Summer finally has passed and the recent weather has the feel of winter…. Need for jackets!!!

After a grueling summer, I am sure everyone has sun tan all over and maybe also dull skin (“experiencing dull skin” or “your skin looks dull” )

Summer is not the season for oily skins!!

Now entering the winter season it’s time for enhanced skin care!!

You can elevate the normal skin care routine by applying cleansing masks.

I personally like to use cleansing masks regardless of the seasons, especially mud masks.

The air quality in Taiwan is very poor thus washing face daily is not sufficient. This is particularly true for motorcycle riders or people putting on make-ups on a daily basis.

If you have been doing skin care already you can consider adding cleansing with mud masks in the skin care routine. A few times a week with mud mask cleansing should be adequate.

By the way if you enjoy old fashion court drama this is a must-read for you. XD

生元草本

Over the past month I have included an additional step to my skincare process using a mud mask which is made in Taiwan. The mask is called Empress Cixi Brightening Mask. It had been a while since I discovered a quality mud mask therefore I decided to use it for the all month after I tried it out for the first time. XDD.

Not sure if everyone knows about Sheng Yuan Herbal in any case allow me to share the story behind the brand.

Founded in 1946, Sheng Yuan Pharmacy is a well-known Chinese herbal medicine provider in Taipei. Located in the busy Dihua neighborhood. Since the very beginning, the founder Mr. Lin A-Man had remained true to his original aspiration: “genuine goods at reasonable prices; honesty is the best policy.” He insisted on choosing premium herbs, upheld the concept of “producing products with conscience and running business honestly” and strictly abided by the principle of “Sparing no efforts, despite complex processing of Chinese medicine. Sparing no ingredients despite high cost of premium herbs” to serve the customers with genuine intention. Throughout the years the pharmacy has maintained excellent reputation all over the world.

After over 70 years of accumulating expertise in the field of Chinese herbal medicine, in 2016 Sheng Yuan Pharmacy founded the Sheng Yuan Herbs brand whose mission is provide personal care products made with all-natural Chinese herbal ingredients to customers and enable everyday life free of chemical substance.

Another big plus is Sheng Yuan Herbal is a home grown Taiwanese brand.

Sheng Yuan Herbs adopts the modern production process and stringent selection criteria for Chinese herbal medicine to ensure all products are free of pesticide residues, with heavy metal testing complying with national standards. Therefore, customers would not have to worry about exposing to heavy metal and harmful chemicals.

Twistable cap with a seal inside. It is more sanitary (Plus~)

You can feel the high water content after spreading the mud mask out on the skin. It’s easy to spread it out and you can smell a strong herbal odor. For those who enjoy Chinese herbs, you would like the smell of the mud mask.

My skin condition has been erratic recently and from time to time it would show redness or dullness. I believe this is caused by the construction across the street which generates a lot of dust and particles. (Sad!!)

It’s straightforward to use the mud mask. After washing the face, just apply the mask on the face avoiding eyes and lips.

Because it is a mud mask, I suggest not to apply dabs of mask around the face all at once because the mask may dry out before it has been evenly smeared out on the face. You should smear out the mask right after it’s applied on the face.

Due to the moisture water content, it’s easy to spread the mask around the whole face. You should spread the mask to the point of covering 50% of the skin tone, no need to completely cover the skin up.

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The mud mask is made with kaolin and volcanic ash as base, along with pearl powder and Myrciaria Dubia Fruit Extract to enhance whitening and cleaning, and integrating special Yu Ron San formula.

According to the Chinese medical history Yu Rong San, is a secret royal recipe for Empress Cixi formulated by imperial physicians Lee Der-li and Chuang Sou-ho, based on “Ba Bai San” facial cleaner used by women in the imperial palace during the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing dynasty.

Now we get to enjoy the facial care formula which was reserved only for royalties in the old days. It’s such as luxurious treat (~~)

For those who are avid fans of old court dramas you can use the masks while binge watching as if you are a character such as the queen in the show(Lol).

According to the instruction, mild tingling during use or temporary redness after use is normal. I didn’t feel that way and it was rather soothing after use.

A gentle reminder that not to have too much facial movement or talking during applying the mask. The mud mask would slowly dry up and the facial skin would start to tighten.

After 10 min of use you can use warm water to wash the mask off. It’s pretty easy. Usually mud masks made with kaolin and volcanic ash are less hydrated but this mask has added moisturizing content which makes it easier to wash off without much work. It drives me crazy when I use some other mud masks which are difficult to wash off. XD

After use the facial skin feels comfortably dry but not to the point of being parched, unlike some other types of mud masks.

Touching the skin feels tender and the face looks clarifying.

After washing the mud mask off you can apply the regular skincare products or typical face masks.

Many people mention that not much happening after applying the mask. This is normal because it’s not moisturizing mask. However when you touch the skin it would feel more tender and soft. The absorption of skincare products would be improved as well.

After using this mud mask for a period of time I find my skin more clarifying and stable. In particular in the morning after using it the night before I would notice my face more brightening. I am very satisfied about the effect of skin rejuvenation from this mask. Unlike other mud masks which only perform cleansing with virtually nothing else, Empress Cixi Brightening Mask has all the benefits regular mud masks provide and much more.

生元草本慈禧玉容淨白面膜　

I want to share with everyone another type of mud mask from Sheng Yuan Herbs, Empress Cixi Radiance Mask. It is also made with uniquely formulated Yu Ron San from Sheng Yuan Pharmacy. Relatively speaking, Empress Cixi Radiance Mask does not have as strong herbal odor as the Empress Cixi Brightening Mask. Thus I would recommend Express Cixi Radiance Mask to first time users or whoever has been hesitant to try mud masks with Chinese herbs.

The mud mask has high moisture content and it’s easy to spread around. It’s made with herbal mud base and Yu Ron San as well.

Apply the mask the same way as the Empress Cixi Brightening Mask. Smear the mask around the face after washing and make sure avoiding eyes and lips.

Covering the face with the mud mask up to 50% of the skin tone. I feel the speed of drying for this mask is slower than that for Empress Cixi Brightening Mask.

Again according to the instruction, mild tingling during use or temporary redness after use is normal.

I personally didn’t encounter and it felt pretty good from applying the mask to washing it off.

After 10-15 min of use you can use warm water to wash the mask off. It feels dry, hygienic, and soothing after use. I feel this mask provides more clarifying effect than the Brightening Mask. In any case my skin feels very similar from using both masks.

One time I had some abrasion around my nose due to allergy and when I tried to use the mask it felt a little stinging. Afterwards it was okay. If you are concerned about that you can try to avoid using the mask in the similar situation.