Sex and Mischief masquerade mask - blindfold by Sportsheets - review by Tuesday

This mask could be worn as part of a Halloween costume, for masquerade events, or possibly for a scary effect. It may not be a good choice for situations where you need to wear a mask for long periods of time, however. The plastic material it's made from is not breathable, and it may touch the skin under your eye uncomfortably.

This mask is 9 1/2 inches wide and 3 1/2 inches tall. It is made of firm plastic, which is black on one side and grey metallic on the other. There are decorative black ink marks and gold glitter swirls on the front of the mask.

The back of the package states that the mask is made of nylon and polypropylene.

A sparkly, silver edging decorates the edge of the mask. Quarter inch wide ribbons that are 15 inches long are securely attached on each end with metal grommets.

It has generously sized eye holes which do not have a black border around them, as it appears in the product image. The black area around the eyes in the picture is actually the black cardboard the mask is packaged with, showing through. The eyes in the product photo are also from the packaging cardboard.

The outer ends of the mask are more pointed than the product picture. It appears to have been photographed with the two side tips of the mask still inside the slots that held them in place in the cardboard packaging.

It appears to be nicely made, and looks to be quite durable. At one side, however, where the two ends of the decorative edging meet, there is slight fraying.

When this mask is first put on, you may notice that the lower edge of the eye opening touches the skin underneath your eye uncomfortably. Wearing the mask a bit lower on your face than you might initially put it makes this less bothersome, although it still touches a sensitive area on this reviewer. When looking down, your eyelashes will touch the lower edge of the mask, even when it is positioned as low as is reasonable. This is only slightly unpleasant and fairly easy to avoid.

If you wear it for more than five or ten minutes, it will feel warmer in the area between your eyebrows - the area where the mask makes closest contact with your face. It will begin to sweat if the room is warm enough, and you wear it long enough.

The mask stays in place with ribbon ties, a system that works well. You might want to tie it so that the mask bends around your head, but you will find that the mask will return to its original unbent shape no matter how tightly you tie the ribbons. Tying it tightly will only make the ribbons drop to a lower part of the back of your head. I was unable to make the mask stay on and also more closely wrap around my head, despite repeated attempts.

Thee is a short story on back of the package that suggests that using the mask will inspire confidence in the wearer. This may be true for some, but my reaction to seeing myself with the mask on was that I looked somewhat scary. I did not feel protected by anonymity, nor did I feel a boost of confidence. It could be that the mask draws so much attention to the eyes that the focus is on the eyeballs themselves. I believe that anyone who knows you would still recognize you with the mask on.

There are more stories and a video available through a link on the back of the package.

There are no care instructions for this mask. Clearly the inside of the mask can be wiped down without worry. If there's a need to clean the outside of the mask, care will need to be taken to avoid removing the glitter.

It can be stored inside the cellophane plastic bag it comes in or by itself. It could also look good mounted on a wall.