I can feel that Spring is coming as luxury skincare brands have started to launch their brightening and hydrating products one by one. I'm very excited because I cannot wait to see what other companies would offer over the next few months! :D They were clearly very busy launching new sunscreens last year, and this year seems to be a bit more focused on brightening care already :3.
Anyway, I reviewed The Brilliance White Infusion from La Mer recently, and today I will see if I like their new "The Brilliance Brightening Mask" in the same range. I'm not going to lie, because I personally love their The Hydrating Facial Sheet Masks and also found their discontinued brightening sheet masks to be very effective and worked well on my skin. I still haven't been super impressed with their other masks, so I'm not quite sure if I will like this new launch. However, we will see if it's worth it as I liked their discontinued brightening sheet masks and I have been enjoying their The Brilliance White Infusion:).
Scent & Consistency
The scent won't be a problem as long as you aren't sensitive to La Mer's typical fragrance. I would say that Blanc de La Mer range tends to have a bit more of a slightly powdery and perfumey scent.
The Brilliance Brightening Mask Soothing Primer
I thought the texture of the primer would be quite similar to The Brilliance White Infusion, but the Soothing Primer has more hydration abundant feel onto skin.
It feels still very lightweight compared to other La Mer serums and I would say that it's a standard serum texture compared to the other ones on the market. In fact, the texture feels a lot like a more dense version of their The Treatment Lotion. It penetrates into skin fast and there's no sticky or oily residue.
It doesn't have that neat finish which the infusion has, but more close to The Treatment Lotion. It gives a very subtle hydration and glow.
The Brilliance Brightening Mask Gel Cream
The mask feels lighter, more fresh and more hydrating than their heavy Crème de la Mer. It spreads easily and it leaves skin with a beautiful glow.
Regardless of its Gel Cream title, the texture feels way more hydrating than I expected as most of the brightening products on the market tend to be lighter. The Gel Cream Mask goes on like their Soft Cream, which makes you think uh-oh as it feels pretty rich at the beginning. However, there's some bounciness as you massage in, which then makes sense to be called Gel Cream.
The finish of the mask is very similar to their moisturisers: glowy and very hydrating. It almost felt like a jar version of The Hydrating Facial. The surprise starts to begin about a few minutes in after the mask is applied. My middle face zone starts to get a slight firming sensation as that La Mer moisturiser look/feel was disappearing. My skin felt rather velvety to touch as it was penetrating into skin.
Benefits
This gentle, yet powerful two-step treatment mask instantly brightens and softens skin to reveal a more agelessly luminous look. The complexion looks transformed with continued use – stubborn discoloration appears diminished, tone becomes more even, texture smoother and pores look minimized for a glowing new look of health and hydration.
Bright and Hydrated
- Sourced from the sea, the Brilliance Vitality Ferment helps unveil a bright new radiance. All that is reflected is a clear and luminous beauty.
Ageless Defense
- Our super anti-oxidant cocktail, Lime Tea Concentrate defends against visible damage from pollutants.
Soothing Elixir
- Concentrated Miracle Broth deeply calms skin on contact, helping soothe visible redness.
