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!
FYI: This box has had significant shipping delays. However, they seem to be improving lately.
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 September 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 "Skin Fruit."
On to the items:
Purederm Ultra Nourishing Watermelon Pads - Retail Value $1.53
There's often one unusual mask in this subscription, it could be a hand or foot mask, or sleeping pack, or eye gels, or something of that nature. This month it was these individual patches that look like mini watermelon slices. I'm pretty sure we've received cucumber slices from Mask Maven before, but the watermelon ones are new to me. Watermelon is rich in lycopene, which is an antioxidant, and based on images on the product page, this may also have redness-reducing ingredients as well as some exfoliation power, although I didn't see an English list so some of that is conjecture. You can reseal the package if you don't want to use all of them at once. These are nice to have for colder weather because my t-zone is still kind of oily but my cheeks get dry and I can use the patches I have left over for moisturizing in selected spots. These stay on your face well even if you are sitting up and aren't too drippy with the serum. I can't say if redness was reduced because I didn't really have any on the day I tried them, but since I also like preventative skincare (e.g., antioxidants), I was happy to receive them.
A'Pieu Strawberry Milk Face Mask - Estimated Value $2.50 (buy 4 for $10)
I think I have used this mask before, but I can't remember which subscription it came in. I don't mind receiving repeat masks from time to time, especially since that was clearly selected to fit a theme. This has strawberry extract, which is a source of antioxidants like vitamin C. (Antioxidants in skincare *may* help fight free radical damage, which can, over time, have an anti-aging effect. It's not the kind of thing you would see right away, and it's also not an excuse to not use a proper sunscreen, but as part of a combined strategy could be useful.) This also has pearl extract which has a long history in Asian beauty as a brightening ingredient, milk extract which is going to have proteins and amino acids, and hyaluronic acid for moisture. The serum was a little milky but absorbed into my skin reasonably well after use. This is another one where you could see the moisturizing effects right away but would need to use over time to really observe other changes.
A'Pieu Mulberry Blemish Ampoule Mask - Retail Value $3.50
I think ampoule must mean something else here than it means in chemistry labs because I always thought of an ampoule in the sense of a small sealed glass vial. Anyway, this has extract of mulberry fruits, leaves, and "stem" (trunk? or the less woody parts perhaps). The fruits are going to be a great source of antioxidants. The stem is supposed to help with elasticity. I would guess this is also supposed to help clear up blemishes (it appears there are also other products in the product line that may work in concert with this mask) but I didn't have any breakouts at the time I used this. Mulberry is not as common as some of the other fruits that show up in K-beauty products so it is nice to get to try a different active ingredient. This was hydrating but the serum didn't take too long to dry after I removed the mask.
A'Pieu Real Big Strawberry Yogurt One Bottle Mask - Retail Value $2
This is a sheet made from special materials (I can't tell from the ad copy what they're all actually supposed to be, though there is some cellulose and Tencel) that is supposed to conform to the face better than other sheets. I do feel that this one fit my face well, but so did the others. (I don't usually have a problem with masks not fitting unless they are kind of stiff, but that may be because I have a small face?) This had a light strawberry scent. Strawberry, of course, is going to have the same benefits as in the previous strawberry mask. This has yogurt extract, which is supposed to "soften" sebum (I don't really understand what that means but I do note my face was less oily at the end of the day when I used this one as opposed to how it normally is). This also has Lactobacillus ferment (Lactobacillus bacteria are in yogurt) which is supposed to strengthen the skin barrier and aid cell regeneration although I don't know how I could assess either of those things without a microscope and a tissue sample! This one has rather a lot of chemically modified fatty acids and other polymeric ingredients (probably to control moisture levels) and fewer of the natural extracts than you typically see in K-beauty sheet masks.
The Saem Natural Pomegranate Mask - Retail Value $1.99
This one is free of parabens, mineral oil, and artificial colors. (I don't avoid parabens because they are effective at preventing bacterial contamination but if you look for skincare products that are paraben-free, this could work for you.) Pomegranate, like other red fruits, is going to be high in antioxidants. It is also supposed to help with firmness and skin elasticity. There is a lot of serum here so it may take a bit longer to dry once you remove the mask (at least, I found that to be the case), but on the other hand, it is definitely hydrating, which is nice as cooler weather is coming. This also has ginger and tea leaf extracts as well as several moisturizing ingredients like hyaluronic acid.
Cos W My Real Skin Apple Mask - Retail Value $1.99
This one has a lot of moisturizing ingredients like sodium hyaluronate and trehalose (both are carbohydrates that retain a lot of moisture near the surface of the skin) and of course the antioxidants you would expect from a fruit. I find that a lot of apple-containing products have a toning effect and that was true here, too. This one also has lavender, which is soothing, and propolis, a resinous/waxy compound produced by bees with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, so this one may also be good for redness and irritation. (The product page says it is suitable for sensitive skin.)
Mizon Joyful Time Essence Acai Berry Mask - Retail Value $2.90
Acai is a deeply colored berry so of course, this one is also full of vitamins and antioxidants. This has hydrolyzed collagen for moisture so it is not vegan (collagen can only come from animal sources) but you should not, in general, expect K-beauty products to be vegan (although there is somewhat of a push in this direction). It also has allantoin which is supposed to help smooth out rough skin. This one is also full of interesting carbohydrates like pullulan, fructooligosaccharides, and chia extract, all of which can hold on to a lot of moisture near the surface of the skin and minimize the appearance of fine lines (at least temporarily). So if you are looking for both antioxidants and hydration, try this one! I felt that it was definitely hydrating and of course antioxidants are more of a preventative measure than anything else.
Double and Zero My Sweet Macaron Red Fruits Mask - Retail Value $3.50
This is another one with non-standard fibers (though I do not know what "sky cell" means). This one has a nice selection of red fruits including tomato, cherry, watermelon, pomegranate, and strawberry, so you are getting vitamin C, multiple sources of lycopene, and lots of other fruit pigments that work as antioxidants. This one also has some amino acids added that are supposed to be good for calming the skin (but I don't know which ones they are so there's not much more I can say about that). This one was somewhat hard to unfold and keep from clinging to itself.
Renardeau Core Essence Face Mask Centella Asiatica - Retail Value $1.50
This was the mystery mask and I guess that is why it doesn't fit the theme. (Lately, they've been having one mystery mask per month.) This one is supposed to help reduce uneven skin texture (it has allantoin) and also hydrate (it has a fair number of chemically modified fatty acids and polymers for moisture, as well as squalane). Although there is added fragrance, it wasn't super strong. I think maybe my skin was smoother after using but I feel like to really see an effect you would have to use the same one frequently (the product page said to use it twice a day, which seems a bit much for me, as I just don't have that much spare time to devote to skincare...).
Verdict: I calculated a total value of $21.41 for the September 2020 Beauteque Mask Maven. I liked the variety of different fruit-based masks this month though I was surprised there was not really any citrus featured, it was mostly berries. In the past Mask Maven has not always stuck to the theme but they really did here. Take the value with a grain of salt, of course, because the linked retail sources include the Beauteque store, some brand websites, and some Korean retailers where you'd have to pay shipping and wait weeks for your order to arrive. Overall I would say this was a typical month for this subscription.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, this was the September package. You have to sign up by the 15th to get a box for the month, so your first box would probably be October’s box, arriving in early November.
ACTIVE DEAL: Save 10% off of your subscription
CODE: SHEETFACED
Value Breakdown: At $18.95 for this box, you are paying approximately the following per mask:
- Watermelon pads $1.35
- Strawberry milk mask $2.21
- Mulberry mask $3.10
- Strawberry yogurt mask $1.77
- Pomegranate mask $1.76
- Apple mask $1.76
- Acai mask $2.57
- Macaron mask $3.10
- Centella mask $1.33
Check out all of our past Mask Maven reviews and the best skincare boxes of 2020 as voted by MSA readers!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
What did you think of the September 2020 Beauteque Mask Maven? Do you get any K-Beauty or Asian Beauty subscriptions?
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