Tony Moly Mr. Smile Line Patch Review

While Tony Moly is iconic for their cute packaging their whimsical designs bleed over into their beauty products as well. When I saw these little mustaches lined up by the register, for only $4 dollars, I couldn't help but purchase a couple for myself and boyfriend.



This hydrogel mask is pretty straight forward, just peel off the back and stick 'em on your face. More specifically, where your smile lines are.

According to the Tony Moly site the Mr. Smile Patch mask utilizes the essences of black sesame, blueberries, and mulberry to minimize your smile lines and promote smoothness in your skin. Stick the smile patches on your face and leave them on for 20-30 minutes.

Let's do this! 

The hydrogel patches are pretty thick and smell more floral than fruity. They're very lightly scented though, so I wasn't too bothered when I slapped them on my face.

Behold my grotesque visage.

For ideal smile line placement the patches should probably be angled a little further down.

For pictures I think the traditional mustache placement looks best. The one thing that really annoyed me while I was waiting the 30 minutes for the patches to "work" was that they kept on slipping off my face. It was a constant battle of readjustment and after awhile I just gave up and lay prone reading a book.



Additionally I didn't see a huge difference after the 30 minutes. Certainly my skin was more hydrated, having had something wet placed on my face for a period of time, but I didn't think my smile lines were diminished or my skin was much smoother than before.

Here are some basic before and afters. I feel like I'm smiling harder in the "before" photo, but as you can see there wasn't a significant difference.

If you're looking to take a cute selfie, I would recommend buying these, but if you're thinking that this product will have a beneficial effect on your skin...you'd be mistaken. I probably won't purchase these again, but they made for a cute 30 minutes of taking some selfies.

If you want to try out the Smile Line Patch, you can get a value set with the mustache patches and Tony Moly Lip Mask by clicking here.

Tony Moly Egg Pore Tightening Cooling Pack

So I keep on mentioning that Tony Moly has adorable packaging, but I haven't showed you any of their products that actually adhere to this rule. Well, today that's all going to change.

Here's a member of the Tony Moly "Egg Pore" line, their "Tightening Cooling Pack." I actually purchased this thinking it was the "Egg Pore Blackhead Steam Balm." It wasn't. Which isn't to say that it's bad! Both products come in very similar packaging with the only difference being the color: white or brown.

It just had a different application than what I wanted. Like most people on this planet, I'm constantly looking for a product that will rid my nose of pesky blackheads. I've heard fantastic things about the "Black Head Steam Balm," but that review will have to wait for another time. The cooling pack's primary function is to minimize pores, tighten skin and restore elasticity.

Look at that attention to detail!

Let me start off this official review by saying there's no way to truly minimize your pore size. According to science, and Google, your pore size is genetically predetermined, so I didn't go into trying out this product with those expectations.  Instead I was thinking about its oil controlling properties, acne fighting properties, and overall skin health.

First thing that I immediately notice, the texture is WEIRD. It's aerated clay. It feels very spongey and has a bouncy texture. You don't be able to sink your fingers in, spoon it out and spread it on your skin. You'll have to break it apart and smooth a little "mask nugget" over you skin.

The second thing I noticed was the quantity that you get. I expected the egg to be more than half full of product, but you really only get the bottom third of the plastic egg filled with mask. You only get 30 grams of product.

The instructions on the box say to take a "moderate to heavy" amount and spread it over you face for 10-15 minutes or until dry. Then wash off with warm water.

The ingredients include:Water, Kaolin, Butylene Glycol, Bentonite, Titanium, Dioxide (CI 77891), Acrylates Copolymer, Sodium Hyaluronate, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Vinegar, Egg Shell Powder, Sea Silt, Glacier Water, Perfluorohexane, Tromethamine, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Cellulose Gum, Perfluorodecalin, Potassium Alginate, Pentafluoropropane, Disodium DETA, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Fragrance. 

Here's my bare face before the mask. (Super Tired)

Despite the strange texture the mask was easy to smooth on my face. With clay masks I prefer an opaque covering of mask to really absorb all the impurities from my face.

Most of the masks that I use are clay based, I've tried bentonite, kaolin, and umbrian clay, and I find they really help with oil and sebum control. Waiting the 10-15 minutes wasn't unbearable, I just queued up some youtube videos and sat down.

Unlike the rest of the clay masks that I've had the pleasure of trying, that crack and crumble when they dry, this mask coalesced together and really did feel like it had a "tightening" effect. It was a bit difficult to talk after the mask had fully dried. 

