Product Review: Kose Seikisho Mask White

This review was made possible by the fabulous Meg's Makeup. Go here to read what other ladies thought of Seikisho Mask White!

Spring is (finally) in the air, but some of us aren't feeling very sprite or springy. Some of us are in hard-core finals mode. Some of us just spent 4 sleepless days re-writing a paper that was handed in months ago (long, horrible, depressing story). Some of us are miserable and grumpy and decided to take a mental health day yesterday to eat ice cream and play with her hair and watch old episodes of The Hills on teh intarweb. And then somebody got jealous of the perpetually perky glow that those SoCal girls have, sucky relationships, work stresses, and friendship dramas be damned.

It's easy to have a fabulous complexion if you get 8 hour of sleep every night, and have the time and money to relax on sunny patios while nibbling on fresh fruits and salads. But there's hope for the rest of us proles*: Kose's Seikisho Mask White can give you the fresh-faced vibrant look that all those 3AM pots of coffee took away.




This little gem hails from Japan, the land of crazy, high tech, and amazing skincare. The peel-off mask is billed as having whitening abilities, but it is coloured an inky, glossy black. In fact, putting it on makes me feel a bit like I'm in an iPod commercial. The effects if it, however, make me feel a bit like I'm in a Neutrogena commerical.

Like other peel-off masks, Seikisho Mask White is kind of sticky to put on, but the fresh, clean, and slightly herbal scent makes wearing it feel almost therapeutic. I'm not sure that I see any whitening effects per se, but my skin definitely looks brighter and smoother afterwards. Pores are also diminished -- probably because the mask has pulled out all the blackheads and gunk. It's like those old school Bioré pore strips -- the blackness of the mask lets you see all the dirt and debris removed from your skin. Gross, yet fascinating!

Be sure to put enough of this on -- the first time I tried it, I attempted to be frugal and only put on a thin translucent layer. That made it difficult and painful to pull off, and reduced its effectiveness. You want to get it just at the point that you can't see your pores through the mask anymore. However, if you go overboard, the mask won't dry properly. It sounds tricky, but it only takes a couple of uses to figure out what works best.

This deep-cleansing mask would be great for oily skin, or skin prone to breakouts. Even for somewhat dry skin, it's beneficial because it gets all those dry flakes off. If you're very dry or sensitive, however, you might want to be careful, because the pulling-off process might irritate your skin. And finally, if you put this mask too close to your eyebrows or hairline, don't try peeling it off those areas -- yeeowtch! Instead, remove what you can comfortably, and just wash the rest off with water or a washcloth.

Alright, off to enjoy the sunshine and warm weather! (Of which I'd have a great window view, if only all these stacks of papers weren't in the way!) Hope everyone has a splendiferous weekend!



* Okay, let's get real. I'm a grad student who blogs about makeup. Prole is not entirely (or at all) accurate here.