Balea

Balea Tuchmaske Bedruckte Be Icy Review

By Maychiri's Thoughts - January 26, 2024

Ooh, a wintery sheet mask! This is the Balea Tuchmaske Bedruckte Be Icy!
 
 
I just love adorable things, and that includes sheet masks. Balea have already had many such cute animal sheet masks, from koalas, to giraffes, to rabbits... now, for winter, they have a lil polar bear! I already know that these sheet masks often aren’t terribly good, but I still keep buying them because they are just too darn cute! So, will this one be an improvement or will it be just as average as the rest? Let’s see!
 
 
 
Packaging: a plastic pouch, as usual. But look at that cute bear cub! It’s got a little scarf to keep it warm (although, polar bears have a thick layer of fat to keep then warm anyways, so how much would they need a scarf??), and it’s obviously enjoying being surrounded by all the plants! These Balea animal sheet masks always have adorable designs, and this one is no different. I love the soft rose detailing, it’s a fantastic colour to pair with the icy blue. Information about this sheet mask can be found in the back.
 
 
 
 
Ingredients: glycerine, hyaluronic acid, Levant cotton (Gossypium herbaceum) seed extract, peach (Prunus persica) resin extract for nourishment. No parabens. Wow, hyaluronic acid and cotton extract in the top 5 ingredients! That’s what I like to see! The scent is... well, there’s not much to it, really. It doesn’t really smell like anything. Maybe slightly chemical and a bit like the sheet. The expiration date is nowhere to be found, as is standard with Balea sheet masks. Dunno why they don’t simply print it out. This mask is supposed to be left on for 10-20 minutes, which is a bit long.
 
 
The sheet is surprisingly comfortable! Balea sheet masks used to have really stiff, paper-like sheets that weren’t comfortable nor did they adhere properly. But it seems like they learned! This one is super soft and extremely stretchy and feels much better on the skin. It still somehow feels non-breathable and thick... idk why. Still, it is a massive improvement over the previous ones. But it’s so fricking huge, like even larger than masks tend to be for me. I know I have a small face, but this is really too huge, so it creases in many places. 
One of these is not like the other... [source: dm.de]
 
This also means that the cute bear face print is not as visible as it should be. It’s not as badly crinkled up as with the previous Balea masks, but it still doesn’t fit right. Especially on the chin, it just cannot stay stuck there, it always comes off. Well, I am glad they are actually trying to improve, at least!
 
 
 
The serum is very greasy but not very heavy. It’s kinda slimy, to be honest. Not really what I would like, but it’s not the worst formula. However, it feels very tacky and like there’s a cast over my skin after it absorbs. Now that is uncomfortable!
 
 

 
This mask feels very, very refreshing while it is absorbing. It’s got a cooling sensation that isn’t due to menthol, so it feels comfortably cool. Although, it definitely doesn’t feel as relaxing in the winter as it would in the summer! It’s already cold outside, so this added coldness on my face isn’t exactly what I would like now! It also feels super hydrating! But besides that, it’s not much. Still, this exceptionally refreshing, cool feeling is awesome!
 
 
Wait... huh, this is interesting. Despite having hyaluronic acid so close to the top of the list, the results are honestly quite disappointing. My face looks wet – no, not hydrated, just wet. It’s moist and there’s no other effects. It also doesn’t feel terribly hydrated, either. Like, there’s literally no change, for better or worse. Blemishes look exactly the same, pores are exactly the same... like, does it do anything?? It certainly doesn’t look or feel like it! Shame, they get the sheet right finally but mess up the effectiveness of the serum.
 
No changes the following morning. My skin looks average, not particularly well or unwell. So yeah, this mask was a waste of time since it did nothing for my skin...
 

 

All in all, oh well, this one is even worse than most Balea sheet masks. While the sheet is an improvement, everything else is a downgrade. Sure, the sheet is super soft and super stretchy, and it is absolutely dripping with serum, but it doesn’t adhere well. It always comes off my chin, no matter how much I try to stick it. Oh, it’s also humongous, like, I know most sheet masks are going to be too large for my face, but this is almost absurd! The serum itself is gooey and greasy and soapy and not the most comfortable. It’s even less comfortable after it absorbs, as it becomes horribly tacky and like a cast. This all could theoretically be forgiven if this mask managed to show some real results... which it doesn’t. There’s literally 0 changes to the condition of my skin after using this sheet. My skin is neither calmer nor more hydrated. So that claim that it offers “intense hydration”? Yeah... no. I’m just so disappointed. I was expecting my skin to at least look hydrated and maybe ever so slightly plumper from all that hydration, but no. This mask does nothing... it’s just a waste of time (and money). Bah. Yeah, no, this isn’t getting any recommendations whatsoever, not when it does precisely nothing. Shame...
 
 
 
Rating: 3.5/10
 
 
Would buy again? NO

 

 

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