Jellyfish on your face... WTF?!

Greetings Lovely Steemit Friends!

I'll admit it, I'm guilty. I love to indulge in a bit of self-pampering every once in a while... however weird and wacky it may be.

In recent years, K-beauty ("K" as in Korean) has gained immense popularity here in the United States and throughout the West (generally speaking). It's no secret that Korean women KNOW their skincare. Judging by their results (dewy, smooth, porcelain perfection), I could use a lil' Kbeauty somethin' somethin' in my routine.

I've found some of the more fascinating products to try are the masks - specifically, the sheet masks. At a lower price point, they're a seemingly innocent gateway drug into the world of the Soko skincare obsessed. With bizarre sounding ingredients like snail mucus, pig collagen, sea cucumber, horse fat and donkey milk I have to say, I'm as equally intrigued as I am a little horrified.

Despite the somewhat cringe-worthy product names (yet presented in adorable packaging) here's my million dollar question:

"Will it make my face LOOK and FEEL more hydrated, plump, bright, glowy and youthful?"

If so, yes please!

During a recent Ulta haul I discovered this sheet mask with rave reviews, the Jellyfish Marine Food Gel Mask by Skinfood.

The Marine Food Gel Mask comes in five different flavors: jellyfish, pearl, seaweed and oyster.

Needless to say, its weirdness piqued my curiosity. This mask is marketed to "soothe a sun-stressed complexion". How unusual... wait a minute, doesn't jellyfish sting???

Skinfood describes the key ingredient jellyfish as

"thought to be "immortal" and may help reverse aging. They are 95% water and help activate collagen absorption and hydration."

For thousands of years edible jellyfish has been considered a culinary delicacy in the Far East. Consuming edible jellyfish collagen (its main protein) may help to alleviate the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. However, the species of jellyfish used for food consumption are not the same as "the immortal jellyfish" (more on that below).

Regardless of the questionable marketing hype, I was sold hook, line and sinker. Honestly, I just wanted a definitive answer to this question, "Does it feel like a big, gooey blob of jellyfish on my face?!".

After all, it's supposedly nourishing "food" for my face and at just a few bucks a pop it might be worth a fun try.

Why Jellyfish?

In recent years, jellyfish extract has become increasingly trendy in skincare products after the discovery and buzz about the Benjamin Button of the sea, Turritopsis dohrnii, a.k.a. "the immortal jellyfish".

This little guy has the unique ability to to rejuvenate itself and reverse its aging through the unusual process of transdifferentiation.

This process tells one type of cell to convert to another type of cell. So, if I understand this somewhat correctly, an injured or sick adult jellyfish (or medusa) can transform itself back into a juvenile (or polyp) and reproduce itself asexually. Over and over and over again.

Thus, theoretically, it has the ability of achieving immortality and can live on forever... orrrr something like that.

Scientists have yet to find a way to use Turritopsis dohrnii's rejuvenating application for human beings. Sorry, there is no actual "immortal" jellyfish extract in this mask.

Here's a closer look at the product description and ingredients...

Skinfood's Description

"A refreshing and moisturizing gel mask infused with jellyfish extracts and blue marine complex for intense hydration."

Ulta.com's Description

"A gel mask containing jellyfish extract and collagen that helps aid dry, dehydrated skin. Jellyfish extracts help aid the quick absorption of collagen and are made up of 94-98% water and gelatin. This hydro-gel mask sheet delivers nutrients and minerals from the ocean to nourish skin and provides deep, long-lasting hydration."

Ingredients

"Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Fruit Extract, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Ceratonia Siliqua Gum, Chondrus Crispus Powder, Sodium Polyacrylate , Cellulose Gum, Polysorbate 20, Jellyfish Extract, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Trideceth-6, Algae Extract, Laminaria Japonica Extract, Gelidium Cartilagineum Extract, Salicornia Herbacea Extract, Sea Water, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance.

Warning: "If signs of irritation occur, discontinue use immediately. If irritation continues contact doctor..." yada, yada, yada.

As you can see, we don't see the key ingredient until the third line...

Directions

"After cleansing and toning, remove film and place mask on the face. Leave on for 10-20 minutes and massage any remaining essence for absorption. Use to soothe and calm a sun-stressed complexion."

This hydrogel mask consists of two parts; an upper and lower portion.

Skin Prep

First, I prepped my skin for this mask by doing a double cleanse (an oil cleanser, then a glycolic foaming cleanser) followed by toning with a balancing and hydrating rose water toner.

Texture

This 25g hydrogel mask was jam-packed with essence! Really, I wasn't expecting there to be sooo much serum-y essence (not complaining). I had plenty leftover to hydrate my neck, décolleté , hands, etcetera.

The hydrogel material is of a good consistency; not too thin or shabby. The two portions of the mask come with a paper backing. I had difficulty removing the backing without it practically slipping out my hands!

Adherence

First, I applied the bottom portion. The mouth slit was roomy enough and the overall size was a perfect fit for my face. Then I applied the top portion (which overlaps with the bottom) and boy, was it slipping and sliding everywhere!

The eye slits were a bit on the narrow side and it took five minutes of adjusting to get it just where I wanted it.

Once securely on my face, I smoothed over the mask with my fingers to remove any air bubbles (and loose hair). In my opinion, your best bet to fully enjoy this mask is to kick your feet up and just chill for the 10 - 20 minute duration.

Fragrance

I'm not gonna lie, I didn't find the fragrance to be an uplifting, zen inspired, aromatic spa-like experience. To me, it smelled like a disposable sanitary hand wipe... or vaguely like an airport restroom.

It could've been a lot worse... at least it didn't smell like fishy jellyfish! Once adhered to my face, any fragrance dissipated quickly, so, no biggie!

Performance

This gel mask was cool to the touch, and could be very soothing for normal skin that's had too much sun exposure. I have very sensitive skin, and around the twenty minute mark my face was super tingly. It almost felt a like slight burning sensation (hey, it is jellyfish!).

Maybe it helped with micro-circulation, maybe I was having a reaction to another ingredient (like the citrus extract) or maybe it was the glycolic cleanser that I used to prep my skin.

I didn't wash any of the essence off; I patted any excess into my face after removing the mask. I will say, my skin was super glowy, with very rosy cheeks for several hours after masking. I followed this mask with a rosehip oil serum and a moisturizing sleep mask for bedtime.

As for its efficacy, I believe it delivered in terms of hydration and it provided a bit of much needed bounciness to my cheeks.

And yes, it did kind of feel like a big, gooey, wet jellyfish was sitting on my face. I guess I'm into that... all in all, I'd say it was fun to try!

Cost and Where to Purchase

I purchased my mask online from Ulta.com for $5 USD (search for a coupon code). Or, this mask can be purchased directly from Skinfood.com.*

Would you try a jellyfish sheet mask?

Thanks for commenting, upvoting and resteeming this post! I hope my post will inspire you to treat yourself to a little luxury. Until next time...

Cheers!

Michelle

xx

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Watch this video to learn more about the "immortal" jellyfish: