Author: Mermaid Magic

Deal Alert: Dermal Korea Collagen Essence Mask Sheet 26 Combo Packs + Sheet Mask Tips for Beginners

| Mermaid Magic

My favorite budget sheet mask series, Dermal Korea Collagen Essence Mask Sheet*, has hit an all-time record low on Amazon at $0.50 per mask for the 26 Red and Green Combo pack (totaling $12.95 USD). Amazon has different combo pack sizes, but I’ve found that the 26-pack is the most economical.

I’m currently working a 12 day mask review series of another budget line, Etude House 0.2mm Therapy Air. To be honest, even though Etude House has a higher MSRP it’s pretty close to call. Purchasing from Amazon is also much more convenient considering you don’t need to wait for a 60% off flash sale, wait 2+ weeks for shipping, and then meet a $60 USD minimum to get free shipping.

VXD168-evergreenAssociateAds-benefit-assoc-300x250

Quick Review:

Reputable, mid-quality budget sheet mask, suitable for daily use. Each mask has 0.2% hydrolyzed collagen and a certain percentage of the featured ingredient. I highly recommend this set for people new to sheet masking, see review for the different “flavors” / combo packs below. Cautions: Negative reviews from others complain that the sheet mask is less saturated / wet than other brands, and I also agree that they tend to fit short on the forehead.

Testimonial: These were the first sheet masks I used when I started my skincare journey. Within 2 weeks of daily use I was able to eliminate my crows feet at 30 years old, with emphasis on daily use. The masks honestly aren’t particularly special it was the practice of using them daily that made the difference, but they’re affordable and hydrating. One common complaint from people who don’t use sheet masks often is that the effects are temporary, but from my experiences once your results are obtained you can keep them for at least up to a week or two.

How To Use (for sheet mask beginners): On a clean face after toner apply the sheet mask and leave on for 20-30 mins. To apply the sheet mask, lay flat and tap the bag to make sure that all the sheet mask has absorbed all the essence. Squeeze out any extra essence from the bag and apply to the body (I recommend the neck and chest). After the 20-30 mins are up squeeze out excess serum from the mask and use on the body (I do arms and legs this time). It is not recommended to leave the mask on longer than 30 mins because the cotton begins to absorb moisture from your skin. Some skincare enthusiasts like to save the essence but I strongly do not recommend. Sheet mask essence is not formulated to last after it’s open. If you absolutely insist on this method store the extra essence in the fridge and use within 24 hours.

Ingredients Overview:

water, glycerin, butylene glycol, hydrolized collagen, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, portulaca oleracea extract, beta-glucan, panthenol, tocopherylacetate, polysorbate 80, disodium edta, xanthan gum, perfume, methylparaben. .23 G / sheet contain more essence. Hydrolyzed collagen 0.2 %.

Check each package for its exact ingredient list, but this is a good overview of the ingredients. The mask contains several humectants: glycerin, butylene glycol, hydrolized collagen, and aloe juice. Humectants work by pulling water from the air into your skin.

DermalKoreaRedAndGreen

Red & Green Combo Pack – Skin Elasticity, Soothing*
This is my favorite combo pack of the three, because I think this pack has the best featured ingredient lineup. Most of the featured ingredients are antioxidant and plant based, with the exception of Q10, Collagen, and sodium hyaluronate (alleged to be anti-aging) and red sea cucumber and bird’s nest (exotic Asian medicinal ingredients).

DermalKoreaGreenandYellow
Green & Yellow Combo Pack – Skin Soothing, Nourishing*
This combo pack is fun but some people really have a problem with the horse oil sheet mask (yes, it is what you think unfortunately). Otherwise Platinum and Gold really aren’t proven to have any benefits to the skin.

DermalKoreaYellowAndRed

Yellow & Red Combo Pack – Skin Nourishing, Elasticity*
Same as the Green and Yellow combo pack, I’m just not a fan of the gold and platinum sheet masks. This pack also contains the horse oil sheet mask that people are adverse to.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links denoted by *.

Review: Etude House 0.2mm Air Therapy Camellia Lifting & Skin Radiance

| Mermaid Magic

Day 2 of the 15 part series covering the 0.2mm Air Therapy line.

Best for: Aging skin

Across most of the line alcohol is going to be high on the ingredients list and the mask fit is going to be the same. I tend to have a longer forehead for most masks but this one fits me well, the eye holes are a little closer together than most masks.

