Pick Up The Day with F.A.B. Facial Radiance Overnight Mask

I’ve mentioned before (here) about the start of an obsession with overnight masks. Actually, I made the order right after I published that post. I just couldn’t help myself 😀

I have been trying it for a few months now and ready to give my honest thoughts.

First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Overnight Mask

Start with the packaging, I do like it. It feels compact just like a regular moisturizer tub. My only issue is the inner plastic lid that could be done a little better. It doesn’t sit firmly on the tub, so the product inside leaks slightly if I accidentally put the tub upside down (usually during traveling).

Descriptions and promises:

A gentle yet effective overnight cream that brightens and hydrates skin while sleeping. This leave-on mask is a rich gel cream that is formulated with a powerful combination of ingredients to brighten, hydrate, and deeply nourish the skin. Upon application, the skin looks brighter; overnight as the actives are absorbed deep into the dermis, the mask performs its magic. Upon awakening, skin is hydrated and refreshed, revealing a brighter, more even-toned, and smoother complexion. –Sephora.com

Let’s scrutinize this.

I got to be honest. I wasn’t sure about this at first. The texture is not something that I prefer, nor accustomed to. It’s quite a thick cloudy gel and I personally need quite a bit of time working it into the skin. It doesn’t get absorbed right away. I suppose I could just simply layer it over the skin and be done with it, but the wet finish and the stickiness irk me. Hence, the massage.

The stickiness doesn’t go away, but the massage helps. Just so you know, when I wake up in the morning, my face tends to stick on my pillow sheet. I sleep on my left side (and right), it’s not a good habit, I know. I’m trying. But hey, this overnight mask helps me to NOT do it 🙂

It has a scent, not that fancy fragrance-y scent though. It smells somewhat like a glue to me. Sorry, I’m not the best at describing scents. It’s not my favorite scent *duh*, it actually took me a while to get a hang of it. “Took a while” as in, I decided to try it again the next week while holding my breath. It doesn’t linger though. But hey, scents are completely personal and depends on one’s preference.

I apply Facial Radiance Overnight Mask after my toners and serum, sans moisturizer. I don’t think it will play well with my moisturizer and I use overnight masks as moisturizer’s substitute anyway. It feels incredibly cooling and refreshing. If I had been in the sun during the day or my skin in general felt ‘hot’, I’d slap this on. I don’t use a ‘generous’ amount as suggested, because that will take me forever to blend everything in. I use just enough to cover my face and add just a tiny bit more on the drier areas such as around my mouth and chin.

It does feel hydrating on my skin. It leaves a film which envelopes my face and keeps the moisture inside during the night. In the morning, my face feels smooth with a nice sheen that’s surprisingly quite dry to the touch. I don’t crave for some moisturizer or face mist. It just feels normal, balanced and in a comfortable, restful stage.

Sometimes, it tingled my skin a little, usually when my skin was feeling a little thin or had an open wound (blemishes or sorts). But as I massage in the product, the tingling went away quite quickly.

Sticky, sticky.

As far as the brightening claim, it didn’t happen overnight. I had to use it a few times before noticing any difference. The result is subtle, but enough for me to see it. It’s not ‘brightening’ per se. I’d associate it with my skin simply being more even-toned and radiant, while retaining the flush on my cheeks. I actually like that look a lot, it’s not flat. It’s kind of like MFBB (my face but better *HA*). My face has a life in the morning, YAY!

The other thing that I like about this product is that it seems to help healing blemishes. Perhaps not directly. I mentioned that it envelopes my skin, so it seems it’s making all the skincare I applied beforehand to work better because they don’t ‘evaporate’ so easily, if you understand what I mean. Blemish-speaking, when I applied FAB Blemish Patrol Pads before, the combo helps to heal these little buggers faster.

I do have to make sure I cleanse my face well in the morning though. The film will get slippery, almost slimy upon contact with water and I just can’t wait to take it all off. I usually use my Shiseido Ibuki Purifying Cleanser with the micro granules to do the job and I will get a cleansed face, ready for my morning skincare regime.

Will I repurchase this? Probably not, due to the texture for the most part. If this was in a cream texture, I would enjoy it more. But then, the performance might be different :p

There are still many overnight masks out there that I want to try and I’m sure I can find the ones that have a more preferable texture. That being said, I will not deny that Facial Radiance Overnight Mask is a great product that performs well, no doubt! 🙂