Pros and Cons: Ellana Mood Mask Washable Face Mask
It’s tough for beauty businesses to keep going during the pandemic, but Ellana Cosmetics was fast to adapt and create a new line of products despite drastic limitations during the lockdown. They were actually able to come out with new soaps and sanitizers in April! I’ll review those next time, but today I’d like to show you the new Ellana Mood Mask Washable Face Mask (P199) which is currently available in their website.
This face mask is in no way medical-grade, so let’s get that out of the way. If you are immunocompromised/ have co-morbidities etc. or live with someone who has a condition, or if you have COVID-19 or have contact with people who do, this is not the right mask to use. You would better benefit from a surgical mask or an N95 mask. This washable fabric mask is for those who are not sick and would like to lessen the chances of being sick while they are outside the house. It’s for those who can’t easily access medical masks due to shortage.
I actually have a couple of surgical and N95 masks here (gifts from thoughtful friends) but I’ve been saving those if ever I need to go to the hospital during the pandemic. I’ve been pretty much using washable masks since the start of quarantine - I even sewed a crude mask for fun haha - but my main mask is from Shopee. It’s quite thick and has three layers of fabric, which makes me feel secure, but IT IS SO HOT ON MY FACE and it’s quite difficult to breathe. That’s why I really love this Ellana mask. It’s soft and comfortable yet features two layers of fabric with a pocket for tissue or your preferred filter. If you have an Ellana makeup pouch, it’s the same satin polyester material.
I like that it also has a nice shape on the nose bridge. It has a contouring effect - parang makeup lang! Check out my photos wearing it to see what I mean. I really appreciate this bit because I have a fleshy face and it’s nice to have a sharper shape sometimes. As for the fit, you can untie the ear loops that hold the mask to better suit your face size. All of these fit me easily so I don’t have to adjust anymore.
My favorite thing about these though is the print. They have 10 available; I have five here, and I love all of them! The nature-inspired graphic prints are beautiful and make an elegant statement. I think it’s important to have several masks, so you have backups since you have to wash them every time you use them. My favorite design would be the blue one that looks like quartz with whorls of gold in the print.
And now, the caveats. For me, this is a no go when I’m wearing glasses. The nose bridge is a bit too high so my glasses can’t rest on my nose properly, and the air that I breathe out goes straight to fog up my glasses. I always need contact lenses when I wear these masks. I also notice that the threads are sticking out so the craftsmanship can still be improved, but for 200 bucks I don’t feel bad about it; I just cut or pull out the extra thread. The ear loops as I mentioned are adjustable, but they stick out behind the ears. Not a bother, but I’d prefer a sleeker look and don’t mind paying extra for elastic loops.
Nevertheless, I’ll definitely be keeping these Ellana Washable Face Masks on rotation and would recommend them if you don’t mind the caveats above. Let me know what you think, or if you have any questions!
