Veracious Product Review: Eve Lom Rescue Mask

Hi, everyone! Time to review on of the fun, luxe goodies that I picked up at Space.NK during my trip to NYC last month. I'd gone into the shop convinced that they carried Omorovicza, quickly to realize I'd been mistaken. I told the facialist that I'd been in search of Omorovicza's Deep Cleansing Mask, so in its absence she took me eagerly to the Eve Lom section to check out one of the line's best-sellers, the Rescue Mask.

I'd heard a fair amount about Eve Lom in my adventures in the blogosphere, primarily raves about her cult-status Cleanser that apparently revolutionized makeup removal. It's a true classic! The spendy price point of the brand had kept me at bay up until then, but hey, when in NYC... ;)

The Space.NK facialist immediately began to sing the praises of the Rescue Mask, as it's one of the shop's all-time bestsellers. She promised that the mask would deep clean, detoxify, and gently exfoliate the skin without stripping it dry. I was intrigued!

Eve Lom describes the mask as a "weekly complexion booster and emergency treatment for sluggish, stressed out skin" that is designed to cleanse deeply, add radiance, and work as a go-to product when skin is irritated, broken out, or recovering from a late night or one too few hours of sleep (from evelom.com).

This mask is really touted as a panacea. It promises to deep cleanse without stripping skin, decongest and soak up oil, smooth and condition the skin, calm irritation and redness, and soothe puffiness (from evelom.com). An unrealistic concoction of claims? Perhaps, but I was still curious. 

Below is a full list of the mask's ingredients. As you can see, it contains kaolin (to purify, de-puff, and absorb oil), camphor (to decongest skin and keep things feeling cool), honey (to hydrate and condition), and ground almonds (to gently exfoliate). I recognized kaolin as the go-to oil absorber in all clay masks, and I was intrigued by the inclusion of honey- it's supposed to be wonderful for hydration and cleansing! On the other hand, I knew that alcohol and camphor are known skin irritants, and that both had the potential to make my skin a bit cranky. But, my interest remained piqued, so I snagged one up!

The mask comes in both a larger 100mL tub and a smaller 50mL tube. As I was a newbie to the product, I opted for the safer, less expensive, and more portable option.

As you've seen in the previous pictures, the mask came housed in a sleek white cardboard box with the brand's logo on the front, a description, directions, and ingredients on the back, and the name of the product written boldly on the side. The mask itself is contained in a simple white tube with gilded lettering on the front:

The back of the tube also features the instructions, which begin with shaking the tube well (a must, as it tends to separate) and applying a generous layer to cleansed, dry skin. In the photo below, I've squeezed a small amount from the spout of the tube. As you can see, the consistency is thin enough to dispense easily from the tube, but thick enough to not drip instantly:

Here's a full dose (enough to cover my whole face) on the back of my hand. As you can see, it's creamy and clay-based with a light grey hue and small-to-medium almond particles dispersed throughout:

Boo! Heehee... here's me with the mask applied freshly to my face. It spreads quite evenly and looks pretty much white at first:

The instructions say to let the mask work its magic for 20 minutes. After 10 minutes or so, the mask fully dries, making it hard to smile (see below, eek), and leaving a somewhat powdery texture. 

To remove the mask, Eve Lom suggests that you first buff the dry mask in circular motions, then rinse with warm water and a damp muslin cloth. I feared the initial step would be a bit too abrasive on my sensitive skin, so I went straight for a few rinses and light circular swishes with warm water, then removed the rest with damp cotton pads. It washes perfectly clean!

So, I've given you lots of details, except for the most important- how it performs! Check out my pros and cons list below to get the full scoop!

Pros:

• Feels instantly cooling and refreshing on the skin without any annoying tingling or burning
• Rinses totally clean without leaving a greasy residue
• Despite the mask drying tightly, it does not leave skin parched and taut after removing
• Although it contains alcohol and camphor, this does not seem to irritate my skin whatsoever. I've used the mask three times and there have been no instances of burning, itching, or redness
• Leaves skin feeling perfectly cleansed and radiant-looking
• Does a wonderful job at soothing current breakouts
• Makes for an all-around luxurious experience!

Cons:

• Although my skin was luckily spared, this does include ingredients that could irritate sensitive skin
• The almond bits can be a bit harsh, so you have to remove them gently unless you want a more serious scrub
• Tends to make my eyes water slightly- perhaps the camphor?
• Doesn't seem to reduce oil or breakouts in the long-run
• The price. At $50 for a 50mL tube, this is definitely a splurge!

The bottom line? Am I happy I picked up this mask?  Yes! It's a pleasure to use, cleanses without stripping, and soothes and brightens nicely. It really feels like a treat! Would I repurchase this mask? I don't think so. While I have no major qualms with the Rescue Mask, I know there are other fab cleansing masks out there that perform comparably for a fraction of the price. It actually reminds me slightly of The Body Shop's Honey&Oat 3-in-1 Scrub Mask, which I used years ago when I wanted a deep cleanse and gentle scrub. Plus it smells lovely! Think I will pick that one up again when the Rescue Mask is all spent.

Hope you found this review to be helpful! Have you tried any products from Eve Lom? What are your favourite miracle masks?

Thanks for reading! xo