Size Matters: Nügg Face Mask Review-Exfoliating, Soothing, Hydrating

Jeopardy trivia: 40 Nugs is Chrissy Teigen’s rap name and she threw the first pitch at a Dodgers game wearing a 40 Nugz jersey. (She is hilarious btw–the only reason I stayed on Twitter as long as I did.)

Let’s talk about size matters, i.e., matters of size. (What, you thought I was making a juvenile joke on this classy blog?)

How many times have you found in your stash a full container of face mask that was used only twice in the last 6 months? Well Nügg sent us several of their single-serving* mask pods to try, and I never thought I’d say this but…smaller is better. (OK, that was the juvenile joke.)

*More like double and triple serving! There’s seriously a lot in there.

In this case, the tiny size makes them perfect for:

• the infrequent masker
• the germophobe (“fresh” mask each time)
• traveling
• sharing with friends

For my dry and sensitive skin, I received the Exfoliating, Soothing, and Hydrating masks:

They’re sold separately ($9.87 for 3) and in this 4-pack marketed as a 4-day regime for dry skin ($12.99).  There’s 10 ml/0.33 fl. oz. in each pod, which easily covers 2 to 3 uses.  Just cover it back up after each time.  Nügg advises using up the leftovers within 2 days, although the mask showed no signs of drying out even after 4 days.

Soooo I must admit that I had neglected a Nügg face mask from an old Birchbox because I assumed it was just a drying mud mask in a pod. But then when Nügg contacted us, I squinted and looked closer…

What’s that? “Gentle”? “Non-drying”?? Well why didn’t you say so earlier?! (Seriously, Nügg should make those claims in a font bigger than size 2.)

Indeed, each of the mask flavors that I tried were GENTLE and NON-DRYING gels that rinsed off easily. The consistency of all three was similar: thicker, stickier, and heavier than the water-light Laneige Sleeping Mask, with a slight touch of silicone cushiness but no oiliness. None have a strong scent. (Full ingredient lists at the end of this post.)

The apparent reason for the heavy gel consistency is because the “gel forms a barrier on your skin to help drive ingredients into your skin,” similar to how a sheet mask helps drive ingredients in.

They’re mainly intended to be applied in a thick layer and washed off after 5-10 minutes, but the Soothing and Hydrating ones can also be applied in a thin layer and worn overnight.

Just be aware that even with a thin layer, the masks remain quite sticky through the next morning. Ordinarily I wouldn’t care, but I (Angela) am currently cat-sitting our blog muse, Roxy, and quickly learned that sticky masks do NOT play well with cat hair.

Over the course of a week, I tried all 3 mask flavors–more or less following the 4-day regime prescribed for dry skin: Exfoliating mask first, followed by the Hydrating and Soothing masks in the following days (sometimes washing off, sometimes sleeping in them).

My fave was the Exfoliating mask, which uses jojoba beads and lactic acid for gentle–yes, gentle–exfoliation. This won’t impress a hardcore P50 addict, but as someone who’s prone to overexfoliating, I liked that it left my skin noticeably smoother for days afterward with just the barest tingle on my upper lip. I even left it on overnight once with no dryness or irritation.  It didn’t brighten or do much for a small zit on my chin, but I recommend it for smoother, softer skin.

The Hydrating and Soothing masks are pretty similar.  For gels, they’re relatively heavy and cushy–but in a good way, like wrapping your face in a comforter.  My favorite way was to use them as moisturizing sleeping masks (but I’ll save my next use for after Roxy’s back with Renee).

Pros: Small size is super convenient. Work as both a wash-off and sleeping mask, and the Exfoliating one gives you smoother, softer skin.

Cons: Could be even smaller and more easily resealable. Sticky and a downright fur magnet.

Nugg Face Mask Ingredients: Exfoliating, Hydrating, & Soothing