A mask that bounces? Yes it does - in a manner of speaking!
I was most intrigued when I first heard about the launch of The Body Shop’s new Drops of Youth Bouncy Sleeping Mask. The overnight mask, which dropped on counter Tuesday last week, has a memory shaped texture that is designed to ‘relax’ on to the skin to provide a surge of moisture as you sleep.
I’m skint this month but the novelty factor of this mask is compelling. Plus at £22, it is a price I can stretch to. So, off I went to my local Body Shop last week and picked up a jar.
When I opened it, I felt a little deflated. It looked like a regular face cream – Steamcream sprung to mind (I adore Steamcream but it wasn’t what I wanted here). I was expecting the texture to be thicker, more pliable and moulding, something along the lines of the Sarah Chapman Skinesis Instant Miracle Mask - a thick paste that sets to form a rubberised mould over your face (though the Miracle Mask is way more expensive).
However, when I dipped my finger in the Bouncy Sleeping Mask jar I could definitely feel and see a ‘bouncy’ texture. It’s like soft set jelly – when you shake the jar gently the mask wobbles.
Key Ingredients:
The Body Shop highlights Edelweiss, a resilient plant (not a song from The Sound of Music) found in the Swiss Alps which is said to have regenerative properties. The Body Shop says by taking stem cells from Edelweiss (note: botanical garden grown ones, not wild, which are protected), it is able to retain the plant’s core qualities.Other ingredients include:
- Caffeine to help blood circulation deliver more oxygen and nutrients to the skin
- Hyaluronic Acid for its super plumping qualities - as I’m sure you know it holds 1,000 times its own weight in water (though The Body Shop website states 100x but I’m assuming that’s an error?)
- CFT Babassu Oil to help retain moisture
- Adenosine to increase the production of elastin and collagen
The mask is best applied using a special massage technique. The Body Shop has put together a diagram showing you how to do it, which you can find here.
My first attempt at applying the mask didn’t go too well. I think that I applied too much product, as after 5 minutes or so it felt incredibly sticky on my face, like tacky glue. It stayed like this all night and it kept sticking to my pillowcase – a silk one!
The next night I applied a thinner layer and followed the massage technique more closely. This helped and the mask absorbed better, though there was still a slight stickiness to it by the time I went to bed an hour or so later.
The Body Shop is making some bold claims about the performance of this mask. It’s conducted studies in which 80% of women agreed skin was replenished, and 70% agreed it was bouncier. The sample sizes were relatively small though – 109 and 103 women respectively.
After seven consecutive nights of wearing this mask, I can concur with the first study. Come morning my skin is definitely better hydrated. It feels softer and there’s more suppleness to it. I can’t, though, see any extra ‘bounce’.
This is a fun and novel mask that delivers some tangible results. It’s just a pity that it leaves skin slightly tacky until it fully absorbs, as this does spoil the enjoyment somewhat.
The Body Shop Drops of Youth Sleeping Masks costs £22 for 90ml here.
