Sulwhasoo Snowise EX Brightening Mask Review
I don’t really know why, but this summer my obsession with kbeauty got reignited once again after laying dormant for a couple of years. Last week I posted two wordy reviews of my latest Amorepacific tryouts, and today I want to talk about Sulwhasoo Snowise EX Brightening Mask. It’s one of my favorite sheet masks ever and yet I never talked about it [mostly because it’s so darn expensive].
Truth is, sheet masks are actually fairly unnecessary as far as skincare routine goes. Yes, they are designed to give instant gratification in the form of plump and hydrated skin appearance, but if you already have a solid beauty routine, you probably don’t even need to use them since the skin is already in its optimal state. Realistically speaking, most of us don’t quite have our routines all figured out though, so occasional masks provide a nice quick boost.
Why am I saying all this? Well, here’s the thing. Most sheet masks don’t seem to deliver results beyond the initial temporary cooling effect and increased hydration, regardless of what it says on the label [it’s really not that big of a deal, hydration is still very important to all skin types]. Which is why it’s shocking to me when a mask does what it says it would, and in this case – brightening.
Sulwhasoo does it all the time with their popular product lines, and since the Snowise collection, in particular, has its own fan club, the brand also released Sulwhasoo Snowise EX Brightening Mask ($130 for 10pc) as a complementing treatment. Each mask is soaked in Snowise Brightening Serum, and the specially designed bio-pulp sheet helps enhance the absorption of active ingredients, making the serum even more effective. It adheres like second skin, and actually feels very skin-like to touch as well.
Sulwhasoo Snowise EX Brightening Mask (in use)
Guys, the effect on my face is instant with this mask. I swear, it gets like half a tone brighter right away! I save the remaining liquid from the pack and use it for the next couple of days, too, because there’s no reason to waste that perfectly good serum. It has a runny gel-milk texture and absorbs without feeling sticky, so at one point I even considered splurging on a bottle of Snowise serum, since my combination skin seems to like that consistency. I won’t lie, I hate how expensive the mask is for being a single-use product, but I will continue splurging on these while looking for a more affordable alternative on the side. I’ll let you know if I find anything, but so far nothing I tried even came close. 🙁
After 30 minutes of wearing Sulwhasoo Snowise EX Brightening Mask my skin is looking brighter. I am still dealing with pigmentation, but it’s slowly fading and hopefully, the discolored areas will be mostly invisible after a few months of targeted brightening products.
The ingredient list is music to my ears. It has all the hanbanging ginseng, flower, and root extracts that I love about Korean skincare pretty high up on the list, along with brightening Niacinamide and even honey. However, keep in mind that the mask contains added fragrance and drying alcohol, but neither seems to bother me personally in this particular formulation.
Ingredients: Water, Butylene Glycol, Dipropylene Glycol, Alcohol, Diethoxyethyl Succinate, Oldenlandia Diffusa Extract, Niacinamide, Paeonia Albiflora Root Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract, Polygonatum Officinale Rhizome/Root Extract, Lilium Candidum Bulb Extract, Rehmannia Glutinosa Root Extract, Honey, Hydrolyzed Ginseng Saponins (Hydrolyzed White Ginseng Saponins), Panex Ginseng Root Extract, Morus Alba Root Extract, Glycerin, Glyceryl Caprylate, Dimethicone, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Methoxy Peg-114/Polyepsilon Caprolactone, Behenyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sodium Methyl Stearoyl Taurate, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Stearyl Behenate, Carbomer, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Caprylyl Glycol, Trehalose, Polyglyceryl-10 Pentastearate, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Polysorbate 20, Peg-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Disodium Edta, Potassium Hydroxide, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance.
BOTTOM LINE:
Sulwhasoo Snowise EX Brightening Mask is an absolutely incredible product. It’s not a basic mask at all, and everything about it feels like a luxury: the packaging, the skin-mimicking pulp sheet, the essence, and the instant results it delivers. It makes my skin look beautiful, and I am someone who is super self-critical and self-conscious about every enlarged pore or any tiny acne scar. Just like with budget-friendly brands, luxury products have their hits and misses, and I’ve experienced a lot of misses among expensive sheet masks – they often don’t feel special to warrant the price hike. I strongly support this one though, and to me, it has been worth the money. Do I wish it didn’t cost so much? You bet. But it’s one of the most effective sheet masks I’ve ever used, in fact, I bet if I graded all of my favorites objectively, Sulwhasoo Snowise EX Brightening Mask would come up on top. Love it!
I hope you enjoyed my Sulwhasoo Snowise EX Brightening Mask review! I know it turned out to be super gushy, but I am just truly excited about this mask, as I am about any product that actually works. Let me know how you like it if you end up giving it a try!
*The mask photographed for this review was gifted by the brand, but I usually purchase these with my own money.
