Recent years have seen a heightened popularity of sheet masks from Korea and Taiwan. Unable to resist the attractive array of sweetly affordable masks at $1.30—$3 each, I have turned to brands such as My Beauty Diary (MBD), Deary, FaceQ and Missha for soothing, hydrating pampering twice a week. After sampling some 20 types, here are my favourites: MBD — 1. Apricot, 2. Apple, 3. Black Tulip; Deary — 4. Pearl, 5. CoQ10 Rose; Missha — 6. Deep Sea, and finally, FaceQ — 7. Ocean Aloe. Once a month, I switch back to the premium SKII masks for face as well as eyes. And yups, you do see the difference, but probably because your skin is not being fed with the ‘same food’ all the time.

Another Korean delight that surprises me is Super Aqua Oxygen Mask by Missha. It works on the same principle as Bliss Triple Oxygen Spray, except that unlike Bliss spray (which has better quality packaging), this is actually more effective. Once a week, I leave the extremely liquid mask on for a mere 3-4 mins. Anything longer triggers sensitivity for me, although I hear that many leave it on longer. The next morning, I find my complexion clearer, even with poor sleep. But perhaps, the bright skin is also thanks to my holy grail weekly indulgence — Babor fluids. Concentrated ampoules from Germany that work much, much harder and better than serums, and cost more. I hope I get to use these divine ampoules that smell even better than the French perfumes for a long, long time! Tip: vary the type of fluids in a month to avoid your skin getting too used to a specific one, thereby losing the visible effects. In Singapore, you can find these at Aegean Spa in Central or Spa Espirit in Paragon.