(inhale) Nature Republic Gold Snail Synake Venom Peptide Hydrogel Mask Sheet (exhale).
Probably the longest title of anything I’ve reviewed, really. And that’s saying something with these Korean products. I picked up this beast when I was in my local Nature Republic store, hidden safely away in Santee Alley. Gold, snail, synake, plus hydrogel… that sounds incredible. Wait. Who are all these Asian lads posing so prettily on the package?
I should probably say that although I enjoy me some K-pop, I am really bad at keeping up-to-date on all the latest boy bands over there. I’m a G-Dragon and BoA sort of girl, myself. But I digress. After a little research I found out that this is part of the Korean-Chinese boy band EXO. EXO’s split into two separate groups, EXO-K and EXO-M. EXO-K sings in Korean, EXO-M sings in Mandarin. I don’t sing in either, and I’m pretty questionable at singing in English. Anyway, EXO-M is covering this product, while EXO-K covers another Nature Republic mask with collagen.
Now that we’re all caught up…
Back of the package with ingredients and instructions. Don’t bother squinting, you can read ’em below.
Clean and sleek design… plus, a shiny snailform. Nice.
Okay. From my research, these guys are kind of adorable. So I can’t understand why they chose this not-so-adorable photo for their Nature Republic campaign. Why. Someone tell me why. Sorry if you think it’s cute, but… eh.
Pretty sure they should have used this one instead. Just my two cents.
The facts:
Moisturizing
Whitening
Tightening
Anti-aging
Improves skin texture
Syn-nake: Revitalizing hydrogel mask sheet that contains gold, snail secretion filtrate, and snake venom extract to give the skin a healthy glow.
Ingredients:
Syn-nake Venom Peptide: Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Snail Secretion FIltrate, Niacinamide, Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Fruit Extract, certaonia Siliqua Gym, Chondrus Cispus (carrageenan), Gellulose Gym, Sodium Polyacrylate, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Mica, Adenosine, Titanium Dioxide, Trideceth-6, Rosemarinus officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Fruit Extract, Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Flower/Leaf Extract, Pelargoniu Graveolens Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Extract, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Extract, Eucalyptus Gloculus Leaf Extract, Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract, Origanum Vulgare Leaf Extract, Iron Oxides (Cl 77491), Gold (Cl 77480), Dipeptide Diaminobutryroyl Benzylamide Diacetate, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethenol, Fragrance.
This mask, like most hydrogel masks, comes in two pieces. You peel off the plastic sheeting and put the previously covered hydrogel side of the mask on your face. Simple.
Also, like most sheet masks in general, this is messy.
Close up of the hydrogel fiber goodness. Whatever it actually is, y’know.
Okay. I didn’t realize until after I was processing the photos that I applied this mask TERRIBLY. Haha. I’m usually not that bad, I swear. I’m not sure how I didn’t notice when I was wearing it, but whatever. Pretend it’s somewhat aligned with my face, please. Other than my own inaccuracy, this mask was well-fitting. Mostly. I dig hydrogel masks because they are instantly form-fitting when I put them on until the time I take them off. No sliding around, no drying out and peeling off. This was no exception. But the nose. THE NOSE. Unless you’re the Wicked Witch of the West you do NOT have a nose that long. I seriously had to fold the tip up so it didn’t suffocate me when I tried to breathe. Which is fine, but what a waste of hydrogel, AM I RIGHT. (I am.)
As for the smell, it smells like nothing, with maybe a hint of snail. And I know that sounds gross, but it’s not. I just can’t think of any other way to describe what snail masks smell like. Like nature. Like a Nature Republic. Of Snails. Anyway.
Despite having the scary ingredient of Syn-nake Venom Peptide (which is an elegant way of saying synthetic snake venom), don’t worry–it doesn’t sting or anything. Although I kind of wish it did, is that weird? …
After leaving it on for 30 minutes (or an hour, give or take), you can take it off. The awesome thing about hydrogel masks is that they are reusable (within reason). That sounded pretty unhygienic to me at first, but you’re applying it to clean skin. After your first use, just try to repackage it onto the covering the best you can, and stick it into a ziploc bag or tupperware and pop it in the fridge. I tend to get only two uses out of these before I toss them, but that’s still more than one. I also leave mine on way longer than necessary, so take that with a grain of salt.
When it comes to masks, they honestly feel like they all do the same thing. This one’s no different, except it does it better. Yep. My skin felt super rejuvenated after this–brightened, tightened, refreshed, and of course super moisturized. Wearing the mask itself was incredibly soothing and cooling (especially if you pop it into the fridge beforehand). I’ll stop rambling now, see ya.
Pros: Moisturizing, cooling, soothing, brightening, tightening, multi-use. Asian dudes on package, if you’re into that sort of thing.
Cons: Nothing. Shit’s good.
Final Verdict: I love hydrogel, and I love boy bands (if One Direction decided to hawk a mask line, I’d totally be down. I’ve always wanted my very own Harry Styles Gold Snail Something Something Hydrogel Mask Sheet). I’d definitely purchase this again, although maybe in the collagen (EXO-K) version. You know, to mix things up a little. If you’re interested, you can find this at Nature Republic (or eBay, or countless other esellers) for ~$6 USD.
The post Review: Nature Republic Gold Snail Synake Venom Peptide Hydrogel Mask Sheet appeared first on GLAMBURGER.