Full Ingredients
Declustered Water (-)\Aqua\Eau De-Structuree (-) , Declustered Water (+)\Aqua\Eau De-Structuree (+) , Methyl Gluceth-20 , Peg-75 , Butylene Glycol , Glycerin , Bis-Peg-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane , Algae (Seaweed) Extract , Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil , Medicago Sativa (Alfalfa) Seed Powder , Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seedcake , Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Seed Meal , Eucalyptus Globulus (Eucalyptus) Leaf Oil , Sodium Gluconate , Copper Gluconate , Calcium Gluconate , Magnesium Gluconate , Zinc Gluconate , Tocopheryl Succinate , Niacin , Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Powder , Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract , Corallina Officinalis Extract , Laminaria Saccharina Extract , Chlorella Vulgaris Extract , Laminaria Digitata Extract , Palmaria Palmata Extract , Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract , Hordeum Vulgare (Barley) Extract\Extrait D'Orge , Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Extract , Morus Nigra (Mulberry) Root Extract , Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract , Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract , Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract , Saccharomyces Lysate Extract , Citrus Reticulata (Tangerine) Peel Extract , Asparagopsis Armata Extract , Sigesbeckia Orientalis (St. Paul'S Wort) Extract , Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Fruit Juice , Citrullus Vulgaris (Watermelon) Fruit Extract , Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Fruit Extract , Tourmaline , Linolenic Acid , Lens Esculenta (Lentil) Fruit Extract , Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract , Oleth-5 , Glycereth-26 , Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime) Peel Extract , Squalane , Humulus Lupulus (Hops) Extract , Yeast Extract\Faex\Extrait De Levure , Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 , Tocopheryl Acetate , Caffeine , Hydrolyzed Rice Extract , Acetyl Glucosamine , Yeast Polysaccharides , Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters , Sodium Rna , Oleth-10 Phosphate , Camelina Sativa Seed Oil , Bifida Ferment Lysate , Sodium Hyaluronate , Sodium Pca , Tetraacetylphytosphingosine , Micrococcus Lysate , Sucrose , Carbomer , Caprylyl Glycol , Sorbitol , Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate , Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate , Sodium Hydroxide , Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate , Sodium Lactate , Xanthan Gum , Choleth-24 , Linoleic Acid , Hexylene Glycol , Ceteth-24 , Lecithin , Hydrogenated Lecithin , Ethylbisiminomethylguaiacol Manganese Chloride , Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid , Alcohol Denat. , Fragrance (Parfum) , Disodium Edta , Bht , Hydroxycitronellal , Limonene , Linalool , Geraniol , Citronellol , Benzyl Salicylate , Benzyl Benzoate , Phenoxyethanol
Effectiveness / Tips
The Brilliance Brightening Mask is hydrating enough to use through Spring to Autumn mainly. Although the instruction says that I should use the Soothing Primer first, I've actually used it after The Brilliance White Infusion to intensify the benefits that I would get. I really like the fact that The Brilliance Brightening Mask is developed to focus both pigmentation control and soothing, which is great news for those who are exposed to daily pollution that causes skin irritations. Having said that, I don't think that this will be an ideal for very sensitive or sensitised skin as layering can also cause further irritation and the duo isn't soothing enough compared to their moisturisers.
If your target is just to calm and comfort your skin, then you better stick to Crème de la Mer and The Concentrate. And note that La Mer product is ferment based, so if your skin is sensitive to ferments, you want to do a patch test before you commit to buy. Nonetheless, The Brilliance Brightening Mask duo is very conveniently packaged so you can even use them separately if you want. I personally really like the Soothing Primer as I could just use it even underneath my Sisley Cream Masks, and it worked perfectly fine. Yes, I do like that versatility! :) However, I'm not still convinced if I like the new mask compared to their discontinued sheet mask version. The new one is a lot cheaper and easier to use, but I find overnight rejuvenation that it brings more subtle than I expected.
Regardless, I have noticed that my skin's very smooth to touch and my pores even seem more refined upon wake-up. The best part is that my skin looks well-rested, which is one of the most important qualities in beauty products for myself as I often don't get enough sleep. The mask duo also worked well on my breakout spots as they healed faster and it also prevented them from darkening. The good news is that it does seem to help with skin renewal and pigmentation control without causing any irritation on my sensitive PMS skin. If you have combination to oily skin and want to try out something from La Mer, then I would recommend The Brilliance White Infusion and The Brilliance Brightening Mask duo (use brush) due to its value for money and you can even use them separately or wash off after leaving on for 8 minutes if you prefer. If you have drier skin though, the mask won't do enough, so you will need to put on a moisturiser on top when it's fully absorbed into skin. Overall, this might be my first La Mer leave-on mask that I would approve :) I would definitely recommend the mask to those who's looking for hydrating brightening treatments.
Where to buy
- Nordstrom (Free shipping & samples)
- Saks Fifth Avenue (Free shipping & samples)
Recommmendations
- Guerlain Orchidée Impériale White The Age-Defying & Brightening Serum (Concentrate)
- La Mer The Brilliance White Infusion (Blanc de La Mer/ First Essence)
- La Prairie White Caviar Illuminating Pearl Infusion
- Kahina Giving Beauty Prickly Pear Seed Oil (Dry/ Senstive/ Eczema Skin)
- La Prairie Swiss Cellular White Intensive Illuminating Mask
- Sisley Sunleÿa Age Minimizing After-sun Care
