Karuna Brightening Mask - Review, Pictures

image from https://www.karunaskin.com

I love sheet masks.  I love them because they are no fuss, look neat, and usually make my skin feel awesome.  But the best thing I love about sheet masks.  No one bothers me for the full 15 to 20 minutes I wear them!  I have the men in my house trained to not even bother me while I have a sheet mask on.  It's a great thing.  20 minutes of uninterrupted ME time.  I usually close my eyes and take a little cat nap, or I listen to music.  It's a great break during the week and it makes me look better while I do it!  

When the loverly people at Karuna offered to send me a set of their Brightening Masks I jumped at the chance.  Linda Wang founded Karuna because she was inspired to impart her East-meets-West beauty knowledge with compassion and care.  Karuna's concept is based on beauty rituals and an item-driven product line targeting specific skin concerns.  The company launched with the sheet mask. It's a no-mess, do-it-yourself facial that pampers as it treats each individual skin care need.  The idea is to blend unique and in demand ingredients using the science behind the ingredients and the natural remedies to solve the most common skin concerns in a fresh and modern way.  Now, sheet masks have been around for ages, but the combination of new technology to mix the ingredients along with a fresh approach to treating specific skin conditions is what sets Karuna Apart from all the rest.  

Plus it doesn't hurt that inspiring quotes from The Dalai Lama are on the inside of every box of sheet masks.  Those quotes and more are the backbone behind the philosophy of Karuna.  Not only will the masks make you look good, they make you "feel" good inside and out!

Each mask contains what is called the "Karuna Beauty Boost". It's basically a propriety blend of Chinese licorice, aloe vera, chamomile, vitamin B and other plant extracts.  This "Beauty Boost" is supposed to heal, detox and renew the skin. Each mask is further enhanced with individually chosen ingredients formulated to target specific skin concerns. For example, the Brightening Mask I was sent, also contains Grapefruit Seed Extract and Asian plant extracts which are supposed to ward off environmental toxins and lave my skin looking smoother an fresher.  According to Karuna, "All-natural fiber cloth retains 50% more moisture than synthetic, helping pores fully absorb the paraben-free beneficial ingredients. Made from bio-degradable wood pulp, our cloth is truly a green and luxurious alternative."  Well, that's really nice.  I feel even better about using the mask now!

Each mask is packed in a secure foil lined packet.  The direction are on the back of each packet so you don't forget what to do, but it's pretty obvious:

 Start with a clean, dry face.

Rip open packet

Take out mask

Unfold

Put soft fiber layer against skin

Peel off plastic layer

Sit for 15-20 min whilst pondering the Dalai Lama quote on the inside of the Karuna box.  

Wonder what the sound of one hand clapping would be like.

Peel off soft fiber mask

Massage left over product into face, neck and chest.  Heck there is so much product left over you can massage it into your upper arms (if you have KP) or the neglected backs of your hands, anywhere you want hydrating and lightening benefits.

Done!

Now you can follow up with your moisturizer and other skin care, but on the nights I used the mask I simply massaged the product in until it absorbed and followed with a light eye creme.  In the morning my face was glowy and happy looking.  Oh By the way. The fragrance was very light and not overwhelming at all.

  

I have some serious red marks on my face due to acne scars. Using the Karuna brightening mask set that was sent to me, (once a week for 4 weeks) in combination with other treatments to lighten those marks, really sped up the time it normally takes to see results from the treatment. While I cannot say for sure if using the masks alone would have made as much of a difference in my skin, I am sure that using these masks in conjunction with the other lightening products in my arsenal, resulted in a significant decrease in the red marks and scars on my skin.

 

Do you NEED this?  Maybe. Sheet masks are an acquired taste. I LOVE them because there isn't much clean up afterwards, no green clay gets stuck in my hair, they are relatively mild to the skin and Mr. Sith thinks they look cool.  4 individually wrapped masks (28 ml/0.95 fl oz.), or 1 month's supply retails for $28 USD.  This can be a bit expensive but can you really put a price on tranquility?  (Shhh. Don't answer that. You'll ruin my tranquil moment.)

Other masks offered are:

Karuna Luxe

Renewal Eye

Hydrating

Exfoliating

Brightening

Anti-Oxidant

Clarifying

Age-Defying

Not sure which one to pick?  

Check out the Karma Kit as it contains one each of the Hydrating, Exfoliating, Anti-Oxidant, and Age-Defying.

Do you like sheet masks?  Which one of these masks sounds interesting to you?

I love them and the Clarifying mask sounds very interesting. It says it has "Shiso, a Japanese Green Leaf plus Ginger work to keep your skin clear and healthy, while honey soothes and provides oil-free hydration." Nice!

Ingredients for the Karuna Brightening Mask:  Water (Aqua), Sodium Hyaluronate, Glycerin, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Seed Extract, Saxifraga Sarmentosa Extract, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Fruit Extract, Morus Bombycis Root Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Niacinamide, Butylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol, Salicylic Acid, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Glycosyl Trehalose, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Xanthan Gum, Polysorbate 20, Carbomer, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance (Parfum)