The product reviewed here was provided by Beauteque. To learn more about my rules for accepting sponsored products, please read my sponsorship policy.

I think it’s probably become pretty clear that I really like masks. And I really love honey. So when US-based K-beauty retailer Beauteque got in touch with me about reviewing something from their website, it was a foregone conclusion that I would end up choosing the Honey Deep Moisturizing Jelly Mask from Taiwanese (woohoo represent!) brand Annie’s Way. I’ve never tried a jelly-type mask before, and this one was quite the experience.

Purpose: Annie’s Way Honey Deep Moisturizing Jelly Mask is a moisturizing wash-off mask suitable for “overydry skin,” which could either be “very dry skin” or “overly dry skin,” you decide.

Do not use if: You are allergic to bee products, butylene glycol, or anything else in the ingredients list.

When and how to use: After cleansing and toning, use spatula to spread a thick (0.3 – 0.5 cm, according to directions) layer of product smoothly over your face. After 30 minutes, gently scrape off the excess with the spatula, then rinse. Continue with your usual post-cleansing skincare routine.

Ingredients: Distilled water, corbopol, hyaluronic acid, butylene glycol, honey extract, Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF), lecinol, d-panthenol, dipotassium glycyrrhizinate, methylisothiazolinone, iodopropynyl butylcarbamate

Notable ingredients: This is a pretty short, sweet ingredients list. With hyaluronic acid that high up, Annie’s Way Honey Deep Moisturizing Jelly Mask is nearly guaranteed to be a hydration bomb, while dipotassium glycyrrhizinate (licorice root extract) provides anti-inflammatory and brightening properties. The mask comes up fairly clean on CosDNA, with the emulsifier corbopol scoring a 1 as a potential irritant and butylene glycol scoring a 1 as a potential acne trigger. I don’t think I’ve ever seen corbopol in a skincare product before, but I’ve seen butylene glycol just about everywhere, so if you don’t usually have problems with Asian skincare products (especially masks), you probably won’t have any issues with the butylene glycol here. As always, if you’re unsure, patch test and remember that YMMV!

Performance

For me, this mask is equal parts weird and cool. It’s a perfectly clear, glistening, firm jelly that scoops out stiff and smells very lightly and pleasantly of honey. If the strong honey fragrance of the I’m From Honey Mask put you off of that mask, this one may be more suitable for your delicate olfactory tastes.

I thought the directions to spread it out with the spatula were dumb, so the first time I used this mask, I used my fingers to spread it out instead. I didn’t spread it thickly enough and was disappointed that the mask didn’t really give me any results. Take note: following the instructions is really important with this mask! Don’t be like me, ignoring instructions and ending up with an embarrassing mask blunder. The spatula helps to spread it out relatively smoothly and at the required thickness.

The jelly feels cool and refreshing on my skin; I’d put it in the refrigerator to see if that makes it even more refreshing, but I’m afraid that might ruin it somehow.

Just like the directions to use the spatula for application, the directions to use the spatula for removal are important. Trying to wipe this stuff off with fingers or rinse it off without first removing most of the thick jelly is going to be annoyingly difficult. Lightly scraping it off with the spatula works much, much better. I then rinse and use a konjac sponge to make sure I’ve gotten off all the residue.

The results of this mask were very nice. My skin looked bright and even-toned, felt hydrated, and my pores looked much smaller and clearer for some reason. It’s as if the mask contracted a little as it dried, pulling some gunk out as it did. With the exception of the pore-clearing effect–a pretty great bonus–the results of the Annie’s Way Honey Deep Moisturizing Jelly Mask were about on par with a nice midrange sheet mask, just in a different form. And like a good sheet mask, the results of this one lasted about 24 hours. The cost per use is probably about the same as well.

I didn’t feel, however, that the mask was really that deeply moisturizing. Just like a sheet mask, Annie’s Way Honey Deep Moisturizing Jelly Mask is more about pumping humectants into the skin than it is about laying down a layer of emollients on top, except that this mask takes a bit more effort and is therefore less feasible as a daily ritual than sheet masks are. For the most part, if I’m going to go to the trouble of a wash-off pack, I’d prefer it to be either intensely moisturizing, like the I’m From Honey Mask, or intensely exfoliating, like the Skinfood Black Sugar Strawberry scrub.

There’s one area where this mask really does shine: as a morning mask. I’m not a fan of rinsing my face after doing a sheet mask, because I always feel that that removes much of the beneficial essence that might still be left on the surface of my skin. With the Annie’s Way mask, though, rinsing it off doesn’t compromise the effect at all, and it rinses cleanly, leaving nothing behind to interfere with my morning skincare routine or makeup. I can see myself using this as a Saturday or Sunday morning treat.

Conclusion: With a nice, simple ingredients list and unmistakable hydrating and brightening effects, Annie’s Way Honey Deep Moisturizing Jelly Mask is a pleasant occasional treat. It’s a pity that it isn’t as convenient to use as a sheet mask, but its formulation does make it useful for times when a sheet mask would fall short, such as in the morning. It would be an excellent treatment the day of a special event.

Rating: 4/5

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Where can I buy Annie’s Way Honey Deep Moisturizing Jelly Mask?

Annie’s Way Honey Deep Moisturizing Jelly Mask was provided to me for review by Beauteque, where it is sold for $19.50 per big-ass 250ml tub.

Have you used any jelly masks? What did you like or dislike about them?