Shiseido Pure Retinol Express Smoothing Eye Mask

Shiseido Pure Retinol Express Smoothing Eye Mask

When it comes to aging, I have no problems with it whatsoever. I love getting older and I’m also lucky enough to have my mom’s genes, whose skin is still pretty much wrinkle-free.

 I also have a baby face, so whenever I don’t wear makeup, people tend to think I’m 15 years old. Every time I get asked to show my ID when ordering a glass of wine at a restaurant, it puts the biggest smile on my face. First signs of aging definitely tend to show around around our eye-area, and even though I don’t have any “real” wrinkles yet, I did notice that the skin under my eyes isn’t as smooth and plump as it used to.

As much as I love skincare, I’ve never tried an eye mask- this is probably because I simply didn’t feel the need to use one. For the past couple of months, however, I’ve been dealing with some under-eye dryness and these tiny “crinkles” in my inner corners. Few weeks a go, I started using these Pure Retinol Express Smoothing Eye Mask sheets from Shiseido ($63.00). They come in a box with 12 packets, each containing 2 sheets- one for each eye.

“These eye masks work to dramatically reduce the appearance of wrinkles in the eye area in as little as 15 minutes. While brightening and minimizing dark circles, they plump the skin with hydration and refine texture for softer, smoother, healthier-looking skin.

Pure Retinol Micro-Infusion technology penetrates skin instantly to smooth away the look of wrinkles. The mask conforms to skin to seal in essence and refine texture for 24-hour hydration. It also features Benefiance’s powerful WrinkleResist technology to prevent new wrinkle formation and help treat existing wrinkles.”

Why I like it:

-surprisingly, these feel comfortable when applied. Whenever I use face sheet masks, I feel really uncomfortable, itchy, my skin feels very wet and sticky. These don’t feel sticky or overly moist, but at the same time they stay in place for full 15 minutes.
-the size. These were a bit larger than I thought: from my inner corner to almost touching the tail of my brow. This means that it treats inner corner crinkling as well as crow’s feet and under-eye wrinkles.
-instant results
-the serum in which these are soaked is amazing. I can see and feel a difference right after using these: my under-eye skin feels and looks smooth and is hydrated and plump.
-with pretty much every eye skincare product, my skin tends to burn that’s why I was a bit hesitant about trying these (the skin around my eyes is really sensitive, sometimes even applying concealer irritates it). This is why I was so happy when I didn’t experience any redness, itching or burning.

What I don’t like:

-the only downside to this product that I can think of is probably the price: $63.00 for a pack of 12 x 2 sheets or $17.50 for a pack of 3 x 2 sheets. But if you can afford it, I say try it!
-I wasn’t even going to mention this, because in a beauty product world this is something that we’re certainly used to by now, but the name “pure retinol” can be a bit misleading. This isn’t formulated with a whole lot of retinol, which doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a bad product (sort of like “Macadamia and Jojoba Oil Cleansing Oil” situation, where the main ingredient is mineral oil).

I don’t have any crow’s feet or under-eye wrinkles, but I do have this inner corner crinkling which is driving me crazy! I did notice that this eye mask helps with making them less visible. Now, as far as long-term results, I’m not sure if the formula contains enough retinol to actually make a lasting difference (retinol appears somewhere in the middle of listed ingredients) but I’m not complaining since I love to use these as sort an instant fix and let’s face it; there isn’t a magical product that will suddenly diminish all wrinkles. Other active ingredients are water-binders that provide temporary plumpness and hydration. This definitely brings “express” results so I think that these are really nice to use before special occasion, etc.

Do you guys use eye masks?