After I washed the mask off my skin felt really good. My skin didn't feel stripped, but I did notice whatever bubbling breakouts I had underneath my skin became smaller.

This before and after picture is slightly deceiving, as the after makes my skin look more angry and red, but the next morning when I applied my makeup my skin's texture was phenomenal and looked markedly different. Again, I don't think it can "shrink pores," but in terms of acne fighting powers, sebum control and skin refining this is a pretty good mask.

The real drawback for me, is that you get a small amount of product.  On the other hand it retails for $13 so that's not necessarily too bad? The ultimate test is whether I'd purchase it again and yes I would. Despite the small negative of the amount of product, I felt like this mask offered something new and beneficial to my skin.

I hope this review helps anyone looking to invest in this product! I purchased mine from the Tony Moly flagship store, but if you're curious, here's a purchase link below:

Pretty and Cute
Amazon*

Tony Moly 5 Day Mask Project: Day 3 Review

Day Number 3 of the Tony Moly 5. Day Project! As mentioned previously, the peeling and water glowing masks treated me well. I'll mention the same disclaimer as in my last post. Even though this post is coming much later than the original "Day 1" post, I completed this mask set in the allotted 5 days. 

Since it's been a while, let me refresh your memory on the five masks that come with the program. 

The masks, in order, are:
Day 1: Peeling
Day 2: Water Glowing
Day 3: Toning
Day 4: Lifting
Day 5: Total

According to the pack:

Day 3: Toning Mask

Concept of Vitamin injection (Brightening) / Lightening up the skin tone. With a effects of whitening from niacinamide and vitamin C derivative, the whitening mask sheet lightens up the skin tone and makes skin clear and clean. The cellulose fabric with excellent adhesion and transparency helps lock in active ingredients within skin with its moisture retention ability.

My super tired before face! After you've pulled out all the toxins from your face and restored moisture, day three is entirely dedicated to evening out your skin tone.

I didn't expect this to work wonders (I wish there was a single treatment that could even out my skin), but since the first two masks went so well, I had high hopes for this mask too!

Like the water glowing mask, this mask is made of plant cellulose as opposed to paper or cotton.

The mask experience was the same as the previous mask: cool, refreshing and relaxing.

As usual, I waited longer than the allotted 20-30 minutes and wore it for 50 minutes.

So excite.

Despite the change in lighting between the before and after photos, I do think the cooling nature and the vitamin C lightened my redness a little bit! I don't think it did anything for my hyper pigmentation though.

Between Day 2 and Day 3 I didn't think there was that big of a difference. My skin was certainly happier and my acne was getting better, but I didn't have that "stare in the mirror" moment like I had after Day 1.

Onward to Day 4!

Tony Moly 5 Day Mask Project: Day Two Review

Day Number 2 of the Tony Moly 5. Day Project! I was pleasantly surprised with the first "peeling" mask. I felt that it had visible results on my oily, sensitive, acne prone skin. Even though this post is coming much later than the original "Day 1" post, I completed this mask set in the allotted 5 days. 

Since it's been a while, let me refresh your memory on the five masks that come with the program. 

The masks, in order, are:
Day 1: Peeling
Day 2: Water Glowing
Day 3: Toning
Day 4: Lifting
Day 5: Total

According to the front and back of this package: 

Concept of Hyaluronic Injection / Enhancing the watery protective barrier. Highly purified Hyaluronic acid acts as booster to help strengthen moisture barrier. To prevent dryness and keeps skin moisturized with an abundance of hydration. The Natural porousness of the air puff promotes the absorption of the essence; Its capacity to float keeps the surface moisturized for a long time, showing excellence in flexibility and adhesion

My skin before! You can still see some of the Tony Moly Shocking Lip, Lip Stain I was using lingering on my lips.  That stuff stays! After the "peeling" mask of silk and clay my skin was happy to receive the promised "moisture" from the water glowing mask.

This mask uses plant cellulose to hydrate your skin. According to the back the cellulose holds onto the essence the mask is soaked in and transfers its beneficial properties into your skin.

The cellulose didn't feel too different from a regular paper mask, but, pulling gently on the mask a couple of times, I felt it had a higher tensile strength than paper.

Popping the mask on, the essence was slightly more watery than a usual mask, but was cooling and relaxing to my skin. I think these are pretty common properties of any face mask though.

