Even though the current pandemic may seem to have come out of nowhere, the culture of face masks seems to have been around for a while. Initially being used for protective purposes, they would eventually evolve into key parts of culture & fashion.

Upper-class women in the 16th century used a type of full-face mask when travelling on horseback to keep their complexions unblemished & preserved as having pale skin was fashionable for the higher classes during this time. In the 19th century, when science made it known that you could catch diseases from germs being spread in the air, wealthy Parisian women donning lace veils to protect them from the germs in the streets.

With face masks seeing a new rise due to a practical cause today and since we’re going to have to wear it anyway, why not make it fashionable as well?

Bid adieu to your usual monotonous face masks and say hello to our all-new Christy Ng Disposable Surgical Grade face masks! Each pack of face masks contains 10 pcs of our specially designed disposable surgical grade masks with a re-sealable pouch. Available in 2 very dreamy designs, Candy Abstract and Terrazzo.

Long before the pandemic, cultures in Asian countries have already been wearing masks for a while. If you grew up in South Korea and you caught a cold when you were a child, your mother would urge you to wear a mask to keep others around you safe. It would be a totally normal thing to see people around you wearing masks, especially during the winter season.

In Hong Kong, masking up was already ingrained in the culture that the government didn’t need to make it compulsory for the majority of the public to wear masks. According to a peer-reviewed study of 1000 participants, up to 99% of citizens reported it to be customary for wearing face masks before leaving the house in March last year. Even in years before that, if you didn’t wear a mask when it was flu season, you’d be getting more than a few judging looks on the street.

And as for Japan, a string of major health crises like the H3N2 virus between August and September 1968, the population of over 8 million citizens in a dense landscape made it vital for the adoption of face masks for containing outbreaks.

So it’s no surprise that the use of face masks evolved into an aesthetic purpose early for these regions. Not just to keep yourself & others protected but it became a norm to wear it as a fashion statement piece & even other purposes.

Used on a busy day when you can’t afford to spend time on makeup when running errands or perhaps to be used as a means of hiding your identity as a famous pop star while travelling in public places. The widespread normalization of aesthetic face mask-wearing meant that the supply side of the face mask industry quickly normalized it as well.

Manufacturers & suppliers grew their production capacities making it entirely possible & affordable for retailers & designers to produce face masks that were both fashionably aesthetic & incredibly practical at the same time.

If you’ve seen the news, you would have noticed the various announcements by the government against the usage of masks with designs. And since Asia has been no stranger to the designer face mask scene, which means quality shouldn’t be an issue, where is this problem coming from?

The answers are irresponsible retailers & outlets looking to make a fast buck. For example, a letter by the FDA United States Food and Drug Administration issued cited inadequate respiratory protection as one of the drawbacks.

If you took a look at the SIRIM’s official page for Face Mask Testing & Certification, you’d find that the main objective of the certification is to ‘ensure product compliance with international standards’ & ‘protection to the user from any infectious agents or hazardous airborne particles’.

This means the companies you see in papers being flagged, simply refused to follow the standards just like you would have to for any other product in any other industry - imagine if your favourite snack manufacturer refused to follow safety standards for their chips, or vegetable vendors refusing to follow standards for safe pesticide amounts.

It’s the same thing, which brings us to our point - the issue isn’t face masks that have designs, it’s irresponsible retailers. Period. So we really took this standard to heart.

If you had only one mask to rule them all, this would be it. We spent copious hours & pulled as many strings as we could to ensure this was the safest fashion face mask you would ever get your hands on.

Here’s why.

We meant it when we say it’s surgical-grade, the number of tests & approvals this mask took time & went through plenty of our resources.

