My Sister Asked Why My Skin Looked So Good—The Answer Was This $6 Soothing Sheet Mask
Welcome to Deep Reviews—your one-stop destination to discover the absolute best products and brands the beauty industry has to offer. The Who What Wear staffers you already know and trust will research, test, and review the market's most sought-after and buzzed-about products to see which formulas (of the hundreds up for consideration) are worth your hard-earned money and attention. You can expect honest, uncensored feedback and no-BS recommendations our hard-to-please testers endorse without reservations.
The majority of our Deep Reviews will feature our editors' honest, ultra-hot takes on entire product categories or multiple products from a particular beauty brand, but every so often, we'll sprinkle in a special single-product format called Honestly, I Love It. As the name suggests, these reviews focus on one standout beauty formula our editors can't shut up about. This time, I'm highlighting one of my skincare secret weapons: ESW Beauty's Sheet Masks ($7).
As a beauty editor, I take care of my skin very well. I religiously double-cleanse my skin at night, apply a variety of potent serums depending on the day and my skin's needs, and seal it all in with moisturizer. Each morning, I apply a vitamin C serum and a healthy slathering of sunscreen. I even wear hats and sunglasses when I'm in the sun and seek shade whenever possible. Still, I'm human, and I have skin concerns. First and foremost, I struggle with redness from a mild case of rosacea. That comes with irritation and texture issues (how fun). I also experience dehydration regularly. Whenever my skin lacks water like this, my fine lines and surface wrinkles look deep and defined.
To reiterate, even though I'm a beauty editor and I'm constantly testing, applying, and researching skincare products, I still sometimes struggle with my own skin issues. So, you can imagine how overjoyed I was when my very blunt and not-one-to-spare-my-feelings sister complimented my skin. It wasn't just any compliment either. She said, and I quote, "Wait, why does your skin look so good? You're glowing."
The only thing I could attribute it to was a little $7 sheet mask I'd used the night before. I wanted to test the theory so I waited a week and used it again. This time, my boyfriend complimented me. "Your skin looks nice." He was right. My skin looked calm, smooth, bright, and hydrated. I knew I had found my new skincare secret weapon. Since then, I've been slowly but surely stocking up on them.
Here's the exact sheet mask in question. This is the one that introduced me to the rest (yes, there are multiple—each with different purposes and benefits!). It's called the Pineapple Bliss Revitalizing Raw Juice Mask, and like all sheet masks, it's soaked in a potent serum to hydrate and nourish the skin. In this case, that potent serum is made up of pineapple, kiwi, pear, and ginger extracts (more on that in a minute).
The best part is that the results last. If I use a sheet mask at night, my skin looks noticeably better throughout the next day. That's why I've been using them every so often as a "skin boost." They're handy when I'm prepping for an event and I want my skin to look its best. They're also handy for rehabilitating irritated, rosacea-ravaged skin. The latter is why I most recently reached for one. I had just gotten off a long-haul flight from France and my skin was dry, red, and inflamed. A cooling sheet mask (followed by a calming moisturizer to lock all the hydration in) was just the ticket to reverse it.
Every time I use an ESW Beauty sheet mask, my skin looks so much more glowy. In the "before" picture, I was dealing with some dehydration, which is why my skin looked dull and flat. Cut to the "after" picture, and my complexion is noticeably more dimensional—it's brighter, fresher, and dewier.
As I mentioned before, there are multiple variations of these sheet masks, and each one is designed to be used for a specific skin type/concern. They all have a couple of things in common, though. First, they feel nice and cool on the skin, which can help de-puff and soothe irritation. Second, they're intensely hydrating just because, well, they're sheet masks, and they trap hydrating ingredients close to the surface. As for the specific benefits listed above, they're exclusive to the Pineapple Bliss Revitalizing Raw Juice Mask. Let's go over them, shall we?
First up, we have pineapple enzymes. These provide gentle enzymatic exfoliation for smooth skin. Then, there are kiwi and pear extracts, which provide anti-aging and skin-protecting antioxidants. Finally, there's ginger, which acts as an anti-inflammatory agent. That explains why the sheet mask soothed my skin and reduced redness literally within 15 minutes of wearing it.
If you're like me and you fall in love with these sheet masks, the good news is you don't have to keep buying them individually. You can invest in a box set, like this. It includes all five of the brand's Raw Juice masks. Personally, I love them all and use them according to my mood and what I think my skin needs at any given time.
Here are the masks that are included in the set:
Green Reset Anti-Aging Raw Juice Mask
Pineapple Bliss Revitalizing Raw Juice Mask
The Pink Dream Moisturizing Raw Juice Mask
Strawberries & Cream Soothing Raw Juice Mask
Deep Detox Pore Control Raw Juice Mask
The brand also offers a different line of sheet masks—instead of juice, these are soaked through with formulas inspired by plant-based milk. To me, the former are more hydrating and antioxidant-rich and the latter are more soothing and lipid-rich. I tend to alternate between the two. Again, it depends on what I feel like and what I think my skin requires at any given time. Although, I will say, I tend to use Plant-Based Milk Masks whenever my skin is extra dry and irritated. There's just something calming about them.
Here are the five masks that are included in the set:
Blueberry Coconut Milk Firming Plant-Based Milk Mask
Vanilla Oat Milk Nourishing Plant-Based Milk Mask
Matcha Almond Milk Radiance Plant-Based Milk Mask
Avocado Banana Milk Hydrating Plant-Based Milk Mask
Shop More Individual ESW Beauty Sheet Masks I Love
This one uses a combo of matcha and almond milk to boost radiance.
This one uses watermelon, rose water, and grapefruit to moisturize the skin.
This one uses vanilla oat milk to nourish stressed skin.
This one uses a variety of green superfoods to provide an anti-aging effect.
This one uses activated charcoal and lemon juice to minimize enlarged pores.
This one uses cacao powder and hazelnut milk to smooth textured skin.
Kaitlyn McLintock is a Beauty Editor at Who What Wear. She has 10 years of experience in the editorial industry, having previously written for other industry-leading publications, like Byrdie, InStyle, The Zoe Report, Bustle, and others. She covers all things beauty and wellness-related, but she has a special passion for creating skincare content (whether that's writing about an innovative in-office treatment, researching the benefits of a certain ingredient, or testing the latest and greatest at-home skin device). Having lived in Los Angeles, California, and Austin, Texas, she has since relocated back to her home state, Michigan. When she's not writing, researching, or testing beauty products, she's working through an ever-growing book collection or swimming in the Great Lakes.
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