Beauteque Mask Maven is a monthly K-beauty subscription box dedicated to masks. If you love trying new Korean sheet masks, this subscription is for you!
My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About Beauteque Mask Maven
The Subscription Box: Beauteque Mask Maven
The Cost: $18.95 month-to-month ($15 subscription + $3.95 US shipping). Save with 6- and 12-month subscriptions.
ACTIVE DEAL: Save 10% off of your subscription
CODE: SHEETFACED
The Products: 9 masks of all kinds, straight from Korea and Taiwan. Most are facial sheet masks, but you will sometimes see a hair mask, hand mask, or lip mask, too.
Ships to: The US, Canada, Europe, Australia, and parts of Asia (see international shipping costs during checkout)
Beauteque Mask Maven April 2020 Review
The number of sheet masks out there for sale must be incredibly large. Mask Maven almost never sends repeat items, and I discover something new every month:
1 of 4
The box came with this information card. This month's theme was "Relax & Unwind."
On to the items:
JM Solution Sheet Mask Water Luminous Avocado Nourishing Oil - Retail Value $3
I think I'm linking to the same item and it's just undergone a package change (which, incidentally, shows just how excessive sheet mask packaging really is...). Avocado oil is moisturizing and this has antioxidants from moringa, turmeric, and eggplant, which I honestly kind of appreciate not only for being antioxidants but for being a little bit different from what you see in other masks. This also has amber powder and I'm honestly not sure what that is supposed to do, and it has several forms of hyaluronic acid, which is a long carbohydrate polymer that holds on to water molecules near the surface of the skin and may help minimize the look of fine lines. This one is a little expensive but quite gentle and if you can get a good discount on a 10 pack or something, it would be worth it for daily use as it hits a couple of highlights.
Labute Clear Bubble Tea Tree Facial Mask
I could not find this one from a reputable, US-based source (some are available on Amazon and eBay but the sourcing of those is questionable and they may be from resellers). Anyway, it is the first of two bubble masks this month. If you have not used one of these before, it starts bubbling when you take it out of the package and you have to rinse off your face after you remove the mask sheet. I was mostly excited because it has tea tree oil, which is good for breakouts, which, for some reason, I'm having more of lately despite NOT wearing any makeup since March. It didn't smell strongly of tea tree oil and the bubbles were noticeable but didn't get too crazy in the 15 minutes that I wore this.
Purederm Deep Purifying Black O2 Charcoal Bubble Mask - Retail Value $3.99
This is the second bubble mask for the month. Charcoal may help to draw gunk out of your pores, or at least it always seems to do that for me. The experience of using this one was quite similar to the previous one for me, even though they are different brands. This also has some antioxidants and vitamins from citrus fruit as well as moisturizing compounds like hydrolyzed collagen and sodium hyaluronate, and it has papaya extract which is a gentle enzymatic exfoliator.
JM Solution Marine Luminous Black Pearl Balancing Mask - Retail Value $3.99
This was a 3-step mask. The first step was a foaming cleanser that was kind of silvery in color, probably had some black pearl powder in it. It worked well enough. Then you use the mask and finish up with step 3, which is a moisturizing cream. The mask serum has pearl extract. While actual pearl powder is too large to penetrate the skin, an extract *might* depending on how it was produced (but of course they don't give you that information...). Pearl extract has a long history in Asian beauty products as a brightening ingredient. This also has a lot of moisturizing compounds like hyaluronic acid and hydrolyzed collagen, and it has sea water so it has some minerals as well. This was a fun and relaxing experience for a Friday night (since who is leaving the house anymore these days?).
Missha Pure Source Aloe Pocket Pack, 10 mL - Retail Value $3.90 (found here for $3.71)
This is a mostly-aloe leave-on mask. I've been using it as a sleeping mask and have managed to get either 5 or 6 uses out of it so far, with probably one more left. It is a viscous, clear gel and it absorbs into the skin pretty well without leaving me oily. It's very moisturizing, as well. The only thing I am not sure of is whether my pores are gunkier in the morning after using this or not but probably it is just nighttime stuff my skin does regardless of what products I use and I haven't paid attention before now.
