Over the summer, I was strolling through my local A.C. Moore (RIP) when I came across a make-your-own sheet mask kit in the kids’ crafts section.
“Well, this looks fun,” I thought. So I picked one up….for myself. An adult woman.
Initially, I bought the Cra-Z-Art Shimmer ‘n Sparkle Scented Spa Time Face Mask Kit for the hell of it as a beauty-related novelty for me to try. But upon learning that one of my tween-aged cousins is interested in sheet masks, I developed a more meaningful purpose behind my purchase. I wanted to test it to see if this could be something I’d want to give to a young person who enjoys masks and/or crafts.
For this review, my challenge was to not become so mired in pedantry. People like me who possess a tiny bit of skincare knowledge are not the target demographic for this product. While I’ll provide a cursory glance at the ingredients of the “cleanser” (which is actually the essence but I’LL SHUT UP NOW) and fragrances, my focus will be on practicality and enjoyment. Is it easy enough for kids to handle? And is it fun?
What the Cra-Z-Art Sheet Mask Kit Includes
Cleanser
This is a misnomer — it’s essence! I can understand why the brand may have opted for a more universal term that kids likely understand, But they don’t need to rinse it off…like a cleanser. This is perhaps my biggest quibble with this kit, but I don’t know what else they could have called it besides essence. Mask juice? (Ew.)
Here is the ingredients list for the cleanser/essence:
WATER, ALOE BARBADENSIS GEL (LUBRAJEL OIL), GLYCERINE, BUTYLENE CAPRYLHYDROXAMIC ACID, GLYCERYL CAPRYLATE, HYDROXYACETOPHENONE
Nothing here strikes me as too damning. Of course, it’s always good to patch test, especially on younger/sensitive skin.
Fragrance
This sheet mask kit includes two smaller bottles of fragrance: Bubble Gum and Orange Cream.
The ingredients list for both:
WATER, GLYCERITH-26, PEG-40 HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, CAPRYLHYDROXAMIC ACID, GLYCERYL CAPRYLATE, HYDROXYACETOPHENONE, BUTYLENE GLYCOL (yes, this is listed twice), FLAVOR/AROMA
Once again, nothing too damning to me, but as it is a fragrance, patch testing is highly recommended.
Sheet Masks
The kit comes with six printed sheet masks, three with designs and three without. These are made with 100% cotton. Make sure you have a pair of safety scissors handy because these will need to be cut.
Unlike a traditional sheet mask, which is at most two parts, these masks have five separate pieces: one for the forehead, two for the cheeks/under eyes, one for the nose, and one for the chin.
Various Tools
Tools include a pink plastic tray to hold the mask/cleanser, a dropper for distributing the cleanser, a spatula for guiding the cleanser towards the mask pieces, the worst pair of tweezers I’ve ever used, and a sponge to help smooth out the mask on your face (which I used for all of two seconds).
Packing Materials (Not Pictured for Some Reason)
After the sheet masks are made, they can be placed in one of six resealable bags. There’s also a sheet of stickers for labeling/decorating the bags.
The Process of Making a Sheet Mask
The instructions are straight-forward and easy to follow — they’re certainly kid-friendly.
First, I cut out the mask shapes. I went for one each of the printed design and the plain mask. The printed design mask was easier to cut thanks to its stiffer material from the dyes. The plain cotton mask was flimsy and therefore more challenging for me to cut nicely, especially since I don’t have the steadiest hand.
Once I had my masks ready, I prepared them one by one in the pink plastic tray. I used the dropper to distribute generous amounts of cleanser and aided those efforts with the spatula to make sure every mask piece was saturated.
After the mask had soaked up enough cleanser for my liking, it was time to put each mask piece in one of the included plastic baggies. I can not stress this enough: the plastic tweezers that come with this kit are awful. They’re too stiff and barely move. I’d recommend an alternative method of grabbing that isn’t your fingers (you’ll want to keep it hygienic).
I added a few drops of fragrance then sealed the bags and shook them a bit to make sure the fragrance was evenly distributed.
Finally, I had too much fun decorating and labeling my homemade sheet masks.
Wearing the Sheet Mask
Let me get this out of the way: I fully support the 5-piece mask design. Yeah, I know point masks exist, but those individual pieces aren’t contoured to the shape of your face. I could grab a full sheet mask and cut the pieces myself for the same effect but remember — I’m bad at cutting things!
These cotton masks are soft, especially the plain ones. They were nicely saturated, too. That made it a little tricky to remove each individual piece from the baggie, but nothing too harrowing.
How about the cleanser? It felt fine and even slightly cooling. It does get sticky, although I wonder if that’s more the fault of the fragrance — which, by the way, was underwhelming. Neither the Bubble Gum nor the Orange Cream really smelled like what I’d expected. They barely smelled like anything, other than a faint vinegar-like essence.
Per the directions, these masks can be worn for up to 20 minutes. I think I made it to 15 minutes for each mask before I felt dried fabric on my skin.
Is the Cra-Z-Art Sheet Mask Kit Worth Buying?
If you have a child who loves to make things and has a budding interest in skincare/masks, then yes, I recommend this kit. It’s easy to use and even quite fun. I mean, I did it solo and really enjoyed it! I can only imagine a group of tweens getting together to make their own DIY face masks and TikTok’ing the experience (or whatever it is youths do these days).
It’s important to understand that the purpose of this kit is for kids aged 8 and up to have fun while creating something with their own hands This isn’t a junior version of a MediHeal mask they’re making here. The cleanser is quite basic but overall inoffensive. The fragrance was the biggest letdown, and that’s probably the only issue I really foresee with this kit when it comes to the younger set.
How about for a curious adult? I think this would be a great gag gift for a skincare-loving friend or something fun to do with a few pals over a bottle of wine. It’s not meant to be taken seriously upon a certain age. I believe older people can still enjoy it —I sure did! — but maybe they could up the ante by using a bottle of their favorite essence instead of the included cleanser and fragrances.
Where to Buy
- Boscov’s (East Coast department store chain but they ship nationwide)
- AAFES (for United States military and their families)
- Check your local crafts store for stock
See it in Action on IGTV
Now Over to You…
Would you buy this product, for either a child, an older skincare lover, or even yourself? Share your thoughts with me in the comments!
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I am not a professional. All opinions are my own.