Hi guys! Finally, I'll be revealing my favorite pore mask today. If you've been following my blog since the beginning I'm sure you know my biggest skin problems is my humongous pores. I've done everything, clay mask, hardcore to mild nose strips, heating gel, blackhead soap, peel off masks, 3 step nose packs, well... everything. While some did work and help cleansing and removing dirt and those gunk inside my pores, of course they always come back. Please note that I always do deep cleansing every morning and night. And since end of last year I refuse to remove those oil plugs and gunk with harsh nose strips cause it only irritated my skin. While I love my Laneige Blackhead Heating Gel & Nose Pack, I do think they can be too mild for my stubborn and lately tightened pores. Yes I've been using too many pore products that my pores tighten a bit while still keeping the dirt and hair o_o So not hygienic and nasty looking, and I usually end up squeezing them with blackhead extractor tool (whatever that's called) which gives me new pimples the next days. Yes I learned my lesson the hard way.
So since last month I've been religiously using Skin Watchers Cooling Pore Mask. The last wash off pore masks I used were Innisfree Volcanic Jeju Clay Mask and Skinfood White Egg Mask that I haven't used in a long while. But compared to those 2 products, and other pore products I used recently, this pore mask is the best for my pores so far.
I've never heard about Skin Watchers before but it's a Korean brand specializing in skincare products. They have acne clearing, basic skincare, pore care, and cleansing products. While their price might be a little above the other skincare products from mainstream brands, but I can see why it worth every penny. Please read more if you'd like to see good improvement on my huge dirty pores after using this product.
It may look a bit small in the picture, but the box is actually pretty huge. There's nothing extraordinary about the design. It's a simple white with some teal fonts. Luckily, it has english descriptions.
The ingredients list. It contains kaolin, to absorb and cleanse the residue on skin, also to detoxify skin. It is free of paraben, alcohol, pigment, artificial colorants, silicone, sulfates, and mineral oil. My favorite ingredient is probably the peppermint oil. I'll tell you more about this below. It also contains green tea extract.
It contains 100 ml of product, and that's a lot! I swear a little goes a veeeery long way. Okay, that's all I can read from this side of box as it's all in hangeul.
Let me tell you, the tub is huuuge. My hand can only grasp half of the tub. As you can see from the description on the tub. This Cooling Pore Mask claims to tighten and shrink cleansed pores, give smooth and firm skin, control sebum, and remove black & whiteheads.
There's also so many of the mask on the plastic separator. For the first 5-6 uses, I only took the product from the separator cause I don't wanna waste any.
I know Innisfree Jeju Pore Mask also contains 100 ml but I don't know how it is so small in my hand while this one is so big D:
It looks like tartan sauce (which I love) and it looks very thick. There's barely any yucky smell but it smells something nice when I open the lid. Only when I start applying the mask I finally realize what's that good smell. It's peppermint! Honestly I never like peppermint flavor on ice cream and candies, but once applied on my face, it is VERY cooling and it feels like healing and calming my skin almost immediately.
How to use:
After applying toner, spread the mask on face and wait for 10-15 minutes. Rinse with lukewarm water. For better effect, it's more recommended to open the pores first with steamed towel or heating gel/mask. Skin Watchers also has its Steam Pore Mask to open up pores before using this Cooling Pore Mask.
It's thick white ish when spread on face. I normally only apply on cheeks to nose and chin and around my lips where there are tons of pores and whiteheads there. The first time I applied this, I was scared it would affect and irritate my active acne, but I'm glad it doesn't bug them. In fact it calms my red angry pimples somehow. Anyway, after around 5-10 minutes, the mask sinks into skin and turns thinner.
This mask makes my skin feel so heavenly once applied. The cooling effect is so real it makes me happy while having the mask on.
Oh I also love the fact this mask doesn't really harden and make my face super tight and stiff. It doesn't, so I can still eat and talk normally with the mask on. The direction says to leave it for 10-15 minutes, but I always forgot and usually leave it for around 30 minutes and more. When I looked in the mirror, the mask was almost gone and it is more matte haha. Then I rinse it with lukewarm water, and kinda rub in some area to make sure I wash it off completely. Then I proceed to my basic skincare.
The past month, I've been using this mask around 2-3 times a week for almost a month, and I didn't use nose strips or other pore products cause I wanna see the full result of using this cooling mask.
I don't edit anything, no brightness, no extra levels etc, except cropping and adding texts. I'm still so amazed when I see the results. Before I used this mask, my pores and dirt were unbearable as I hadn't cared for my pores. You can see the blackheads and dirt around my nose and cheek. My acne was scary too back then lol. After almost a month, my acne was clearing up, and also my pores! Of course this mask is not a miracle magical mask that makes pores disappear, it's unlikely and too unrealistic.
But on day 25, the pores are much cleaner and free from build up dirt. And after using the mask on night 27, I took a picture of my skin and had to use flash because of poor lighting at night. Pores are still there, but reduced and smaller, but more importantly much more cleaner. There are still some stubborn leftover blackheads, but it's much better than before. I still use the mask too so it'll be gone pretty soon. I also feel I'm not as greasy oily as I used to be.
PROS
- Peppermint smell
- Paraben free, oil free, pigment free, alcohol free
- Comes in huge tub of 100 ml product (which can be a con too)
- A little goes a long way
- Very easy to spread
- Calm troubled skin
- Calm troubled skin
- Doesn't make face stiff/hard
- For all skin types, doesn't irritate acne
- Cleanses pores and removes impurities
- Does what it claims
- Wonderful cooling effect
- Still affordable for the amount of product
CONS
- It's so big it's not travel friendly
- Not sure it helps much with my whiteheads
OVERALL
This is definitely my HG pore mask as of now. I always recommend this to my friends with similar pore problems as mine. And while the result isn't immediate, but it really works. I've been using this mask a lot, and I still have so many product left. Most importantly, it gives me great positive results, especially for pores on my cheeks and nose. I'll keep using this mask regularly and I'll also try the steam pore mask for better result.
WHERE TO GET
Jolse for $20.78
RECOMMENDED FOR
- All skin types, who want to get rid of blackheads and some minor whiteheads
- People with clogged pores
- People with clogged pores
Have you tried this pore mask? If you haven't, is it something you'd like to try?
Disclaimer: The product mentioned above was sent to me for review purposes. However all thoughts and opinions expressed are honest and entirely my own.