Review: Innisfree It's Real Squeeze Mask Bija

Hello! ♥ Today is day 3 of my Innisfree 15 day sheet masking journey! This time around, I asked my boyfriend to pick the mask I would be using, and he picked the Bija mask because it was "the weirdest sounding one" and he had never heard of it before. Granted, before today, neither had I. Innisfree is known for using all natural ingredients in their sheet masks though, so something weird was bound to show up eventually. 

The Innisfree It's Real Squeeze Bija Mask is part of a cute little sample pack of 15 Innisfree masks that I ordered off of Amazon for about $16.50, which means each mask came out to about $1.10. While I hear around that these masks can go for as low as $0.85 sometimes (especially on TesterKorea... them low prices, thwarted by high as hell shipping costs), I got impatient and wanted them to arrive as quickly as possible so I used Amazon (I know, I know. I'm weak). Honestly, Amazon has really upped their K-beauty game, there used to be absolutely nothing available in the way of Korean/Japanese skincare, but now there's a whole cornucopia of awesomeness!

Innisfree is a Korean company that prides themselves on their all-natural approach to skincare. They use interesting ingredients such as purifying volcanic clay and mineral-rich seawater from the island of Jeju for example, and since I like to use natural products whenever possible, Innisfree immediately caught my eye!

Source: innisfreeworld.com

They incorporate a lot of natural ingredients into their sheet masks, such as Jeju green tea, tangerine, green peas, and more into their products. 

Ingredients:

Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Ethanol, Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Fruit Extract, Betaine, Xanthan Gum, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Bija Oil(1mg), Sodium Hyaluronate, Tangerine Peel Extract, Orchid Extract, Green Tea Extract, Camellia Leaf Extract, Prickly Pear Extract, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance.

So what the heck is Bija, anyway?  Google gave me very little in the way of answers; apparently, Google knows just as little as I do about Bija. After doing some research, I learned that Bija is a type of nutmeg, also known as Torreya Nucifera. It is native to both Japan and South Korea, and can be found on SK's Jeju Island. According to Innisfree, it's a super rare ingredient that can only be used after it has endured over 20 years in the wild.  It supposedly can enhance the skin's natural defense system while smoothing and combating acne. In addition to Bija oil, this mask contains what it known as Innisfree's "Jeju green complex" to keep skin healthy, which is:

Grapefruit extract: Grapefruit seed extract has extremely high amounts of antioxidants and phytonutrients, as well as vitamin C. Grapefruit extract helps with wound healing and cell turnover, and is said to have antibiotic properties. 

Tangerine Peel Extract: Tangerine peel is touted to be chock-full of yummy antioxidant goodness, They're are also a rich source of vitamin C, beta-carotene, and folate, which can help prevent aging and inflammation, and combat acne. I love vitamin C as a topical treatment - I use it everyday, and it really helps brighten my complexion and fade my PIH.

Orchid Extract: Orchid extract is known to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, as well as moisturize and fight free-radicals; all to make skin smoother, healthier, and more hydrated.

Green Tea Extract: Tones, soothes, and moisturizes dry, unhappy skin. Green tea is well known for its benefits both inside and outside the body, and its antioxidant properties are the key to it's anti-aging effects. I love drinking all kinds of tea, hot and cold, so I have no problem also slathering it on my face.  Antioxidants are the agents that counteract the damaging effects of oxidant radicals (or free radicals, in layman's terms) and prevent damage to the cellular tissue.

Camellia Leaf Extract: Camellia oil has been used for centuries in China and Japan for its anti-aging and collagen-forming properties. It also has anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties.

Source: innisfreeworld.com

The Innisfree It's Real Squeeze masks contain ~superior masking technology~ in the form of a 3-layered cotton sheet, delivering the optimum level of moisture to the skin. They're ultimately still thin, but contain a lot of essence and are comfortable to wear.

Mask Details: This mask was easy to use, and was decently saturated. It had a clean, crisp smell that was kind of herbal, but still sweet and subtle. I've heard a lot of complaints about the scent of this mask, but I found it to be inoffensive. It lasted a good 45 minutes before I got tired of having it on my face, and it was still pretty wet even after that long. It wasn't sticky or anything, and the remaining essence absorbed fast. 

Mask Fit: It fit like all of the other Innisfree masks, a "standard" fit that never really fits anyone's face perfectly. It didn't quite reach to my ears, but it stuck on pretty well throughout the 45 minutes that I had it on.

Final Thoughts: My skin was feeling a lot better today than it was yesterday (maybe the Innisfree lime mask did more than I gave it credit for?) but that might have been due to me babying my skin with my Soo Yeon Jin Cream from The History of Whoo. Seriously, that stuff is gold! In any case, by skin was more calm than it was yesterday, but I was still hoping that this would get rid of some acne that I had left on my cheek. Unfortunately, this did nothing more than moisturize for me.  My pimples were still as angry and inflamed as ever. I mean, I was by no means expecting any miracles from a $1 mask, so it's not like I had crazy high standards or anything. Despite that though, my skin did feel great the next morning! Super hydrated and smooth.  So if anything, it did deliver some moisture. I just kind of hope that moisturizing isn't all these masks do...

Repurchase? Eh. Probably not. It isn't a bad mask, it just didn't do more than moisturize. I wouldn't be offended if it popped up in a subscription box or something, but I wouldn't go out of my way to purchase it. So far, the Innisfree It's Real masks seem like a great every day mask line; since it's impractical (and financially insane) to use a $6-10 mask every day, these are a cost-effective solution to incorporating masking into your everyday routine! This particular mask does contain alcohol as the fourth ingredient, so beware if you have sensitive skin. Apparently, my skin doesn't take to badly to alcohol, so I'll keep pushing forward with these. 

To see my other Innisfree mask reviews, click below!  

 Innisfree It's Real Squeeze Mask Cucumber

 Innisfree It's Real Squeeze Mask Lime
 Innisfree It's Real Squeeze Mask Tea Tree
 Innisfree It's Real Squeeze Mask Rice

Disclaimer: All thoughts and opinions on this blog are strictly my own. No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this review, although this blog does accept goods and/or services for the purposes of an honest review. Posts may contain affiliate or referral links.