Spa Night in Baguio: Esfolio Pearl Essence Mask Review + My Wind-Down Beauty Ritual

This is part of my Baguio 2025 series. 

When I pack for Baguio, I don’t just bring sweaters —I bring sheet masks. A girl’s gotta stay glowing while braving fog and market runs, right?

After a long day of exploring Baguio's markets and museums, I always carve out a little me-time to wind down. No fancy spa needed — just a comfy bed, clean skin, and a beauty mask I packed for the trip.

For this trip, I brought two: one was the Pearl Essence Mask Sheet by Esfolio. I got it randomly from either Watsons or Shopwise (yes, Shopwise has surprisingly good skincare finds!). It promised a lot: pearl extract, green tea, ginseng, and even portulaca extract—fancy names, but would it soothe my MCAS-prone, rosacea-reactive skin? I also picked it because the mermaid design was too cute to resist, and I thought the pearl essence might calm my redness from the heat and altitude.

🌬️ Wind-down Ritual:

After a long day of walking and exploring, I washed my face, skipped the toner (my skin is already too dry), and went straight for that mask. I closed my eyes for a full 15 minutes - no screens, no noise. Just me, breathing in the cool Baguio air and letting the day settle.  The fit was decent, but the serum felt... thick. My skin didn’t absorb it as easily as others I’ve tried. It also didn’t calm the redness around my cheeks the way some masks do.

👎🏼 Verdict: Not horrible, but not a holy grail either. It didn’t break me out (thank God), but it didn’t wow me either. I felt a bit sticky after, and I had to rinse gently with water—my usual practice for masks. I still left a bit of the essence for absorption, but my skin seemed hesitant.

🌸 Hero ingredients (according to the label):

Pearl extract (158ppm) – for brightening and softening

Green tea (Camellia Sinensis Fruit Extract) – antioxidant

Portulaca Oleracea Extract – anti-inflammatory

Panax Ginseng Root Extract – revitalizing

📍 Made in Korea, distributed by Svan Cosmetics (Cebu)

Will I use it again? I’ll give it another go soon—maybe my skin was just too tired that day. But for now, it’s a soft meh. Stay tuned for my Molang Honey Mask review—that one’s just too cute not to talk about. 🐰🍯

Update July 5, 2025

I tried it again a few days ago using the pill mask (compression mask) that I popped in the foil pack. There was less product this time, so I had to dab some water to make the mask stick to my face. But, wow! When I removed the mask, the redness on my face calmed down! And it's almost my period. My face usually screams with my hormones around this time. So, I guess, less is more for me. 

I also didn't remove the remaining product on my face with water as there was a small amount left and it was diluted. It was perfect. It kept my face soft for the rest of the day.