I like seeing results right away. Who doesn’t? This is exactly my story with the Guerlain Abeille Royale (“Royal Bee”) Repairing Honey Gel Mask ($167 CDN). I guarantee that it will be love at first application especially for dry or dehydrated skin in need of repair. Using royal jelly and a gel-like texture, this honey mask promises to “help skin recover density and plumpness week after week”. Among many other benefits, royal jelly has been shown to increase collagen production leading to skin with an increase in firmness! Again, who doesn’t want that?!
Let’s talk packaging. Guerlain, you never cease to amaze me with your incredibly luxurious packaging! The shape of the glass jar is reminiscent of the hexagon of a honeycomb with an embossed honeybee at the top. The shine from the lid also made it incredibly difficult to photograph, but this really does look amazing in person.
At first, I was puzzled as to what this could possibly be, but then I realized it was a Guerlain-embossed plastic spatula. Wow, every step of this honey mask is pure luxury!
The consistency of this mask is almost better than honey. It feels silky and is not sticky at all. It is also scented like fragrant honey with a bit of a floral touch.
Use: 1-2x/week. Morning or at night after cleansing.
Final Verdict: Within the first application, my skin felt better. It really did feel more plump while I was wearing it. The mask texture itself is ridiculously thick and hydrating, but doesn’t sit on top of your skin. It almost melts right in. There is also oat extract to soothe skin as well as other anti-aging players such as Vitamin E and hyaluronic acid. This can be wiped off with toner, but I loved the immediate plumping effect so much that I have been using it as a sleeping mask.
Over time, skin is supposed to be more plump as it recovers its density. At the age of 31, I haven’t lost much “density” yet, so I doubt there is much to recover at this point, but what I can attest to is the immediate “filling” effect I felt in my skin. It’s like I grew a few additional layers of stratum corneum! I don’t know what other way to describe it! My skin felt almost cushioned while wearing this honey mask and although I have only been using it for 2 weeks, I wonder what my skin will be like in 6 weeks!
The price. This is a skincare splurge FOR SURE. With this type of pricing, I can’t comfortably say that everyone needs this repairing mask. $167 can go a long way and for those whose skin concerns are not anti-aging and repair, this is a mask that you can probably pass on. If you are a bit of a skincare junkie, like myself, you can probably rationalize this purchase in a number of different ways. So far, evaluating this product just on claims alone, the Abeille Royale Repairing Honey Gel Mask is definitely luxurious from beginning to end from packaging to skin experience.
VIB week starts today so maybe THIS is the time to spurge? Guerlain Skincare be found at Sephora and Shoppers Drug Mart.
PR sample sent for review.
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