Mask Madness Vol 2: Bonvivant Illuminator Whitening Water Gel Mask

Monday, February 27, 2017

I love my sheet masks, I really do. However in recent months I've decided to make an effort to incorporate more masks that are housed in jars or bottles that can be recycled in order to cut down on my packaging waste. One of the first ones that I ordered while weaning off sheet masks was this Bonvivant Illuminator Whitening Water Gel Mask.

It was on sale for $16 and I was pretty pleased with that price. I've since finished this jar and it amounted to about 10 masking sessions if you were quite generous with the product.

It's a soft, not-yet-set pudding texture. The fragrance is very mild. I was pleased that I experienced no irritation.

My first couple of uses of this mask did not see any results. It dried so quickly and my face absorbed so much of it within the first few minutes. After five minutes, the surface of my skin was tacky-dry to the touch. There was a tiny bit of hydration and softening, but I think pretty much any goop applied to the face would have netted similar results. A splash of toner, leftover oatmeal, a dog licking your face, etc.

Ingredients, as per Memebox:

Water,Butylene Glycol,Dimethicone,Niacinamide,PEG-240/HDI Copolymer Bis-Decyltetradeceth-20 Ether,Glycerin,Cetearyl Alcohol,PEG-20 Glyceryl Stearate,PEG-60 Glyceryl Isostearate,Phenoxyethanol,Portulaca Oleracea Extract,Chlorphenesin,Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer,Xanthan Gum,Potassium Hydroxide,Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract,Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Extract,Adansonia Digitata Seed Extract,Selaginella Lepidophylla Extract,Adenium Obesum Leaf Extract,Disodium EDTA,Polyglutamic Acid,Saccharide Isomerate,Pseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract,Avena Strigosa Seed Extract,Lecithin,Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract,Sodium Hyaluronate,Caprylyl Glycol,Potassium Sorbate,Ethylhexylglycerin,Narcissus Tazetta Bulb Extract,Citric Acid,Sodium Citrate,Beta-Glucan,Proline,Alanine,Serine,Fructan,Sodium Phosphate,Sodium Hydroxide,Rosa Canina Flower Oil,Ceramide NP,Perfume

I've bolded some of the ingredients in which I had interest.

After the third use, I wised up. I found that the key to making this mask work for me was to keep it damp for as long as possible. Either through misting, applying another mask on top of it to rewet it (I used my CosRX Ultimate Overnight Moisturizing Honey Mask, reviewed here) or by using the Daiso Silicone Moisturizing Mask on top.

This silicone slip of a mask is $1.50 and can be found at Daiso stores.

I don't think my face is particularly large, long or broad but this mask was a very tight fit. The ear hooks start to hurt the backs of my ears after a while. It achieves its purpose; it definitely keeps any sheet mask or wash off mask damp for as long as I care to have it on (I can handle about 10 -20 minutes of this self inflicted ear abuse).

As long as the mask stays damp for 30-40 minutes, the results are notable. My skin looks much clearer. My face looks sleek and there's a nice softness to it. Anything less than 30 minutes, and the results are rubbish, not really worth masking for it.

This is as good of a time as any to hash out my thoughts on products with whitening claims. For years, my face has been darker and more beige/peachy than my neck, and I've always matched my foundation to the color just under my jaw. Now, I've no desire to have more or less melanin, but it IS nice having my face be the same shade as my neck for a change. The level of whitening this mask gives is not over the top, multiple shades fairer, it's more of a subtle brightening. Precisely what I want.

At the moment this mask is sold out by itself, but still available as a part ~~of this $25 bundle from Memebox or $33 from Amazon.~~ Back in stock for $16. If you haven't ordered from them before, here's a referral code for 20% off your first purchase of $25 or more.

Do you have a favorite mask at the moment, wash off or otherwise? I've taken this whole sheet mask to jar transition quite seriously (read: I've given myself free license to just order jarred masks like crazy) so I've a few masks to review over the next few weeks.

Have a great week!

Products featured were purchased by me, for my own use. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy. Post contains referral links.