I had wanted to try this mask for ages, but at £30 for 50ml, I wasn't happy to part with my hard-earned pennies until I was sure that it was the product for me. So, I managed to get my hands on this 15ml sample. I have used this about four times so far, suffice to say, the tube s nearly empty. You can probably get about six applications out of this, seven at a push.
Just a little foreword about Ren as a brand, before we move onto the product itself.
All of their products are formulated WITH 100% natural active ingredients, and WITHOUT any parabens, sulfates, petro-chemicals, synthetic dyes/fragrances or phtalates. On top of this, they do not test/have their products tested on animals. With all this in mind, I was already holding Ren pretty high in my estimation, as most of you will know that I am a huge fan of organic skincare, and products which use natural or naturally derived ingredients where possible.
So, what does this product claim to do? Well, it's a potent bio active skin peel mask, designed to improve radiance by renewing the complexion, as well as reducing the appearance of fine lines and combating congestion. Fruit acids from passion fruit, grape, pineapple and lemon, as well as Papain - a bio extract from papaya - to exfoliate the outer layer of skin and encourage cell turnover, are the active ingredients in this skin treat. Do give this one a miss if you've got extremely sensitive skin though, as Ren say that it's probably not the mask for you.
So, first impressions.
The mask is a thick, sort of lumpy consistency, orange in colour, and smells like orange marmalade, or something similar. For me, that's completely fine - it only makes me more aware of all the natural goodies the mask contains, and I love to know that I'm using things like this on my skin, rather than nasty chemicals . Plus, I love the smell of fruit.
(Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of what the mask itself looks like, and the consistency, so please forgive me for using this image from Google, below. I really wanted to show you how it looks, and what to expect.)
To use the mask, you basically apply a generous layer to the skin, (at which point it really does feel like you're slathering on a good coating of sticky marmalade), being sure to avoid the eyes. Leave for ten minutes, and wipe away using a muslin cloth soaked in warm water.
What struck me most about this mask is that, despite being a skin peel, this mask doesn't harden. In fact, it doesn't dry at all. In fact, this is the first skin peel mask I have used where this was the case, and so I was worried it might not do as great a job as I was hoping.
Upon wiping the mask away, I noticed that my skin looked really clean and fresh, but I was just about to go to bed and so chose to reserve judgement until the morning. The next day, my skin was absolutely glowing with health, and my makeup went on a lot smoother than normal, the radiance showing through. I can't really vouch for it's affect on fine lines, as the only ones I have are around my eyes, and obviously these were left free from the mask.
I'm not going to say that this is a miracle worker, but it does do the job. It perks up my skin, and is a pleasure to use if, like me, you like the smell of fruit! I've been using this mask once a week, and am planning on buying the full-size version once I run out.
Have you tried anything from Ren? What did you think?
xx