First Impressions:

0.2Camellia

The mask has a good amount of thick, gel serum similar to the kind found in hydrogel masks. The fragrance is very faint, slightly floral but with a stronger ginger / eucalyptus scent. The mask starts off moist and then the cooling sensation sets in (probably from the eucalyptus). And finally, if you leave it on too long you’ll know. I didn’t time myself today and I started getting that “moisture is being sucked away from my skin” feeling. Most other sheet masks you can tell they’re getting “not as moist” but this is my first experience with a mask that has felt drying when left on for less 45 mins. (I assume I left it on around 30, I don’t time myself strictly but I almost always do 20-30 mins)

Ingredients:
Water, Glycereth-26, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Xylitol, Alcohol, 1,2-hexanediol, Carbomer, Arginine, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Coptis Japonica Root Extract, Sucrose Palmitate, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Coptis Chinensis Root Extract, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract, Xanthan Gum, Ethylexylglycerin, Adenosine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Disodium Edta, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Camellia Japonica Seed Oil (100ppm), Citrus Nobilis (Mandarin Orange) Oil, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Oil, Pinus Palustris Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavander) Oil, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil

While tracking down the cosdna link for this mask I came across another review (it’s always nice to have a second opinion, right?). Unlike that reviewer I felt the serum absorbs well and wasn’t particularly tacky when dry.

Lifting and Radiance

Camellia Japonica (Tsubaki) Oil has been shown to prevent Trans-epidermal Water Loss and to promote collagen production. Compared to the previously reviewed Argan mask, this mask also contains Adenosine, an anti-aging ingredient.

Licorice Root Extract has been shown to have a brightening effect on the skin, but it appears to be a common ingredient across this mask series. I didn’t see anything that stood out in regards to radiance in this mask flavor.

Jung, E., Lee, J., Baek, J., Jung, K., Lee, J., Huh, S., Kim, S., Koh, J., Park, D., 2007. Effect of
Camellia japonica oil on human type I procollagen production and skin barrier
function. J. Ethnopharmacol. 112, 127–131.

Peri’s Ink Velvet #4 Wow Pink

Aside | | Mermaid Magic

Before I began my 10 days of Peri’s Airy Ink series, I wanted to put in a review / swatch for Peri’s Ink Velvet #4 Wow Pink that I got in a flash sale. You can get it for $5.14 USD at cosmetic-love.com* while they’re running their 40% off promotion.

Freshly Applied
Tint only
Does real life match the ad?

The color is pretty dramatic in person and doesn’t quite come cross well in the photo. The fresh tint was a very bright pink but it mellowed out into a darker shade as the product transferred away and my natural lip color became more visible.

I tried to hold out and not reapply for the entire day to show how well the tint lasts and… that photo is really heinous I’m just going to keep it to myself before I end up anonymously shamed on makeup boards.

Things I learned from today

  • Start applying from the middle of your lip. You can see how I kind of splotched the cupids bow, I started trying to apply like I do other liquid lip colors and too much product in an area that requires precision is bad times.
  • The product slowly transfers off throughout the day. After the first hour or so I was checking to see how much product was on my lip vs how much of it was tint, and it seemed like it was all tint but throughout the day I was still transferring color little by little.
  • How long the color lasts seems to vary, I was reading other reviews and some were saying that they have to reapply after every meal. This wasn’t the case for me, my color stayed vibrant for most of the day (at least 6 hours) then started to fall away in patches. I’m guessing the tint lasts longer for people with drying skin / lips, but that’s just speculation on my part.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links denoted by *.

Review: Etude House 0.2mm Therapy Air Mask Argan Nourishing & Moisturizing

| Mermaid Magic

I was inspired to do this review due to Etude House’s 40% Off Mask Pack Event (ends 4/5/18). I got mine during a 60% off sales event (usually a one day only flash sale) which they do I would say once a month but they really went crazy with it in March.  They have free shipping on orders over $60 USD which makes these one of THE most cost effective masks I’ve found ever.

EtudeHouse60off

First Impressions:

The mask has a lot of serum, and it’s the first mask I’ve used with a lotion-like serum (creamy, milky texture). The mask fits well (many masks are short on the forehead for me) but the eye holes are a little too close together. It faintly smells like alcohol but is not heavily fragranced. I would not recommend for sensitive skin. There is a faint chill / burning sensation and I can’t tell if it’s the alcohol content, the ginger, or the eucalyptus (why?)

Ingredients:

http://www.cosdna.com/eng/cosmetic_9944353275.html

The whole 0.2mm Air Therapy series has alcohol high on the ingredient list. I decided to give them a chance anyway since I impulse-purchased. Recently I read that alcohol in skincare doesn’t necessarily mean that the product is drying, but I’ll follow up with how my face looks / feels tomorrow (or maybe not I’m a little too short on sleep to give an accurate gauge).

