Product Review: Shills Moisturing & Whitening Cold Gel Mask

It's a lovely lazy Sunday~ And I'm back with another review! It's another one of Shills product that were given to us at the Shills event with Judy Lin. I've previously reviewed their Pore Minimizer Clarifying Toner here, and now it's time for the cold gel mask!

The product size is surprisingly generous -- 150ml in a huge tub. I recommend putting it in your refrigerator for maximum comfort when applying.

And of course, not forgetting the information and ingredients list:

And that means, google time! (Skip the next section if you want~ It's my personal hobby to google everything~)

The top three ingredients should be familiar to most people. Glycerine softens your skin and is also highly hygroscopic (meaning it absorbs moisture from air), whereas Sodium Hyaluronate, when applied topically, reaches deep into your dermis to combine with and maintain moisture. Quick fact: Sodium Hyaluronate (which has a smaller molecular size than Hyaluronic acid) can hold up to 1000 times its own weight in water.

Most of the other ingredients are stabilizers, preservatives, etc (carbopol is a carbomer and it acts as a thickener; triethanolamine is a emulsifier and pH balancer; etc). But I found an interesting ingredient! Trehalose is a naturally occurring saccharides present in a wide variety of plant-life. In nature, the presence of trehalose is one of the reasons why plants and animals 'revive' even after entering cryptobiosis. (Water bears and sea monkeys, for example.) 

The last ingredient, which is really a mouthful, is actually licorice root extract (yeah, licorice as in that medicinal tasting candy nobody touches during Christmas). It's an excellent skin lightener and brightener though~

The product itself is a thick, clear gel that is cooling to the touch and feels very hydrating. I reckon it'd feel better to the touch if you put it in the fridge. Perfect for a hot day like today.

The excess gel on the tab. The gel is quite thick actually, so a little goes a long way. I put slightly too much for one hand unfortunately.

Application is easy: just slather on a thick layer and leave the mask on for fifteen to twenty minutes. Compared to the Skinfood's Cucumber Mask it's not as soothing and doesn't smell as nice (this doesn't have much of a scent at all), but it retains coolness better and is just as hydrating. Skin feels softer and more hydrated after application, though the whitening effect isn't as obvious.

Overall I think it's a good buy, especially at $28.50 for a huge tub (BeautyBistro's prices). And Singapore's weather is so hot nowadays, there can never be too many cold gel masks!

Texture : ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (Cooling to touch, smooth & thick consistency)
Fragrance: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (Not much smell at all, which can be a good thing)
Hydration: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (Not as rich as the cucumber mask, but pretty good)
Whitening: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ (Didn't really see much of an effect for this)
Overall : ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (It's a pretty good buy~)

Signing off,
Ringo