Caution: this post contains photos of my feet with skin violently peeling off of them!
As I mentioned in my last review of foot peeling masks, I love sandals and walk everywhere in them all [hot] New York City summer. I’m pretty relaxed about how my feet look, but hard, cracked heels hurt, so I’m on a mission to soften my feet via Korean foot peeling masks and find the best foot peeling mask available.
Using the masks involves putting on a pair of plastic booties filled with a strong paper towel-ish liner and a peeling liquid that soaks into one’s feet for an hour to 90 minutes. Although the peeling liquid contains a bunch of ingredients that could prove painful like alcohol and acids, I’ve never actually had a problem with it causing pain or severe irritation–despite heel cracks that, while not tender and red, are deep and dry. About four days to one week after application one’s feet should start peeling wildly, shedding dead skin like a snake.
Following May’s foot peeling mask showdown between Etude House’s BeBe Foot and Nature Republic’s Foot & Nature Peeling Foot Mask I was curious if other brands might offer better performance or if all deliver the same results. The Etude House and Nature Republic masks had a few issues, the first being that they both took two cycles of application spaced two weeks apart before my feet started molting. That means weeks of waiting for shedding. That could be due to my foot skin being pretty tough, but it’s not like I’m playing guitar with my toes. Another issue was that I didn’t think that the masks removed enough skin. I had seen more violent peeling pics, and that’s what I was going for; a total phoenix-like rebirth of my feet. I needed to take things to the next level.
I decided to go with TonyMoly’s Shiny Foot Super Peeling Liquid. To be honest, the word Super made me think I might be in for a wild peel. I was also attracted by the fact that veteran kpop superstars Super Junior endorse TonyMoly. Since younger kpop boy bands SHINee and EXO endorse Etude House and Nature Republic respectively I thought it would be fun to see if their seniors’ brand could deliver a superior peel. A Super peel, if you will.
And did they ever. I left the TonyMoly mask on for 2.5 hours rather than the usual 1.5 in hopes of maximum peeling and then waited about 6 days. While on vacation I brushed sand off my feet on a scratchy rug and my skin began to roll off in thick sheets. The peeling continued for a week and my skin is still shedding in areas two weeks after applying the mask. At no point were my feet tender or in pain–the skin just rolled off.
Caution: this post contains photos of my feet with skin violently peeling off of them!
A few precautions: I left the mask on for 2.5 hours only after seeing how my feet reacted to 1.5- and 2-hour applications of the Etude House and Nature Republic masks. I also don’t pick at or otherwise exfoliate my feet while molting. If I’m shedding horribly I’ll just wear closed shoes, which tends to loosen the skin gently and results in socks covered with skin on the inside. I managed to track so much dead skin over my vacation bedroom that I began to wonder if a murder in the same room ten years from now could be incorrectly pinned on me due to the amount of my DNA all over the room. Seriously, do not underestimate the mess this makes! ahahaha If exfoliation speed is necessary, long foot soaks in water and some gentle rubbing of the dead skin (once it had begun to shed) can speed things along. Picking at or yanking on the peeling skin has the potential to cause wounds due to not all of the skin being ready to detach, I suspect.
As I mentioned in my first foot peeling review, kbeauty fans with diabetes or other circulation issues impacting feet should consult with a doctor before using this.
Overall, the TonyMoly Shiny Foot Super Peeling Liquid is the best peeling mask I’ve tried thus far, handily outperforming the Etude House and Nature Republic masks. If you’re ready for a serious peel, this is the one to beat.
Rating: 5 out of 5 (I will rebuy and recommend this to everyone I know)
Where to buy it: I bought mine at BeautyNetKorea for under $9 including shipping. Keep in mind that the packaging changed to a more abstract design in the month since I bought this, so don’t despair if you don’t see the baby feet on the box. You can also find it for about $9 on Amazon Prime, $8 and up (including shipping) on eBay, or for $14 plus tax at the new TonyMoly store in NYC.
Edit (9 July 2014): I’ve been asked to share photos of my results, so here they are! These photos are of my treated feet 2 weeks and 2 days after wearing the masks. I didn’t put on any cream or anything–these are my feet as they are today. Wow, this is so weird. ahahahahahahahahahah
Uhh–thanks for looking at my feet, peeps! ahhaahahahah
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