- - Product Review | Montagne Jeunesse | Dead Sea Mud Tired Skin Reviving Face Masque For Men - -

Hi everyone! Happy Wednesday!

Remember that men's face masque that I received in my April Vegan Cuts Beauty Box? Now I typically don't do individual product reviews, but I thought it might be fun to do one for this mask since I ended up listening to the consensus in the comments and trying it out for myself.

Check out the full review after the jump...

Q & A

Can women use face masks intended for men?

Although I don't think there are any official scientific studies out there, a quick and totally unscientific Google search will tell you that yes, women can use face masks that are intended for men. In the few links that are available about the topic, it appears that the main difference between the masks lies in the scent - masks for men have more of a "manly" scent while their female counterparts are claimed to have a more floral scent.

As simple as this explanation may be, the issue is actually a little more complicated than that. Men's skin is fundamentally different from women's. You can check out some great articles about this topic here and here. In short, there are four main differences - facial hair, collagen density, thickness of skin, and hydration (hint - men have more of each). You can find out more about each difference in the articles I've linked. In short though - men are less likely to benefit from the grooming products of women than vice versa. 

"Mask" vs. "masque": what is the correct spelling?

Just putting this out there - have you ever wondered about this? I have, so I finally decided to look into the issue. At their core, "mask" and "masque" both mean the same thing, which is "a covering for the face, and related senses" (Oxford English Dictionary). However, the latter is the French spelling and it typically has connotations linked to the theatrical realm and Modern English "court entertainment" (source). In the world of cosmetics, it appears that either spelling is correct (just depends of how fancy you want to sound, I guess!).

Packaging & Product

I find the picture intriguing and hilarious - does the mask feel as enjoyable as this man is making it look??

This mask is vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free. It also great for combination and normal skin.

Remember how I said that masks for men are supposedly distinct in terms of their "manly" smell? Well, when I opened up this package I realized that this product smells better than any masks I've ever gotten that were for women! It's got a nice fragrance that kind of reminds me of a very pleasant air freshener - the kind that has a hint of citrus as well as something else I can't quite put my finger on.

The texture is very soft and you can see that it's quite mud-like. It's very easy to apply evenly. As I started putting the mixture onto my face, I noticed that there were little clumps forming all over. You can actually see the same thing happening to the texture of the mask that is modelled on the package. For the most part, these clumps don't affect the results/drying time at all.

Time Lapse

I tried this mask on two separate occasions (there was enough mixture in the package for two masks). The pictures and the time indicated on the clock are from the first occasion and the time in the description is what I paid attention to the second time around. Also, I realize that I didn't cover my face as evenly as I wanted to, but I will fully explain to you why this had to be so in a little bit.

A gif to give you a brief overview

I don't actually have a picture of what the mask looks like before it starts to dry mostly because - let me tell you - there's barely any time to take a photo since the drying starts almost immediately after you've finished putting it on. The picture above was taken about a 2 minutes after I finished putting the mask on.

There was about a 3-4 minute time lapse between me finishing the mask and the picture you see above. Of course, the places where you put the least amount of the mixture will dry quicker than anywhere else.

Here is my least favourite part of the whole experience and why I didn't cover my face as evenly or as "nicely" as I wanted to. About 20-30 seconds into putting the mask on (I wasn't even finished!), my face started to BURN. The sensation was quite painful, uncomfortable, and unexpected! I was seriously considering washing everything off when I started to feel it, but I decided to hold on for a few pictures. I have no clue what causes such a strong burning sensation - any ideas?

When I finished putting on the mask at 11:19 am today, it was only at 11:26 am that I felt the pain subside and it no longer outright bothered me. The pain/discomfort wasn't completely gone until it was 11:28 am - I did feel the mask become harder, so there was a bit of tightening. At 11:28 am my mask looked like this:

...it was almost completely dry and there was no longer any burning sensation.

When I checked the time this morning, the mask was completely dry by 11:36am. Again, drying time solely depends on how much of the mixture you layer on, but you are looking at about 10-15 minutes of drying time for this mask.

Finally, as it dries, the mask turns from a steel grey to a lighter grey. If you purposely shake your head, you'll see tiny pieces of debris falling off from the mask (if you don't, then I guess you wont...haha).

 

The mask when completely dry

When the mask has dried, there is a faint hint of the original scent - though the scent was weak and it no longer smelled like it had originally.

Results

After washing the mask off, my face felt pretty soft, clean, and refreshed. I usually put moisturizer on throughout the day and after this mask I felt that my face was hydrated enough to skip this part for the day. This mask is advertised as being for "tired skin" and I feel like the burning sensation definitely takes care of waking up both you and your skin! (It's most certainly not intended to be like this)

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All in all, I enjoyed this mask despite the burning sensation. It was definitely easier the second time around to have it on since I knew what to expect. Having said that, would I go out to buy this mask or other face masks meant for men? Probably not. I definitely wouldn't shy away from trying this mask (or any other ones that came my way) if I got it in a box again though.

If you are interested in purchasing the Montagne Jeunesse Dead Sea Mud Tired Skin Reviving Face Masque for men, you can find it on the brand website for £1.00 / $1.70 US / $1.84 CAD. You should also be able to find it on Amazon, eBay, at Walmart, and quite possibly in a grocery/drug store near you! 

Have you ever tried a men's face mask before? I'd love to hear about your experience!

-Thank you for reading! -A.~