After the serum is completely patted in the skin does feel soft to the touch (like after just applying lotion). I personally did not have trouble with a long serum absorption time.

Berrisom Lip Tint Set VS PeriPera Airy Velvet #1-10

| Mermaid Magic

This post was inspired by a request to find a color match for Berrisom’s Sexy Red Lip Tint.

Berrisom Lip Tint Set (Excludes Chic Purple and Candy Orange)

berri

How to Use: Berrisom Lip Tints were one of the first lip tints on the market. The tint is a thick, gel texture. Apply, wait 10 mins, then peel off to reveal tinted lips that last all day. (Is it just me or do even the models look like they’re getting uneven color in those photos? I’m looking at you Candy Orange)

PSA: The box I got listed the expiration date instead of the manufactured date so check your tube.

PeriPera Airy Ink Velvet Line

all-peripera-ink-airy-velvet-all-shades_1024x1024

How to Use: Apply the PeriPera like you would a liquid lip color, but instead of losing your lip color on cups and straws you have perfectly tinted lips as the day goes on.

Beginner Tips: Start from the inside of your lips like you’re doing a gradient. The inks smear easily and (if you’re clumsy like I am) it could become a mess if you start by trying to outline your cupid’s bow like you may be used to with other liquid lip colors.

Berrisom vs PeriPera Airy Throwdown

I apologize for the inconsistent lighting but at least you can see a comparison between products.

All products just applied
All products tint only

The top row is all Berrisom colors in the set, from left to right it’s Lovely Peach, Vivid Scarlet, Pure Pink, Pink Bubble Gum, Virgin Red, and Sexy Red.

The middle row is PeriPera #6-10, freshly applied on the left photo then wiped away after about 20 mins on the 2nd photo. The last row is PeriPera #1-5, same as above.

Winner: PeriPera is overall a better product and lower MSRP.

Berrisom lip tint is more difficult and time consuming to apply, on top of being almost impossible to reapply if you’re at work. From past experiences, it seems to chip off the lips if you don’t moisturize throughout the day.

The first time I used PeriPera I didn’t leave it on long enough. I thought that it had the same “tinting” power as Berrisom and wiped off the product too early. With a swatch of both brands I’ve realized after leaving on for around 20 minutes PeriPera was much more pigmented. However I personally didn’t like the way the PeriPera looks on the lips. It applies shiny and then kind of dries matte. It doesn’t quite look natural until the most of the product rubs off and the tint is left. Also heaven forbid you make a mistake while applying, and it’s much more likely to get on your teeth than the Berrisom. Since it’s a tint, correcting mistakes can be very difficult.

BerrisomVsPeriPera

PeriPera is having a promotion on both cosmetic-love, which is running a straight 40% off brand sale*, and RoseRoseShop, where there are variable discounts for various lines. Cosmetic-love has a better price for the airy ink velvet line* being reviewed today.

Berrisom’s Lip Tint set is available for $17.20 USD on Amazon* or $55.71 from cosmetic-love*. Roseroseshop is currently running a promotion where you can buy them individually for $3.79 USD each if you love a specific color, but Amazon is the best deal for today.

To be fair this isn’t exactly a 1:1 product comparison. Berrisom more recently launched a “velvet” lip coat that I’ll be reviewing way in the future. When I have funds. Did I mention that donations are appreciated? 💖

Finding a PeriPera Dupe for Sexy Red Berrisom

From the promotional material Berrisom Sexy Red matches PeriPera Coral pink the most closely, but the box matches more closely to PeriPera’s Legend Brown Red and Elf Light Rose. Let’s give it a swatch….

Berrisom in the middle, Peripera #5 on the left and PeriPera #9 on the right
Berrisom on the left, Peripera #9 on the right

And the results are in! The Legend Brown Red is a better match because it’s darker, but neither of the two have enough wine tint.

The Berrisom application was very patchy while the tint from the PeriPera didn’t show through well on the lip. Correction: I think this is because I didn’t leave the PeriPera on long enough, 10 mins as recommended by Berrisom didn’t seem like enough time for the PeriPera to set. After doing a swatch of all the products at once PeriPera won for pigment by a landslide.

Day 2, Coral Pink

Due to lighting issues I wasn’t able to get a swatch for pre-tint on Day 1. On day 2, I correct for lighting by putting the new swatches on the same arm. You can see that the color from day 1 hasn’t faded compared to day 2 (spoiler alert, it’s day 3 and I had to use concealer on my arms at work haha). The Pink Coral again looks brighter and less plum on the arm but…

Sexy Red vs Coral Pink
AM Tint
PM Tint

Lets see how it looks on the lips:

The color difference is dramatic while the tint is still wet, but once it has had time to set the colors are pretty similar IMO especially looking at the lower lip only.  Here are two other pictures when the tint was freshly removed.

