So for my first review of 2015, I wanted to go *big* with my most favorite skin care find ever.  I’ve only used this product for a week, but I’m so amazed by the results  that I couldn’t wait to blog about it.  This product is truly unique, and delivers some amazing moisturizing and skin protecting results.  So what is this holy grail product that I speak of?  It is… *drumroll please*…

The Veiled Beauty Sleeping Mask by Shara Shara!  Yup, I never heard about it before I ordered it, either.  But when I saw it on en.koreadepart.com and looked up the ingredients, I realized that this product was truly unique.  And with the hope that it could be amazing, I ordered it.  And sure enough, this product amazed me with crazy immediate results!

I seriously think that this is my best find (so far) in my skin care journey, and I can’t believe that this product is so underrated that I haven’t heard about it before.  So let me be the first to yell from the rooftops about how amazing this product is!  Read my review, and do your skin a favor by purchasing this product.  This is an absolute *must buy* product for every skin type, every age,  and I’ll explain why…

Shara Shara The Veiled Beauty is a sleeping mask, but it’s totally unique to any other sleeping mask on the market.  Korean sleeping masks are designed to give skin an extra dose of hydration while you sleep.  I’ve tried several types of sleeping masks (reviews will come!), and I found that most of them are not as hydrating as I hope for how dry it is in the winter.  The Veiled Beauty is the only mask that is hydrating enough for me.

It’s mid-winter in Chicago right now, and today, as I write, the windchill factor makes it feel like -20F outside (-29C).  This weather outside is insanely dry, and inside is just as dry because of the constant heat pumping through the vents.  In the past, to compensate for this intensely dry air, my skin would overproduce sebum, resulting in extremely oily skin, with bad acne and enlarged pores.  But now, to keep my skin happy and healthy, I load on the moisturizers like nobody’s business.  And now, at night (and sometimes during the day), Shara Shara The Veiled Beauty is a crucial last step in my routine.  Crucial not only to lock in moisture, but also to lock in all the benefits from my other treatments, and to heal my skin.

Ok, so what makes this sleeping mask so unique?  The ingredients!

Ingredients: Water, Polyurethane-34, Dipropylene Glycol, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract, Betula Platyphylia Japonica Juice, Cyclomethicone, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Root Extract, Solanum Tubersosum (Potato) Pulp Extract, Acer Mono Sap, Luffa Cylindrica Stem Sap, Alcohol Denat, Actinidia Arguta Juice, Triethanolamine, Phenoxyethanol, Carbomer, Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PPG-26-Buteth-26, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Fragrance, Sea Water, Adenosine, Cardiospermum Halicacabum Flower/Leaf/Vine Extract, Echium Plantagineum Seed Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil Unsaponifiables, Octyldodecanol, Aloe Barbadensis Callus Culture Extract, Disodium EDTA.

I ran the ingredients through cosdna.com, and I’m happy to report that there’s nothing in there that would cause acne for most people.  Happily for me, it also doesn’t include acne-triggers for my skin like cetyls, stearyls, shea butter and other solid oils.  It has a decent amount of plant extracts and moisturizers.  But by far, the most important ingredient in it, and the reason this product is so unique, is Polyurethane-34.

I will admit, when I first read that this product had Polyurethane-34 as it’s second ingredient, I thought “Yikes! Polyurethane! That’s the varnish they put on wooden floors to protect them.  There is no way that’s good for your skin!”  But I did some research on this ingredient, and what I found made me happy and excited to use this product.

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Closer look into the star ingredient:

Polyurethane-34: Developed by Bayer for both medical and cosmetics purposes, this ingredient (AKA Baycusan C1000) creates a thin, breathable film on the skin.  It helps wounds heal faster because it can protect the skin from bacteria and other outside elements, all while allowing the skin to breath.  This ingredient can also help heal acne faster  when used with an acne-fighting ingredient like salicylic acid (you can read Bayer’s test results and see pictures here).  Overall, this ingredient is fantastic for cosmetics and skin care because it creates a barrier, locking in moisture and other beneficial ingredients into the skin.

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Polyurethane-34 is a relatively new ingredient, and so far it’s not used in many products.  I love the fact that Shara Shara used it in a sleeping mask, because I think it’s perfect for that!  It helps to lock in moisture, protect your skin from bacteria, and it also locks in all those beneficial ingredients from essences, serums, and ampoules into your skin while you sleep.  This is an amazing ingredient, and in the near future, I predict there will be a LOT more products that will include polyurethane-34 as an ingredient.

