold speckles apart from the black sugar as its main ingredient. Gold is used as an anti-aging ingredient in skin care products nowadays.
Skinfood's Black Sugar line's launched their gold edition masque and Perfect First Serum. Both have gold speckles in it. There are 3 types of Black Sugar Mask Wash-off: Black Sugar, Strawberry Black Sugar, and Black Sugar Honey. They have different consistencies, scents, and added benefits. According to Skinfood's website this product is enriched with vitamins and minerals and effectively exfoliates dead skin that prevents makeup application, while revitalizing skin. Reading the description, it acts as as a scrub but categorized as a wash-off mask. IMO, using this product both ways will give spectacular results especially the one the one that I have here because it has gold contents.
The product is almost full upon purchase (like the one in the picture). I hope the tub was so full not the sides of the top of the tub. It is sealed with plastic. It also has a white plastic lid to protect the contents. The masque is quite solid. You can easily feel the sugar particles. It smells like a lemon flavored candy which I like. If you click the 2nd picture, you can see the tiny gold specks. The Black Sugar has big sugar particles compared to the other 2 types.
To use this masque, you must first wash your face. Apply the desired amount on your face (damp skin is recommended for the sugar to easily melt as you scrub), avoiding the eye and mouth areas. Mix with water or toner to reduce skin irritation, and massage. Wait 10-15 minutes then rinse with warm water. In my case I let it stay for 20-30 minutes. By the way, this particular product is not suitable for people with sensitive and acne-prone skin because the sugar particles are quite big and abrasive.
I have been using this product for 4 days now and I have not experienced any redness or itchiness on my skin. Since this was just purchased recently, I use it nightly to observe whether or not there will be immediate results. For 2 days I focus on scrubbing my nose and the sides because my pores are big there and also my chin because it is always bumpy with whiteheads. On the 3rd day (and succeeding days perhaps) my focus was just my chin and near my lips to avoid white and blackheads. I have also tried this on my neck and it was great. I make sure my face is damp to almost wet so the sugar particles will glide and melt easily as I massage my face. It rinses away easily and you won't feel any stickiness whatsoever. After rinsing, I immediately apply toner and moisturizer.
Since this is also a scrub with big particles I thought my face would turn out worse. Meaning, with redness, itchiness, bumps, and tons of oil. But it did exactly the opposite! I noticed my skin is brighter, looks plump and healthy, my pimple scars are lighter than usual, pores are smaller and clean, less and less bumps. Having experienced these awesome results I am now one of the many believers of this product. Now I fully understand why this product is such a hit in Korea and people have nothing but praises for it. THIS PRODUCT IS JUST FREAKING AWESOME!!!!!
PROS:
- a 2-in-1 product
- gentle on skin despite of the sugar particles
- a little amount can cover the whole face
- gives you a soft and smooth skin
- lessens oil secretion
- lessens bumps and whiteheads
- did not cause breakouts
- tub is almost full upon purchase
CONS:
- not much hydrating
- a bit abrasive
- almost solid consistency
- (some) may need a spoon or spatula to take the product out of the tub
- pricey
The score? Obviously, a whopping 5 out of 5!
(Note to my dear Hubby: Dee, sorry I did not tell you that I bought this one last time. You know how I want this so badly. This was also the last one in stock so it was meant to be don't you think *puppy eyes*? Feel free to use this one anytime.Hating kapatid tayo jan gya sa toner. Mwahmwah)