With masks like these I always try and wait a little bit longer than the suggested 20-30 minutes. After all, it's just a longer period of letting the essence soak into your skin! 

I pushed this mask to 50 minutes, but it was getting slightly itchy on my face. I peeled it off and used the remaining essence in the pack to re-moisturize my skin.

After the 50 minutes, my skin felt hydrated, bouncy and happy. My skin was a tad dried out by the first day's mask, but the "water glowing mask" definitely made up for it. Although the redness in my skin wasn't very diminished, as I finished the rest of my PM night routine, I felt that my skin was smoother and more hydrated.

Looking at my skin there isn't really a visible difference, but it certainly felt better. At this point, I was pretty hooked and excited to see what pack three had in store!

Find out the deets on the first mask by clicking this link and stay tuned for "Day Three: Toning!"

Tony Moly 5 Day Mask Project: Day One Review

This was the most expensive thing in my Tony Moly haul. I was shocked. One, because the store didn't have a price tag anywhere near this mask set, and two, THERE ARE ONLY 5 MASKS. That's $10.80 for each mask!! Which altogether is nowhere near SK-II's masks or the "fancier" brand sheet masks at Sephora, but I definitely had some sticker shock when the clerk rang me up.

On the box the 5 Day Project promises: "A clinical-quality sheet with vegetable stem cells, it promotes skin exfoliation for total skin care and gives 5 types of care."

I bought this mask set over individual masks because it was packaged as a complete set. With other masks one can argue that you need prolonged use or multiple uses to get the "full benefits" of the mask. This comes packaged in a 5 Day Format, so I think you should at least expect to see results after 5 Days.

The masks, in order, are:
Day 1: Peeling
Day 2: Water Glowing
Day 3: Toning
Day 4: Lifting
Day 5: Total

So let's start off with Day One, shall we? As you can see on the package, the mask isn't a traditional face mask, but instead a "peel-off" mask composed of densely woven silk and a special mud. I didn't understand what they meant by "peel-off" mask, but you'll come on the journey of discovery with me. 

Unfortunately this is the best before picture of my face that I have...

On the back of the mask it touts this description: "The peel-off mask is a new-concept mask created by the combination of highly dense silk and special mud. It makes skin smooth and bright by absorbing old dead skin cells and impurities from skin with its ingredients of volcanic ash extract and seaweed extract."

Already when I first opened it, it was a very, very dry mask.

The mask itself came in three separate parts: a white 'barrier" layer, the silk mask, and a brown application layer.

The mask stuck together a little bit and I had a hard time separating all the layers and applying them on my face.

The texture of this mask was really quite different. I was partially afraid I was going to destroy it by pulling it apart incorrectly, but I realized after manipulating the sheet for a little while the silk is quite strong. I tried to follow the instructions as much as I could, but I actually messed up immediately. You're supposed to put your top piece on first and your bottom piece later to layer.

I feel like these masks have a pretty quick drying time. You have a span of maybe 2-3 minutes where you can play around and adjust them on your face, but the mud and silk combo begins to harden quite quickly. 

I tried to maximize the amount of "mask to skin coverage" there was by smoothing out all the creases that appeared during application.

Behold! Leatherface. Terrifying, I know. After you're satisfied with the placement and overlap of the two halves, you now have to wait for 40 minutes for it to dry. The drying process wasn't too difficult, but it certainly wasn't necessarily a "relaxing" experience. With all "mud" based masks the drying process can be slightly irritating. The mask dried so tightly around my face I was unable to talk after 20 minutes. As the mask dried I could feel it pulling the oil from my skin. Which is a good thing! Albeit a bit uncomfortable.

After the allotted time has elapsed and you look like a straight up serial killer, start peeling the dried mask away from your face, beginning with the parts closest to your ears.

You can visibly see where the mask didn't dry completely. This made the removal on my cheeks very easy, although it makes me wonder if my cheeks received the full benefits of this mask. The removal took slightly longer and was slightly more painful than I thought. The peeling sensation was similar to using a blackhead strip.

I definitely didn't peel the mask all off in one go, my pain tolerance was a little too low, but overall the mask wasn't difficult to get off.

I think that this mask actually made a pretty big difference in my skin. I know that my inflamed red areas definitely calmed down, partially because of the dusk-like sediment the mask left behind, but I also felt like it shrank my active acne.

Overall, I was pretty impressed with Day 1!