My Scheming Carbon Mask Set - the most fun you can have whilst pulling your face off

The oddly-named My Scheming brand is one of the top Taiwanese mask brands, with millions of fans all around the world. They now have a new distributor in the UK, which is good news for anyone who doesn’t want to wait weeks to get their their Asian beauty mask fix.

I tried out one of the brand’s most well-known products – the My Scheming Blackhead Acne Removal Activated Carbon 3 Steps Mask Set.

This is a three part set comprising a preparation softener to get the grit out of your grubby pores; a mask which dries to a tight plastic finish and mercilessly rips all the crap out of your face when you take it off; and finally a soothing essence to fool your skin into forgiving you.

If you have ever used a nose pore strip then it’s a lot like that, except you can use it all over your face. Most people seem to target this mask to just their nose and chin areas but like the fool that I am I slapped it on all over.

How To Use:

Step 1:

Cleanse the face, then use a hot towel or flannel to gently steam it and help the pores fully open. Massage the Deep Pore Sebum Softener into the desired skin area for around 2-3 minutes to soften it up before applying the mask. I must admit that I skipped the steaming section because I was keen to get to the bit where I pulled bits of dried plastic off my face. Don’t judge me, you’d do the same.

Step 2:

Apply the Blackhead Removal Activated Carbon Mask, avoiding eyes and lips. Wait 15~20 minutes, or until completely dry. I found that it took closer to 30 minutes for the mask to fully dry. During this time, your family may line up to mock you but pretty soon they will be asking you to save some for them.

Then, slowly peel off the mask starting from the bottom. As well as pulling out blackheads and any gunk in your pores, you could rip out a lot of facial hair at this point. Bear that in mind when you’re deciding where to use the mask. It’s a little bit ouchy but not the worst.

If you are lucky there will be fascinating little bits of pore gunk attached to the inside of the mask as you peel it off. Set aside some time to examine this, it’s as engrossing as a good documentary on Netflix.

Step 3:

Apply Clarifying Pore Treatment Essence to the face, with gentle pats, to help minimise skin pores for healthier looking skin.

Use 1-2 times a week for best results.

As you can see, this is more of a spa treatment than something you can apply on the go. It’s very cost-effective, since the £14 set contains enough for several usages. There’s 60ml of the carbon mask included, so if you’re only using it on the nose area then it’ll go a long way.

Since I didn’t have a lot of blackheads to begin with, I didn’t find that the mask removed very much, but it did leave my skin very soft and smooth. It’s definitely a fun mask to use, and I like the ritual of going through the various steps. If you’re new to using Taiwanese masks and a giant nose pore strip for your whole face equals living the dream for you, then I think you’d have a lot of fun with this.