Lessons Learned from the Nature Republic Overnight Deep Sleeping Mask

I bought this because I thought it may be a dupe for the Laneige Water Sleeping Pack because I was about to finish my Sleeping Pack, I love it, but this is cheaper.

How wrong I was.

**I learned a couple of lessons from this purchase, so am blogging about it. But basically, you can't find this in Singapore anymore, and I don't think it's a good product, so don't bother searching for it.

Nature Republic Overnight Deep Sleeping Mask

Available: Not in Singapore anymore.

Volume: 95 ml.

Star Properties: Formulated with MD201 water.

The back of the packaging. Lots of Korean.

Ingredients list:

Lesson #1 - Do not buy based on packaging
I know, this is such a common sense lesson right. But more often than not, human beings seem to lose their sense of logic when standing before a gorgeous-looking product.

I love the packaging. If you look at it, it's a sophisticated moonlight blue cylinder that fits right into my hand. It is made of smooth plastic with a pearly sheen. Simply outstanding. It's prettier than the Laneige Water Sleeping Pack. Agree?

Lesson #2 - Heed your guard instincts and CHECK!
Now look at the product below, oooh, so mushy like marshmallows. Totally feel like eating it up. Yes, it is one of those skincare product that looks and feel so good on your hand, you wish it were edible.

Guess what my guard instincts told me?

It reeks of alcohol. DON'T BUY IT! DON'T BUY IT! My internal alarm bells were ringing.

It feels smooth like silicone. DON'T BUY IT! DON'T BUY IT! My internal alarm bells were ringing.

You probably guessed that I ignored all those warnings. And you're right.

I didn't even bother to check the ingredients list, because if I had, it would bring out the logic in me and stopped me from buying. You see, I have sensitive skin. And I have dry sensitive skin. What I need IS water alright, which is why I love Laneige Water Sleeping Pack. But what I surely don't need is first alcohol, and next silicone! Madness. I am allergic to both. Alcohol always causes immediate, if not same day, breakouts.

So the story turns out that I used a little bit of it (quite obvious in the photo), and had to stop using. I let it sit there. And I recently took it out again. Nah, still broke out.

Lesson #3 - Don't test facial skincare on the hand!
Most of you would know that body skin is somehow not as sensitive as face skin, and it is as such for me. I tested this mask on my hands, and it felt like a dream (because of the silicones), it still does. I have it all over my body right now, and my skin feels soft and smooth. But the thing is, I forgotten that my body can tolerate silicones and alcohol, but my face can't!

The best way to test skincare and foundations/primers, etc, is really to get a sample of it. Korean shops are known for always having samples, so I really should have asked for it.

Otherwise, it would have been much wiser of me if I went back a second time, armed with an empty jar, and ask the sales assistant to fill it for me.

I have since learned my lesson, and am so proud of myself that I got a NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in a sample jar. =D (Foundations are the other thing that have the tendency to irritate my skin, so I treat it the way I treat skincare.)

Lesson #4 - Don't listen too much to the sales assistant
This is really hard because ignoring them or even letting them know you'd like to browse on your own, can sound rude. Especially since Nature Republic was always quite empty, and I was the only one... ... Not nice to reject her assistance.

Lesson #5 - Deep Sleeping Mask is not the same as Water Sleeping Pack

How incredibly silly of me to think that the products can be the same just because both have the word "sleeping" in them.

Be cautious of the naming because it's part of clever marketing. It's a bit like how some BB Creams really feels more like tinted moisturisers at the most, or to say it worse, diluted foundations.

The big alarm bell should have rung when the word "water" isn't present in Nature Republic's Deep Sleeping Mask. I should have known. They do feel similar enough on the skin, but you will know they are different. The Laneige Water Sleeping Pack smells fresh, and quite literally behaves more like water.

Conclusion

I've learned to be more vigilant when buying skincare. I really am quite the paranoid customer this past year. If the ingredients list is not pasted on the product itself, which is very often for such boutique brands, I will thick-skinnedly ask the sales assistant to show me the product cardboard box so that I can assess the ingredients.

I remember almost buying the Hourglass No.28 Primer but stopped when I saw the silicones. The SA was actually happy to show me the box, and seemed to understand that people nowadays are getting more ingredients-conscious. She was not surprised at all.

Being this diligent with the ingredients list does save me quite a bit of money, because I wouldn't go around buying everything in the name of testing.

Last but not least, it has saved my skin a lot of agony in the past year, and so far, I have been using a lot of comforting products such as the Hada Labo and Ole Henriksen skincare, Johnson & Johnsons Baby Bath, and Lush. I like everything that I chose to buy because it was a deliberate and calculated choice to buy based on logic.

Epilogue
I now use this mask on my body as moisturiser because it's really too wasteful to just throw away. On hindsight, given how nice it feels on the body, people with normal to oily skin may actually love, love, love this on their faces!

I have seen a lot of people raving about those alcohol/silicone/mineral oil products before (I mean, people are swearing by Vaseline and Oilatum, but all of which I cannot use), so really, why not this?

Have you learned any lessons from buying the wrong products before? Or do you simply bin it or bring to return/exchange? Share your beauty wisdom!

Posted in: face,moneysense,Nature Republic,tip of the day,updates/notes