Designer vs. Drugstore: $42 Boscia Luminizing Mask Versus $1.99 Life Brand Detoxifying Face Mask
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Ever wonder if the fancy designer cosmetics and skincare items on the shelves at department stores are really that much better than the ones you can pick up for so much less at the drugstore? We did too! So we've decided to put designer brand cosmetics to the test against Canadian drugstore or grocery store versions of the same thing!
First up, it's the battle of the face masks.
In the interest of fairness, I decided to test one mask on either side of my face and repeat the process three times over two weeks.
Designer
just look at it!
In the designer's corner this month, weighing in at 80 g and $42, is the Luminizing Black Mask from Boscia. This peel-off mask is meant to "boost skin clarity and minimize the appearance of pores" by removing dirt, excess oil, and other impurities and leaving you with the healthy, glowing skin of a teenaged supermodel. The last part wasn't actually promised, but at $42 for a little tube, that's what I was hoping for.
The primary "miracle" ingredient in this mask is Montmorillonite clay, a high-quality mineral-packed clay first discovered in Montmorillion, France. It also contains Vitamin C, maritime pine bark extract, rosemary leaf extract, eucalyptus extract, jojoba leaf, and willowherb. All of which claim to fight the nasties and leave your skin smooth and vibrant. It is paraben, sulfate, and phthalate-free. With 20,000 "Loves" and 2490 reviews averaging at four out of five stars on Sephora.com, this mask must be doing something right.
Drugstore
yawn
Fighting for the affordable drugstore brands this month, weighing in at 15 mL and $1.99 (or 3/$5), we have the Life Brand Detoxifying Face Mask from Shoppers Drug Mart. This is not a peel-off mask, but it does feature the same Montmorillonite clay as the designer brand and is paraben-free as well. While the packaging wasn't nearly as slick as Boscia's this mask did promise to detoxify and purify my skin with a special blend of minerals and herbal extracts just as the pricier brand had. And it also assured me that it was hypoallergenic and dermatologist-tested. The ingredient list for this budget-friendly contender did contain a few more unpronounceable items than its higher-end counterpart, but it also threw in words like "natural" and "exotic" to help balance them out.
It’s definitely worth noting that this face mask contains much less product than the Boscia (15 mL versus 80 g), but buying 80 g worth of this product would still only cost about $10 with the 3/$5 deal at Shoppers.
Round One: Boscia
The Boscia mask is meant to be left on for 30 minutes or until dry, and the Life brand mask for 10-15 minutes or until dry. So Boscia was up first. This mask is pretty cool to use, it has a jet-black, almost patent-leather finish and goes on smoothly. The instructions warn to avoid your eyes and hairline areas, and no matter how much fun you have spreading this product on, you'll want to heed this advice. Pulling the dried mask off when you've applied it too close to your hairline is not fun, unless you enjoy ripping hair out of a sensitive area. I did not.
so glossy!
As this mask started to dry it had a nice, subtle cooling effect, but did not sting or crack like other face masks I've tried. You can certainly feel it tighten up, particularly if you try opening and closing your mouth, but otherwise you'd almost forget it was on. Until, of course, a roommate or family member sees you wearing it and mistakes you for an intruder in a freaky leather ski-mask. The intense black colouring of this mask can be a little messy, after applying it and trying to wash it off my hands I definitely regretted my choice of white towel. But removing the dried mask is actually really clean, it peels off in pretty much one solid piece and you just toss it away. After marvelling at all the gunk (for lack of a more scientific term) it managed to pull out of your pores, of course. The peeling process is pretty simple, especially if you were smart enough to avoid your hairline, but it does feel a bit strange. Like you're a zombie in a B horror movie, ripping off your own skin...or maybe that's just me.
Round Two: Life Brand
Because the directions said this mask would take around 10-15 minutes to dry, I put it on after I'd already had the Boscia mask on for 15 minutes.
seriously: baby poop
During the processing time, the Life side felt much cooler and even stung a little, likely due to the higher alcohol content. Unlike other budget face masks I've used, this one did not harden and crack, but stayed fairly moist even after 30 minutes (double the suggested drying time). While the Boscia mask peeled off in one piece, this mask was a bit messier to remove. Splashing water on it wasn't quite strong enough to get it off, so I had to enlist a face cloth, which quickly became as baby-poop coloured as my face had been.
Bouts Two and Three
After removing both masks, there wasn't really a clear-cut winner. Both sides felt refreshed and softer to the touch. The drugstore side was a bit more sensitive, probably due to the higher alcohol content's cooling effect. Neither side of my face suddenly looked like a teenaged supermodel, so those high hopes were dashed, but both sides definitely felt more refreshed than after my typical cold-water and glycerine soap cleaning.
Following my second and third applications, I still hadn't noticed any vast differences between the two products. The designer mask definitely had nicer packaging, was more fun to use, and was easier to remove and clean up after. But the drugstore brand left my skin looking and feeling pretty much the same as the expensive product. After removing both masks and applying moisturizer, my skin felt equally smooth on both sides, and despite the promising claims neither side seemed to have a decreased appearance of fine lines.
The verdict? If I were giving a gift, I'd spring for the Boscia mask because it's unique and fancy and gives that home-spa kind of pampering feel that is nice to splurge on occasionally. But I'm not going to shell out another $42 + tax for myself once my current supply runs out. At $1.99 (or three for $5, although I'm not sure if that promotion is running all the time) the drugstore brand may not win any packaging design awards and the pudding-consistency/baby-poop colouring may not be as cool as Boscia's shiny black vinyl mask, but in the end, it definitely does the same job at a much lower price.