Mask of the Day: MJ Care Arbutin

Today's mask is from MJ Care, which is made in Korea by Minjin Cosmetics.

I bought a sample pack on Amazon that came with 10 different kinds for $8.50, with free Prime shipping (if you're lucky enough to have it) or free on orders over $35 (I more than qualified LOL). That works out to $.85 a piece!! I love me a bargain! (Oh, and you're welcome :P)

So what the fuck is arbutin anyway?

Before getting this mask, I had never heard of it (but then, I am a skincare junkie newbie, but I digress). According to Paula's Choice, Arbutin is a hydroquinone derivative isolated from the leaves of the bearberry shrub, cranberry, blueberry, some mushrooms, and most types of pears. In layman's terms: arbutin is a skin lightener. NOT a bleach; it has melanin-inhibiting properties (melanin being the chemical responsible for the pigment in your skin).

Enough science! On the the review :P

First, the packaging:

It's written in Korean, Japanese, AND English. Yay!

Closeup of the English text.

Mask details: the sheet is made out of cellulose (aka paper) and was decently drenched with essence. There was none extra in the packet, sadly (I like masks that have extra essence, as I smooth it on my neck and boobs. That's right). It had a non-offensive light scent of nothing I can describe (clean, I guess?).

Mask fit: meh, these sheet masks almost never fit me exactly right. I know it's prolly because they were made for little Asian lady faces, and not my big ass ethnic face but anyway...

First impression: it felt nice and cool going on (as sheet masks are wont to). I kept it on for 45 minutes, at which point it started to dry on my chin and half of my cheeks. Hmm. I have tried some brands that stayed nice and soaked for an hour plus, so I was a little skeptical about the drying. But then, I left it on for more than the recommended time, so there's that. I patted the rest of the moisture into my face, put on my eye cream, and went to bed.

Final impressions: Well. When I woke up today, my face felt amazing! I did notice a bit of a glow, but no lightening. Not really surprising: I doubt there's enough arbutin in a cheap sheet mask to do much beyond that. Would I buy this variety again? Sure! I would love to do a long term use study to see if it would actually help with lightening my hyperpigmentation (don't hold your breath though).

That's it for today's review! Look for my mask stash flash coming soon XD

Isn't chibi Deena adorable?? :D