Berrisom didn’t quite peel off
oops still a bit of residue

I gave it an extra long time to bake this trial, but once again the Berrisom came off patchy on my upper lip. (It looks like the color didn’t completely transfer on the top half of my upper lip.) and wanted to cling on the lower lip.

I’ll have to try again when my 2018 colors* arrive in the mail.

What would you like to see next?

Comment below on which colors you want to prioritize. More swatches and other reviews incoming for the rest of the colors.

For Austrailian shoppers maybe consider https://www.aphroditeandhebe.com/ ? They’re an Austrailia-based mom and pop shop that is reputable. No they didn’t pay me to say that 🙂

I promised to disclose where I purchased my products, so go ahead and skip this paragraph if you’re not interested. I managed to catch cosmetic-love’s weekly deal for a [Berrisom] Oops My Lip Tint Pack Set at $16.36 USD as well as RoseRoseShop’s flash deal for Peri’s Ink Velvet – 8g No.04 Wow Pink at $4.33 USD. Unfortunately both of those deals are over now. I purchased the majority of my PeriPera order from Yesstyle at $6.76 USD each during their spring promotion (even with their welcome code!), but the prices are currently much better at $5.14 USD each at cosmetic-love* get an additional 10% discount from cosmetic-love by clicking this link if you’re a new customer.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links denoted by *.

Rodan+Fields

| Mermaid Magic

Dr. Katie Rodan and Dr. Kathy Fields, both dermatologists, own skincare line Rodan+Fields lauded as the “fastest-growing skin care brand” in the US. They have a few publications, linked below, and also founded the popular anti-acne brand, Proactiv.

With dermatologist backing, scientific research (other brands do this too!), and pre-assembled “kits” it’s easy to see how consumers would be attracted to this brand.

So what’s the problem?

Their prices are exorbitant. Rodan and Fields know the law and FDA too well to skirt around ingredients lists, but they still find ways to keep consumers in the dark. For example, their “AMPMD Micro-exfoliating Roller” looks a lot like a 0.25 mm micro-needling roller but nowhere on their website will you see it described as such. It took a little extra digging and confirmation from an Allure article (that gif is killing me on the inside, anyone familiar with micro-needling knows why – you’re not supposed to change directions while rolling like that). Lots of price fluctuation here because R+F sells this as a set with “Retinal” and cleaning tablets, but compare ~$40-$180 dollar “AMPMD Micro-exfoliating roller”* to under $15 FDA-Approved 0.25 mm titanium micro-needle roller* There’s no transparency about the needle length, the material nor the needle count of the AMPMD micro-exfoliating roller, plus they’re trying to sell you these pool cleaner + denture cleaner tablets (I’m only partially joking) for over $1.25 each in that package. Generally at home micro-needling isn’t recommended by most professionals, despite its benefits. There is a lot of room for error that can lead to infection or scarring. But among the home micro-needling crowd, it’s common knowledge that a good spritz of 70-90% rubbing alcohol before and after use is enough to sanitize (a 0.25 mm needle length or shorter dermaroller) and no fancy tablets are needed.

Not only are their prices exorbitant (I have PLENTY of examples see future articles for replacements to R+F products), to add insult to injury this billion dollar company only pays 2% of their consultants more than minimum wage and according to their own 2016 income disclosure statement 90.41% of their consultants average less than $200 a month.

Edit: I forgot to mention that R+F consultants been accused of using image manipulation to sell R+F products.

Dupes Megathread

K Rodan + K Fields Publications

  1. Majewski, G, et al. “Hydrating the Skin with a Novel Interpenetrating Polymer Network.”Clinical, Experimental & Cosmetic Dermatology Journal, vol. 1, no. 1, ser. 100003, 14 Sept. 2017. 100003.
  2. Efficacy of a twice-daily, 3-step, over-the-counter skincare regimen for the treatment of acne vulgaris Katie Rodan – Kathy Fields – Timothy JFalla – Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology – 2017
  3. Skincare Bootcamp Katie Rodan – Kathy Fields – George Majewski – Timothy Falla – Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery – Global Open – 2016
  4. Bioactive peptides: signaling the future
    K Fields – T JFalla – K Rodan – L Bush – Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology – 2009

*Disclosure: This article contains Amazon-affiliate links please see disclaimer page for more details.