The Product:

So let me move on to the product itself! The Veiled Beauty comes in two different types: moisturizing and nutrition.  I have been using the moisturizing type, which comes in the blue packaging.

This sleeping mask is a white, slightly gooey moisturizer that comes in a heavy plastic jar.  There’s a little spatula to help scoop out the product, but I personally just like to use clean hands.  I normally don’t like cutesy products, but I really love some of Shara Shara’s recent designs, and this product is definitely very pretty on my bathroom counter.

The consistency of this sleeping mask is very thick and gooey (almost like a thicker version of Mizon all in one snail repair cream).  The instructions say to spread a thick amount on the skin, so I put enough on to leave a little bit of white product all over.  It has no fragrance added, which I personally prefer, and no strong smell to it.  When you spread it onto your face, it feels a little cold, and extremely wet.  I’ve grown to love that wet feeling because it just feels like an extra boost of moisturizer on my skin.  It dries quickly though, despite putting a lot on my face, it’s usually dry to the touch within about 10 minutes.  Once dry, it does leave your skin a little shiny looking, but not too bad!  I have no problem walking around outside for a quick errand if I put it on during the day.

Taking this product off is a little tricky, but it’s easier when you put a thick layer on your face.  According to en.koreadepart.com and Shara Shara’s website, taking the polyurethane-34 coating off takes a few steps, but it’s not as easy as the infographs show.  But going off of their instructions, this is how I’ve managed to take it off cleanly:

1) Wet hands thoroughly and press it into my skin.  Immediately, you’ll see the white protective layer on your face.

2) With your fingers, rub the mask off in an outward motion.  It won’t come off in one clean sheet, but it little pieces.  Make sure you lean over your sink when you do this because the pieces will fall off.

3) As it dries, gently brush the remainder of the mask off with tissue or paper towel.  Don’t forget to clean up the product that ended up in your sink, because it will clog the drain.

4) Then double-cleanse your face to get any remainder off!

Yes, it’s a lot of steps to get this sleeping mask off, but I promise it’s worth it!  Immediately after washing it, you will see your skin plump, moisturized, and healthier looking than ever!

The Results:

I’ve only used this product for a little over a week, but I love it so much that I couldn’t wait to blog about it!  The first day that I wash it off, I noticed my rosacea was gone.  GONE.  For the first time in years, the ever-present red in my cheeks had completely disappeared!  Unfortunately, my cheeks got a little red again at the end of the day, but once I put this sleeping mask on again, it’s gone.  While I have this mask on, my skin is protected from any outside elements that may irritate my sensitive skin.  And everyday over this past week, I’ve noticed the redness gradually improving over the day and my skin feels thicker and more resilient from the extra hydration provided by this mask.

Also, I had a recent breakout from testing a new product, and this mask helped clear up my acne in a day.  I’m not joking: ONE day.  I had about a dozen small comedones and red inflammation popping up one day, but after putting this mask on as my final step at night, I woke up to all the red spots gone and only a couple comedones that easily came out.  Amazing!

I am so thankful and excited to have discovered this product!  If I’m getting these types of results in only one week of use, I can imagine what consistent use will give me!  This mask helps lock in moisture, and it helps the efficacy of my other products too!  This is now my desert-island product; I will never live without it again! (*Oh skin care gods, please don’t let Shara Shara ever stop producing this amazing sleeping mask! Because if that tragic day comes, I may end up a little crazy and broke from the hoarding I will have to do to keep this moisturizer in my life.  Thank you!*)

Overall:

Based on the intensive hydrating results and the immediate benefits to both my acne and rosacea, I know that this product will help many different people with all different types of skin!  Whether you need extra hydration, or you want to heal your acne or rosacea quickly, or you want to increase the benefits of your other products for your skin, this sleeping mask will do all that and more.  Get yourself a jar of this amazing product now.

Pros: GREAT ingredient list, does everything that it’s supposed to and more!

Cons: A little tricky to get off cleanly, but results like this, who cares?

Total score: 12/10 (Yes, I love it that much!!)

Ingredients: 10/10 (Fantastic star ingredient, and totally unique to this product!)

Quality: 10/10 (Fantastic.  Does everything it promises and more!)

Wear: 10/10 (Feels cool and moisturizing, but dries easily to where it’s barely noticeable.)

Price: 10/10 (Good value at $17 for 100 ml on en.koreadepart.com, but unfortunately I’m going through the jar quickly because I have to use so much at once!)

Other: 20/10 (This product deserves some major bonus points for the added benefits of protecting the skin from bacteria and other outside elements, immediately healing BOTH my acne and rosacea, and increasing the efficacy of all my other ingredients.)