As soon as I saw these, I was desperate to try them, as the concept sounded so ideal, and perfectly adaptable dependant on your skin’s current needs.

The idea behind the new Erborian Capsule Masks* (£5 from [eafl id=”3668″ name=”” text=”Erborian”]) is that you get three dry, compressed masks (in tablet form) incased in plastic capsules. You take the lid off of the capsule, pour in an Erborian Lotion of your choice and let it soak into the mask for a couple of minutes. You then unfold the mask and apply to your face as you would with a regular sheet mask. You are supposed to wear these after cleansing and toning, but before serum.

The idea is genius, but unfortunately it doesn’t work so well in practice. The plastic capsules don’t hold enough liquid to really saturate the mask. They come out extremely dry and useless when you soak them according to the instructions. I find that you need to apply ver 3 times the amount of lotion for it to really be wet enough, which means using a different container to do this.There are three Erborian Lotions that you can purchase on the site at the moment to use alongside these Capsule Masks – the Erborian Yuza Double Lotion* (£29), the Erborian Bamboo Matte Lotion* (£29) and the Erborian Eau Ginseng Lotion* (£32).

The Erborian Yuza Double Lotion is a bi-phase product of water and oil. It’s designed to add radiance to the skin, as well as nourish and plump. 78% of participants in a 1-month trial reported that the lotion immediately made their skin look full of vitality, and 81% said that it made their skin more hydrated. The water phase helps to add moisture to the skin and add radiance, and the oil phase nourishes it. This one is perfect for tired or dull complexions.

The Erborian Bamboo Matte Lotion gives skin a matte finish and minimises the appearance of pores. After 1 month of consumer testing with 31 participants, 94% said that their skin immediately looked perfectly matte, and 80% said that the product helped to tighten their pores. It’s also a bi-phase product, and the powder phase is what gives the matte effect on the skin and reduces excess sebum.

The Erborian Eau Ginseng Lotion has moisturising and smoothing effects. 93% of trial participants said that it made their skin visibly smoother. This lotion has a high level of humectants (to attract moisture to the skin) and tocopherol (a form of Vitamin E) to help moisturise and smooth the skin. It’s a gentle lotion that really cares for your skin; making it feel, soft, plump and comfortable.

I love the idea that you can buy standard masks and then soak them with the lotion that relates to your skin’s current needs; but the concept just isn’t executed very well by Erborian. I’d love to see more masks like this though!

This post contains press samples, but all opinion are my own.

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