Hi friends!
I am back with another edition of Sample Sundays, this time featuring Skinfood’s one and only Black Sugar Mask Wash Off! This is a bit of a Holy Grail product among Korean skincare fans, and I am (slightly) ashamed to say I hadn’t tried it until this week. How is this even possible!? I had a few samples of this one and the Strawberry Black Sugar Mask (which I am also dying to try) but had just been saving them… for no reason. Every time I went to Skinfood and received this sample, I was so excited and just sort of tucked it away into my stash, for ‘another time’. Well friends, that time has finally come!
This is what the sample looks like:
The samples from Skinfood are generally quite sizeable and I found this to include a generous amount of product. I got around 3 or 4 uses from one sachet, which I think is pretty impressive! It is nice when a sample actually lets you get a good feel for the product, so kudos to you Skinfood!
My first impression of the Black Sugar Mask Wash Off (which shall henceforth just be known as the Black Sugar Mask, phew) was that it smelled just like a lemon and honey coughdrop/throat lozenger. Seriously, it smells exactly like it to me! I was expecting it to have more of a brown sugar smell (which would be just fine in my books…) and was surprised by the strong citrus smell. The sweetness seems to come out after I started rubbing it into my skin, and upon further Googling I discovered that the bigwigs/scientists at Skinfood apparently added caramel to the recipe. It doesn’t smell caramel-y to me, but I can definitely sense the sweetness. It’s quite a fresh scent, not my favourite but not one I mind by any means.
I ripped open the sample and squeezed some onto my hand for y’all to have a peek at:
As you can see, this mask is really thick and quite grainy. The texture was something I was a teensy bit concerned about, as I had read that this mask was very granular and could be a little bit scratchy. Considering I have the world’s most sensitive, English-rose skin, this did not bode well for me! Upon application, I did feel that I had to be careful using it so as not to end up with scratches all over my poor face, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that when used with warm water, the granules dissolve and soften quite quickly.I was honestly so gentle when using this and pretty much dabbed it onto my face without rubbing too much, and this was fine for me.
After photographing this swatch, I returned some of the product back into the sachet, which is why the following picture looks light on product. Obviously, you will use more than this but I just wanted to give you an idea of how it looks/feels when it’s blended a bit more:
As you can see, it looks a fair bit smoother and less bumpy here – and this is without adding any water. It felt a bit sticky just by itself but if you apply to a damp face (as you would!) it’s not a problem.
Honestly, after using this mask for the first time, I could feel a difference in my skin straightaway. It felt so smoooth! I am a bit of a shocker when it comes to using exfoliants, and I often forget this step in my routine. I don’t always find it the most pleasant thing because my skin is so reactive and I have to be careful what I use, which might explain my obsession with face creams. But I really enjoyed and looked forward to using this product! Every time I washed it off, I could feel how smooth and soft my skin was, and it also didn’t feel dry afterward which is a big plus for me.
Overall, I enjoyed using Skinfood’s Black Sugar Mask and would consider purchasing it. However, at this point I am keen to try their Strawberry version of the Black Sugar Mask, which the lovely Sample Hime reviewed and loved! I love all things strawberry and the smell of this is divine, so I will hopefully feature it in a Sample Sundays soon! If you have hardier skin than I, this is a great mask to remove the dirt and debris from the day and leave you with baby soft skin. And even if you don’t, just using a bit more care with this product should lead to the same, soft results.
Most importantly, I am glad I finally tried this bestselling Korean product! The Black Sugar line recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, which is nothing short of a miracle in the cutthroat world of Korean cosmetics. The good folks at Skinfood are definitely doing something right!
That’s it for today, thanks for reading and I hope you all enjoyed this post. As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts below! My next Sample Sunday review will feature… Holika Holika‘s Good Cera Super Cream! This is a brand I have purchased a few things off of but haven’t had too much experience with their products (ie. I haven’t used them yet, d’oh) so I am really looking forward to testing this!
See y’all soon!
SHOP THE POST:
Steph x
I never would have thought of it that way, but you’re right, it does kind of smell like a lozenge! Haha! Anyway, not sure if you ever use sugar scrubs on your body, but it also works quite well for that.
Yes the scent hit me straightaway! Sorta reminds of me of winter and colds and being sick (lol), which is… fine? And that is a good tip! I haven’t actually tried that but could be a good solution for my el sensitivo skin. Thanks for the suggestion ^^
Oh god you’re right, it does smell like a ricola cough drop LOL…
I can see how this would be too abrasive for sensitive skin. I’m a scrub junkie and even I think this borders on too harsh.
Idk why but it wasn’t until you said “10th anniversary” that it clicked for me–that’s a really long time for a skincare product! I also am not sure I understand the benefits of the other products in this line for instance the serum.
I’d love to see more Skinfood reviews from you 😀 I recently decided I love the watery berry line so I’d like to get some full sizes of those.
Yes it just reminds me of being huddled up in bed feeling sorry for myself and trying to get well… which is odd? And yes it left my skin feeling super smooth but I have to be so careful when using it! I might try Rebecca’s tip and use it as a body scrub… and I can’t wait to try the strawberry one after reading your review! I looove that smell ^^
And oh my gosh yes it is actually like the quick and the dead when it comes to cosmetics here. Ten years is a lifetime! Nothing short of a miracle 😉 I’m not too sure about the benefits of the whole line, but I know (as would you I’m sure!) for the 10th anniversary they had Black Sugar GOLD products with actual flecks of gold in them… that was a nice touch I thought!
And yes I recently went to Skinfood in Lotte Department and I am back on it! Not that I ever went off, but it is just a bit pricey sometimes and I have too much stuff, and I feel a bit pressured with the sales assistants hovering over me and I just cracked and stopped going. But at this department store they have regular ‘events’ and I happened to get a cleansing gel free! So excited lol. I sorta wish she hadn’t told me about their specials because I don’t need any further encouragement!
Anyway this reply has gone on for far too long, thank you for your lovely comment as always ^^ Also (last thing) I have some Watery Berry samples but have never used them, so I am keen to hear your thoughts on those! 🙂