Although I'm not that into celebrities, Charlotte Tilbury is one of the few make-up artists that I consider a good business person. Her story behind her products sounds rather magical and hypnotising just like how she presents herself, that the consistency of the image mirrors in marketing. I felt straight away that her marketing strategy feels quite unique and more contemporary and different from other make-up artists. I'm very curious to see in 10 and 20 years from now how her product line will turn out to be, but at least for the past few years I think that her brand image links more to a part of a pop culture trend.
Personally, I don't picture myself fitting into her concept of make-up or even the image that she creates through make-up, but I did like using her Rock N Kohl Bedroom Black Eyeliner and it was one of the best eyeliners that I've used. I must admit that I'm not a fan of how she names the products though :P. Oh well, maybe I'm just old-fashioned :3. Regardless, I decided to try her new Revolutionary Instant Magic Facial Dry Sheet Mask as you all know by now that I'm pro-technology and innovation. And my final thoughts? Let's find out and see what you could expect from the dry sheet mask :).
Scent
There's no recognisable fragrance, it almost felt that the dry mask was free of scent. However, as my body generates heat naturally, my eyes had discomfort from some hue coming from the mask during the application. It didn't make my eyes watery, but it was definitely stinging my eyes. I believe that it could be because of high percentage of stearic acid that they used in the mask, so if you have sensitive eyes, you might just want to avoid using the mask.
Application
Charlotte Tilbury Revolutionary Instant Magic Facial Dry Sheet Mask initially reminds me of a cross version of a Korean sheet mask (ear loop and 3D coverage) and Talika reusable eye patch gel mask.
As a stretchable sheet mask
The mask itself is stretchable, but not very. The fit is quite weird that I had gaps in between my nose bridge and cheeks. I think that it was resulted from poor construction of the nose part and the mask wasn't following the natural curves of my face. It was suppressing my nose bridge, meaning it won't work out for my man as he has higher and bigger nose than me. And the cut around the mouth isn't big enough that it was just sitting on top of half of my lips. Again, this wouldn't fit my man well as he has wider mouth. Nevertheless, the mask stays put and you can literally do some light stretching while waiting. And there's also a lifting sensation to a certain extent mainly because it's connected to the ears that pull the mask upwards.
As a dry sheet mask
It's dry, but as you give your face a bit of a massage after placing the mask on your skin, then you will notice how the product works. There was some oil residue coming out of the mask as I was massaging in. There's no oil drooping or anything, but the mask is based on oils and shea/mango seed butter that it won't be as deeply penetrating compared to the sheet masks from other high-end brands. Think it as a moisturiser-in-a sheet mask.
As a reusable sheet mask
The company claims that you can use up to three times, which sounds quite nice but it's still quite expensive for a sheet mask from a make-up brand. And normally other sheet masks have an average amount of 15mL to 30mL of serum in a single sheet mask, but the Charlotte Tilbury Dry Sheet Mask weighs only 2.3g. So I was quite skeptical how it would work, but it turns out that it is reusable. However, it comes at cost. The first time when I used the mask was great; subtly hydrating and gives that Charlotte Tilbury glow. However, I didn't get the same result for the second and the third usages. The moisturising level was decreasing as I used it, so I also had to use my Kahina Giving Beauty Argan Oil after application as the dry mask wasn't enough for my skin.
Full Ingredients
STEARIC ACID, BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII (SHEA) BUTTER, GLYCERIN, OLEA EUROPAEA (OLIVE) FRUIT OIL, MANGIFERA INDICA (MANGO) SEED BUTTER, PERSEA GRATISSIMA (AVOCADO) OIL, PEG-20 METHYL GLUCOSE SESQUISTEARATE, CETYL RICINOLEATE, HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL, CETYL ALCOHOL, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, SORBITAN OLEATE, SORBITAN STEARATE, GLYCERYL STEARATE, GLYCINE SOJA (SOYBEAN) OIL, ACACIA SENEGAL GUM, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, CETEARYL OLIVATE, NIACINAMIDE, BENZYL ALCOHOL, SORBITAN OLIVATE, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, ARGININE, LEONTOPODIUM ALPINUM CALLUS CULTURE EXTRACT, PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRA-DI-t-BUTYL HYDROXYHYDROCINNAMATE, CALCIUM TITANIUM BOROSILICATE, DISODIUM EDTA, MAGNOLIA OFFICINALIS BARK EXTRACT, HELIANTHUS ANNUUS (SUNFLOWER) SEED OIL, XANTHAN GUM, DICAPRYLYL ETHER, ROSMARINUS OFFICINALIS (ROSEMARY) LEAF EXTRACT, CARBOMER, ALGAE (DICTYOPTERIS MEMBRANACCA) EXTRACT, POLYSORBATE 20, SODIUM LACTATE, MAGNOLIA GRANDIFLORA BARK EXTRACT, LAURYL ALCOHOL, CROCUS SATIVUS FLOWER EXTRACT, CITRIC ACID, TOCOPHEROL, PALMITOYL TRIPEPTIDE-1, PALMITOYL TETRAPEPTIDE-7, TIN OXIDE (CI 77861), TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891), MICA (CI 77019), CARMINE (CI 75470).
Effectiveness
As the weather's getting warmer, the dry sheet mask can be too hot for the season. If you naturally have lots of heat in your body or sweat easily, the mask can be a little too warm for any hot or humid weather. If your skin gets aggravated by heat easily, then I wouldn't recommend the dry mask. Just to be clear, it's not hot, there's a slight warming sensation upon masking as part of the natural process. I think that it's kind of compromised as the majority of ingredients in the mask absorbs best into skin with warmth.
This means that those with skin sensitivity towards natural oils and shea/mango seed butter might want to avoid using it. I wouldn't recommend the mask for oily/problem-prone skin even though it's called a dry sheet mask. It's very much moisturising focused, so it's better for normal to dry skin. Having said that it contains ingredients such as tin oxide, titanium dioxide and carmine, which I wouldn't want to sleep in. I would rather use the mask during the day time before doing make-up and/or before a night out. Nevertheless, it's a nice product to use under make-up as it gives a subtle glow and simplifies your beauty regime. It doesn't provide that ultra hydration that you get from other sheet masks, but it's decent enough to use daily before make-up. However if you're on a budget and you want to get similar results as you would get from this mask, then I would recommend trying Kahina Giving Beauty Argan Oil.
Where to buy
- Nordstrom (Free shipping & samples)
Recommendations
- AmorePacific Moisture Bound Intensive Serum Masque (Oil-free Bio Cellulose Mask)
- Kahina Giving Beauty Argan Oil
- Kahina Giving Beauty Prickly Pear Seed Oil (Dry/ Sensitive/ Eczema Skin)
- Sisley Face Masks
- Luxury Skincare Brand Guide (La Mer VS La Prairie VS Swiss Perfection VS Sisley VS Guerlain)
- High-end Hydrating Moisturisers (Guerlain vs La Mer vs La Prairie vs Sisley)
