Product Review: Kose Sekkisei Herbal Esthetic Whitening Mask

I recieved the Kose Sekkisei Herbal Esthetic Whitening Mask in a skincare gift set from a great friend, and have been using it for about a month now. I can say that I am absolutley beyond impressed with this skin whitening mask! It is easily the best mask designed to lighten/brighten skin instantly IMO and I've been itching to put out a review for it.

After having a less than satisfactory experience with the Mario Badescu Whitening Mask, I kind of lost hope in commerical masks that were targeted for brightening and lightening. I turned to DIY masks like yogurt, Vitamin C and niacinamide (which are all very effective and awesome, but sometimes it's nice to have a ready-made product that has intensive skin lightening extracts in it just there for you to use, without doing any extra work or clean up).

I've tried other products in the Kose line, and have always felt that they were fantastic skin brighteners. Probably better than most US-brand or European-brand skin brighteners. After using a trial sized sample of their Sekkisei Herbal Esthetic Whitening Mask, I am hooked for life.

The mask is creamy in texture and suppresses melanin with a concentrated blend of herbal extracts (there are A LOT) that are proven to lighten skin. The high potency of the extracts, combined with the pore penetrating abilities of alcohol allow for intensified results. Skin is left silky smooth, refined, even-toned, instantly brighter, and dark spots/freckles are significantly lighter and softer looking.

The first thing I liked about this mask is that it came with a spatula. If you've read some of my past posts about products that come in jars you know about the sanitary and product spoiling issues that can occur when constantly dipping fingers in the product. So having a spatula allowed for easy application and sanitation.

I love the texture of the mask, it isn't clay-based like the Mario Badescu Whitening Mask, instead it's thick and creamy and perfect for winter. Even with the alcohol content in the mask (which there is nothing wrong with. There is a huge misconception that alcohol is bad for your skin, it is not, it's great for oily, combination and acne prone skin types and acts as a penetration enhancer) my skin was never dried out with this, and it seemed to balance everything out.

Now time to get into the skin lightening aspect of it (which is the most important part). I applied the mask over a clean, dry face in the morning (it can be used day or night, but I prefer to use it during the day since the results are so instant and they last throughout the day). Kose recommends applying a thin layer via spatula and massaging gently over your face (micro circulation reasons). You can leave the mask on for however long you wish (it states a few minutes), I left it on for 15 minutes while doing other things (checking e-mails etc.) After the 15 minutes, I rinsed off with warm water, massaging the mask away with my fingertips and then finally splashing with cool water a couple of times.

Once towel-dried, my skin looked even better than it did after using my super simplistic niacinamide mask. I was astounded at how radiant and even my skin looked. This was after the first application on New Years day (lol). My skin was looking dull from the night before, and just instantly got brighter and it seemed to kind of soften/fade out any imperfections.

I've been using it for the entire month of January and I am convinced this product has made my skin as glowing and bright as it is now. The compliments I get on the days I use this speak for itself. This mask alone has made my skin about a little more than a half a shade lighter. That is a lot coming from a mask and in only 4 weeks.

I think this is the perfect skin brightening and skin lightening mask (I consider it both, since it brightens and lightens). It is ideal for maintenance. Since I pretty much have gotten to my goal skin tone on my face, this product is just a perfect maintenance for me. It's also very beneficial for people who need that glow and instant bright, light radiance for an event. Heck this would be an amazing mask to use on the day of a wedding for a luminous, even toned glow. I assure you people will comment or at least think in their minds (lol) what even-toned, radiant skin you have. It's really good and I am very pleased with it

The Kose Sekkisei Herbal Esthetic Whitening Mask comes in a 150 ml/5 oz jar with a spatula. I checked online and discovered it's a little pricey, but I am a firm believer in return on investment and believe that it's worth it. Most online sites sell it for about $53.00

Here's an Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/Kose-Sekkisei-Herbal-Esthetic-Whitening/dp/B000FDVPMO

If you really are interested in energizing your skin care regimen, and you got the funds to get this I really recommend it. This is a skin lightening/brightening mask that actually has an effect on the skin and I just recieved my full-sized jar from ebay on Monday.

=)

Rating: 9/10

Ingredients:
Water (Aqua), Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Alcohol, PPG 10 Methyl Glucose Ether, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Hydrogenated Castor Oil Stearate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil (Meadowfoam), Acorus Calamus Root Extract, Angelica Acutiloba Root Extract, Citrus Junos Fruit Extract, Coix Lacryma Jobi Seed Extract (Job's Tears), Malva Sylvestris Extract (Mallow), Melothria Heterophylla Extract, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Poria Cocos Root Extract, Prunus Persica Leaf Extract (Peach), Urtica Dioica Extract (Nettle), Acrylates C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Acrylates/Steareth 20 Methacrylate Copolymer, Cellulose Gum, Cetearyl Alcohol, Citric Acid, Di C12-15 Pareth-8 Phosphate, Dimethicone, Dipentaerythrityl Hexahydroxystearate/Hexastearate/Hexarosinate, Disodium EDTA, Disodium Phosphate, PEG 60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Polysorbate 80, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Talc, Triceteareth 4 Phosphate, Triethanolamine, Methylparaben, Fragrance (Parfum), Caramel, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891)