SHEET MASK | Guerlain Abeille Royale Honey Cataplasm Mask

 

Purchased by me

Merry Christmas everyone! Had I planned wisely, I would have a Christmas-themed sheet mask for today, but instead I will provide so holiday sparkle with my most expensive mask in my current collection! While most of my sheet masks are in the more reasonable price range of $5-$15, occasionally I like to dabble in the "exquisite" and one of the masks that has been on my wishlist for years has been the Guerlain Abeille Royale Honey Cataplasm Mask. With its $159 price tag for a box of four masks, you can see what I have been holding off on this purchase! I finally decided to take the plunge during this Fall's Sephora VIB Rouge event and grab a box! 

What makes this mask special? Other than the fact that this is a mask from a luxury brand, there is honey and royal jelly in the essence which we all know is very healing to the skin. This mask is also made of biocellulose that is derived from fermenting bacteria derived from kombucha vs. the conventional coconut fermentation. This new method of producing biocellulose is up to 7x finer than plant-derived biocellulose, yet provides similar results. I definitely noticed that the mask was thinner than I was expecting (I was expecting For Beloved One level thickness for the price!), but apparently this is what Guerlain intended! 

Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Mel (Honey), Pentylene Glycol, Propanediol, Caprylic/Capric/Succinic Triglyceride, Maltitol, Peg-8, Royal Jelly, Hdi/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Parfum (Fragrance), Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Ppg-26-Buteth-26, Chlorphenesin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Citrate, Phenoxyethanol, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Hydrolyzed Soy Flour, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate, Citric Acid, Malva Sylvestris (Mallow) Extract, Limonene, Silica, Benzyl Salicylate, Sodium Hydroxide, Geraniol, Hydroxycitronellal, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Citronellol, Linalool, Citral, BHT, Tocopherol

I love that even the pattern on the box has little honeycomb shapes embossed on it! 

Mask Summary:

Price: $159 CDN/Box of 4

Skin concerns: Dryness, dullness, instant plumping

Scent: Floral honey characteristic of Guerlain's Abeille Royale collection that does not fade over time.

Essence Type: Cream 

Duration: 15 minutes (I did around 25 minutes, but maybe 15 would have been better as the mask tore apart when I removed it)

Thickness: Thin

Mask Fit: Better than a fabric sheet mask in the sense that the biocellulose fits perfectly around facial contours, but when compared to other biocellulose masks, not so great. I did not like the little tab at the top that went into my hair and I found the nose and chin area to be challenging to fit to my face.

Tackiness: Light to medium, but it absorbs after about 1-2 hours.

Hydration: Once the essence absorbs, skin is actually so soft and hydrated! I did not need to moisturize after this mask.

Other notes: N/A

Final verdict: Initially, I was expecting the mask to be somewhat lackluster because of how thin the biocellulose was, but I think the essence being cream also helped with how nice my skin felt upon removal. For the price, I highly doubt I will be buying these again as I really do prefer a thicker biocellulose that doesn't tear as easily and can be left on for 30 minutes without drying out. I also felt the fragrance was pretty intense and as someone who doesn't mind scent, even I found it overwhelming at the beginning. Results were good though, so if you are looking to add a little fanciness to your skincare routine (or someone else's!) these Guerlain masks will NOT disappoint! 

You can find the Guerlain Abeille Royale Honey Cataplasm Mask at www.sephora.com and www.guerlain.com