• • • • • • • • FDA approved & registered
              • Sirim approved
              • ISO 9001
              • Medical Device Authority approved
              • Compliant With Akta Peranti Perubatan 2012 ( Akta 737 )
              • Filtration test approved
              • Passed SIRIM’s color safety tests
              • Produced in a Class 100-K cleanroom environment
              • 3 layer protection with BFE > 98%; PFE > 98%; ASTM Level III

We also went above & beyond with our safety tests & ran it through numerous other certifications & lab tests. And we also went the extra mile of making sure this mask is also UV-C purified.

Made with the solid 3-ply protection design and with only top-of-the-line medical grade materials which basically means you should probably get more than a few packs for yourself & loved ones as these are probably going to be the safest pair of fashionable face masks you’ve owned.

If you had only one mask to rule them all, this would be it. We spent copious hours & pulled as many strings as we could to ensure this was the safest fashion face mask you would ever get your hands on.

Here’s why.

We meant it when we say it’s surgical-grade, the number of tests & approvals this mask took time & went through plenty of our resources.

• FDA approved & registered
• Sirim approved
• ISO 9001
• Medical Device Authority approved
• Compliant With Akta Peranti Perubatan 2012 ( Akta 737 )
• Filtration test approved
• Passed SIRIM’s color safety tests
• Produced in a Class 100-K cleanroom environment
• 3 layer protection with BFE > 98%; PFE > 98%; ASTM Level III

We also went above & beyond with our safety tests & ran it through numerous other certifications & lab tests. And we also went the extra mile of making sure this mask is also UV-C purified.

Made with the solid 3-ply protection design and with only top-of-the-line medical grade materials which basically means you should probably get more than a few packs for yourself & loved ones as these are probably going to be the safest pair of fashionable face masks you’ve owned.

We also made sure our masks passed Sirim’s skin irritation & skin sensitization tests as well. What they don’t tell you about substandard face masks is that they’re also a risk for your skin and are primed to give your skin allergic reactions & the all-feared ‘maskne’.

No doubt, we’ve all read the articles on the new ‘maskne’ phenomenon, the prominence of a new source of acne breakouts from the use of face masks, with the notorious cause being chafing and irritation.

The design of the Christy Ngs face masks during production made sure that the way we produced & the materials we used were as far away from the kinds that made your skin act up. And most masks don’t think about the ear loops, but we did. We put in exceptional care into the design of the ear which was made to be extra durable so it stays intact and does not hurt during long hours of wear.

It’s also made with your ease of breathing in mind, so we ensured the adjustable nose bridge and the material used is extra comfortable with a high breathability design.

You’ve been warned. Our advice is to order more than just a few as you’ll quickly be turning to these face masks whenever you’re going to the restaurant, grocery store or simply having a few in the glove box of your car & with your keys before leaving the house.

We made them in 2 amazingly versatile & gorgeous variants - Candy Abstract and Terrazzo.

A fashion accessory is meant to add to your look and a way of getting creative with your style & identity. Why should it end at just the shoes & bracelets?

The signature Candy Abstract design by Christy Ng now comes in with a face mask version that you can pair & match with almost anything. The colours & design are elegant yet subtle enough that they don’t pull away from your outfit but add a suave classiness to your look. It’s surprising how much that’s being communicated with just our eyes alone.

Lipsticks & concealers are being ditched for mascara and eyeliners as we flaunt the features that are more visible. And when you’re putting in that much work for the look, you might as well get a matching mask to finish.

Oh, and did we mention that this exclusively designed mask also features an unmistakable embossed interlocked Christy Ng ‘CN’ monogram on the top right corner of the mask?

Another variant is the fun & playful Terrazzo print. A design that adds a pop of interest into your overall look with a vibrant, young feel. Bring back the glee & joyfulness from your childhood days in style with this upbeat design.

We recommend getting up to a few packs in order as these are definitely going to get low in stock pretty quickly. If you’ve been shopping for Christy Ng for a while, you know that we’re serious & don’t cut it short when it comes to quality, which is the case with all our products. This also means we’re just unable to produce each piece in high volume without sacrificing quality.

So be sure to get yours before they run out!