Guest Review: IDI Italy MultiAction Mask for hypersensitive skin

I tried the IDI Italy MultiAction Mask a while ago and was a little ambivalent towards it. So, I got my friend Rinnah who I know for a fact has sensitive skin, to try it because I figured that if it’d work for her, the claims that it is formulated for sensitive skin will hold true. I think it did :) But let’s see what she has to say.

I have hypersensitive skin and am usually very wary of testing out new products that may cause me to breakout in rashes. Even skincare that is supposedly formulated for sensitive skin can leave me nursing red, inflamed and occasionally itchy patches/bumps all over my face. However, since the IDI Italy MultiAction Mask is formulated for sensitive skin, it should be right up my alley, eh?

Here’s how the showdown between IDI cream mask and my skin went.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I first popped the jar open. Maybe it’s just me, but although it’s less hygienic in the long run, I prefer masks that come in jars/tubs rather than tubes because I find it easier to dig in with a spatula and my fingers. It’s also much faster for me to slap the mask on, rather than having to fiddle with squeezy tubes and I make less mess because I don’t end up with residue smears from my fingers all over the tube. I also find that I can estimate my mask usage much better with a jar/tub and not have to guess at how much product I have left!

The IDI mask looks a wee bit like the emollient creams my dermatologist would prescribe me for my eczema, though the texture of the cream mask is thicker than what I’m used to. (ParisB likens it to thick cream for cooking. LOL.) I like that it’s not fragranced because strong scents near my face tend to irritate my sinuses. In fact, it’s so non-fragranced that my nose doesn’t even know the cream mask is on my face. :P

The IDI mask went on thickly and smoothly and I liked how cooling it felt on my skin. I had half a mind to stick the jar into the fridge for an added cooling feel, but ended up chillaxing in my room with the air conditioning on. After a while, I did have a teeny bit of tingling sensation on certain parts of my face which had recently experienced some spot/rash outbreaks. Since it wasn’t too discomfiting (basically I ignored it), I figured that the mask ingredients were actively at work. I like that the mask doesn’t harden when dry on your face and immobilize you from talking or just moving your facial muscles around. If my facial muscles are relaxed, I’m much more relaxed too.

After about 12 minutes, it was time to see the results. (Note: The instructions for IDI mask say that you can leave it on for 15 – 20 minutes, but for my first time I decided to err on the side of caution and give it 12 minutes.)

It was relatively easy to wash off the IDI mask whilst giving myself a little massaging treat at the same time. (I might try wiping the mask off with a moistened microfiber towel next time for an added light scrub effect – not quite sure how that’ll work out yet.) Oh and you’ll have to be sure that the last bits of the cream mask are really cleaned out from the sides of your nose because it likes to stick there! A final rinse and I was quite wowed when I looked in the mirror.

Immediate effects of the IDI mask are a visible brightening of the skin and evening of skin tone. I had some sensitive reddened patches/spots before I tested out the mask (the tingly areas during the masking process) and not only were they slightly less red they looked less irritated too. Even though I don’t have very visible pores, my pores looked much much smaller and coupled together with the evened out skin tone and brightening effect – I felt as if someone had taken the Photoshop “clear skin” effect and brushed it all over my face. Honestly speaking, I got a better and quicker result with IDI mask than I did with my last salon facial (which was a year back and left me with a rash outbreak even after I’d told the facialist that I had sensitive skin).

To ensure that this wasn’t a freak result, I tried out the IDI mask again after a week. I got the same results and no detected skin sensitivity to the mask. Thus, in a nutshell, the IDI mask is now my new favorite mask and I would definitely repurchase it once I’ve gotten through the rest of the tub (which will take me a long, long while, since I only use it once a week or less).

Rinnah is an avid photographer and a good friend. She blogs about  her thoughts about products and services at Rinnah’s Consumer Views – all the nice and not so nice bits included.

The IDI-Italy MultiAction Mask retails at RM186/50ml at Guardian pharmacies