If you’re like me, you LOVE a good sheet mask. They’re fun and easy to use, and they give your husband a good scare when he walks through the door. And since they arrived on U.S. soil back in 2013, they’ve been everywhere. One drawback though: their look and formulas have remained pretty standard (serum-saturated fabric that brightens or hydrates), until now. These five next-generation sheet masks from K-beauty e-tailer Peach & Lily, in partnership with Barneys New York, put a unique spin on the classics and leave your skin looking more radiant than ever before.
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Eco Your Skin Face Blanket Mask ($12): My favorite of the bunch, this dry sheet mask actually feels like felt (hence the blanket name) and is really comfortable. It doesn’t come soaking wet with serum, which often drips all over, but instead, features a super adhesive fabric that allows powerful brightening and anti-aging ingredients—arbutin, adenosine and EGF (epidermal growth factor)—to penetrate skin and work their magic.
Meg Two-Step Jelly Mask ($6): For exfoliating, brightening and moisturizing in one treatment, reach for this triple-duty mask. Step 1: On clean skin, sweep the pre-soaked cotton swap (it’s full of potent alphahydroxy acids that de-clog and energize skin) over your face and neck. Step 2: Apply the jelly mask—soaked with artificial moisturizing factor (AMF) that, according to the brand, is patented and proven to hydrate skin for 120 hours—and leave it on for 10–20 minutes. After you remove it, pat the remaining essence into your skin and neck for anti-aging benefits galore.
Dr. Myer’s Vitamin C Ampoule Point Mask ($6): Potent is the best word to describe this mask (the strongest of the five I tried) that works to reduce the appearance of dark spots. The really neat thing about this one is the delivery system for the mask’s star ingredient, vitamin C. Because vitamin C easily breaks down when exposed to heat or water (a challenge for skin care companies when formulating products), Dr. Myer’s decided to use freeze-dried vitamin C powder and integrate it into the mask itself. When you’re ready to use it, you squeeze the ampoule pouch into the pouch with the mask to saturate it, then apply it to your face to let the active ingredients sink in. The directions warn that you may feel a slight tingling sensation, which I did—I experienced a little bit of burning on the skin above my upper lip (I must have had a tiny cut or blemish), so I cut that piece off with scissors and left the rest on for 15 minutes. The tingling comes from the powerful vitamin C concoction that also features nine other vitamins, rose hip oil and ceramides to brighten—or whiten, as they call in Korea—your skin. This one smells really good too!
Shangpree Sparkling Mask ($6): This one was definitely the most unflattering in terms of the way it looks on, but I loved the way it performed. (Who are we trying to impress wearing a sheet mask anyway?) It stood out because the bubbling action was way more than I’ve ever seen with other “sparkling” masks I’ve tried. I also liked that it was black, so I could see the microbubbles come to life and then disintegrate. I could also feel them bubbling on my skin, which actually tickled a bit, and when I removed the mask after about 20 minutes, my skin felt flooded with oxygen and really refreshed. It also looked more glowy and my pores looked a little tighter thanks to the charcoal in the mask, which pulls impurities out like a magnet.
