Which is obviously great but when I find a brand that suits me, I do sometimes forget to try brands that I don’t know well.
Of course, I’ve just reviewed Waphyto which was completely new to me and you can read those reviews here and here.
But I’m always mindful, when I try yet more products by Cosrx, Isntree and Mary & May, that there are other great brands that are waiting for me.
That being said, this is another absolutely amazing product from Mary & May that’s really versatile.
Ingredients
It’s packed with hydrating ingredients that are also moisturising. You won’t find anything heavy or creamy here, it’s a true gel sleeping mask.
I wrote about calendula in my Waphyto review and, because it’s the star ingredient here, I’m going to give you a bit more detail.
Calendula, or marigold extract, has could do a lot for your skin! We’re talking anti-inflammatory and soothing properties as well as benefits for acne and fine lines!
Despite how amazing calendula is, Mary & May have packed this moisturiser with other powerhouse ingredients.
Actually, the other major plant extracts you’ll find here are also featured in the Waphyto: Centella and Chamomile, meaning you’re getting extra anti-inflammatory and well-aging support.
Coupled with the plant extracts are 25 types of peptides!! Peptides are amazing if you are looking for a well-aging ingredient that is super gentle.
I’ve talked about peptides here and if you want a lot of detail about how they work, check out this journal article. Essentially, peptides work by stimulating collagen which will help with fine lines.
And there’s calendula petals suspended in the gel texture – these melt to nothing and I imagine they’re delivering bonus goodness to my skin. I think they’re fun and I’ve written about how important fun in skincare is to me here!
Texture
It’s incredibly lightweight and melts into the skin as soon as you apply it.
I’ve tried what most people would consider a reasonable amount of this sleeping mask and also more than a normal amount: there’s no stickiness even if you apply way too much.
If you have oily skin that doesn’t tolerate oils or butters and you need hydration with not too much moisturisation, this is something you should try.
Whilst this is a last step product, if you have drier skin, consider trying this as your first moisturiser. You could also think of it as thick toner – more on this below! I personally need oils and whilst this product is amazingly hydrating, I do find I need something over the top.
You can read more about different types of sleeping masks here.
Experience
As you can see from the ingredients, there’s so many reasons to try this Mary & May sleeping mask.
I find it really hydrates my skin and helps plump it out, which is particularly valuable in winter. This helps my skin fight the ravages of the cold but also improves the look of my skin immediately whilst I’m waiting for the peptides and extracts to work their magic.
Well-aging skincare ingredients can take a little while to work so I appreciate anything that has an immediate effect as well as potential benefits that take longer to show up. Read more about how long it takes skincare to work here.
Irritated skin saviour
I called this product versatile earlier because it’s a multiuse product because it actually could be placed anywhere in your routine where you want a burst of hydration. But yes, obviously, it fits in the moisturiser slot too!
Anyone with irritable skin, which makes it hard to predict what will work on any given day, will appreciate this sleeping mask.
If it’s been extra cold, I tend to find my very irritable neck dislikes watery products like toner. It’s weird because toner isn’t a problem otherwise! So whenever I’ve been out in the cold for a while or there’s a cold snap, I use this sleeping mask in my toner spot.
This sounds crazy but hear me out!
How is this like a toner?!
I mentioned that the cream is super lightweight – there’s no silicones or oils, no butters.
It is full of hydrating, lightly moisturising ingredients: you’ll find similar ingredients in the non-oily moisturising toners and serums. These ingredients include: 1,2-Hexanediol, Betaine, Panthenol, Glycerin and Butylene Glycol.
What makes it different from a toner is that the formulation (gel texture) as well as the proportion of those hydrating, moisturising ingredients is likely to be different to those used in a toner.
But this doesn’t stop it being one of the most hydrating moisturisers I’ve ever tried and a great early step because there’s no ingredients that would interfere with how your serums absorb.
So I hope you can see why it occured to me to try this in the toner spot when my skin was having an issue with very watery products.
Because of the concentrated, heavy-hitting ingredients, you could technically consider this a serum too.
I know I don’t want to lose out on concentrated ingredients with well-aging benefits because I’m keeping my routine simple to avoid angering my skin.
Sure, sometimes I have a short routine due to time constraints but this is different: I have time but my skin lacks patience!!
The Mary & May is ideal for an irritated skin routine because it’s not only super soothing but it also replaces toner, essence and serums for me. I apply something thick and comforting over the top, like the Pyunkang Yul Nutrition Cream which you can read about here.
Final Word
This is such a beautiful product that works incredibly well. Even amongst all the wonderful products I’ve tried from UNBLEMISH, I feel this is one of the best (so far, there’s always shiny new things!)