Holika Holika Pure Essence Mugwort Mask - Retail Value $1.09 (found here for $0.82)
Mugwort is a new trendy ingredient in K-beauty products; it's a weed that's related to both the plant from which absinthe is derived and to the herb tarragon. Mugwort is supposed to be soothing and anti-inflammatory and I kind of felt like it was (my skin has been acting up a bit lately). Mugwort also has some antioxidants, including vitamin E. This is a really inexpensive mask but was perfectly pleasant to use and I like that it covers a variety of skincare bases. I think this one would be pretty good (and affordable) for daily use.
Missha Airy Fit Honey Sheet Mask - Retail Value $2
This mask is supposed to fit really well and it did, but to be honest, I don't often have trouble with masks not fitting. (I have a small head and small eyes, though, so your mileage may vary.) It is also supposed to be thinner and lighter than a regular mask sheet and to be honest, I don't remember if it was, because I wasn't looking out for those properties when I used it. At any rate, the sheet was functional and didn't smell too much like that artificial honey scent you find in K-beauty and other honey-scented skincare products. I like honey masks because they have some minerals and also anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties and I do feel this helped out my skin a bit, though you'd really have to use them frequently for awhile to see a true, long-term benefit. This also has antioxidants from tea leaves and bergamot (a type of citrus fruit) and allantoin to smooth rough skin.
Mediheal Essential Mask Vita Light Beam - Retail Value $3.50 (found here for $1.50)
This says it is supposed to give the skin a lighter, shinier, and brighter look. I don't think I want to be "shinier" and I'm already the palest foundation shade (plus a sheet mask probably doesn't have concentrated enough ingredients to bleach your skin, nor should you want to bleach your skin). So we will call this a "brightening" mask. The strategy here seems to rely on antioxidants like vitamins C and E as well as a rice extract. Antioxidants may help fight free radical damage and, over time, may help prevent some discoloration due to sun damage, but it's more of a preventive thing than a treatment of aging signs that have already happened. This mask has another technology that is supposed to enhance skin adherence -- it has something to do with bamboo-derived cellulose in the mask sheet but the language is kind of hand-wavy and not authentically scientific so I don't know what to make of it. It's a nicely moisturizing mask, though, and I'm always a fan of antioxidants in skincare.
Farm Stay Real Mango Essence Mask - Retail Value $0.95 (found here for $0.33)
This is really inexpensive for a sheet mask and would be worth stocking up on for the price alone. And Farm Stay is a fine brand. Mango will have antioxidants (most brightly colored fruits and vegetables do) and vitamins and this also I think did a little bit of toning, plus it was moisturizing, so it's a decent general purpose mask, plus it smelled nice. There was a mystery mask listed in the information booklet and this is the one I got. It's possible they were just sending closeout items, but I did like using it, and there were other premium masks included, so I'm OK with getting an inexpensive one every now and then.
Verdict: I couldn't calculate a total value for the April 2020 Beauteque Mask Maven because I couldn't find every item for sale from a reliable source. However, there were two bubble masks and the pocket aloe pack in addition to a 3-step mask, so I feel like the premium item quota was exceeded compared to past months and the value is probably there. It was interesting learning about mugwort and I'm always a fan of tea tree oil and charcoal, and I was happy that nearly everything had a lot of antioxidants, which kind of makes sense for summer (although of course you should use a good SPF product and practice proper social distancing if you go out!).
FYI, I did not receive a March shipment for this subscription and I do not know why.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, this was the April package. You have to sign up by the 15th to get a box for the month, so your first box would probably be June’s box and arrive in early July.
ACTIVE DEAL: Save 10% off of your subscription
CODE: SHEETFACED
Value Breakdown: At $18.95 for this box, you are paying approximately $2.11 per mask.
Check out all of our past Mask Maven reviews and the best skincare boxes of 2020 as voted by MSA readers!
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What did you think of the April 2020 Beauteque Mask Maven? Do you get any K-Beauty or Asian Beauty subscriptions?
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