You know, it’s one of those days on which you didn’t go to bed late, but you were so obsessed with the book you’re reading that by the time you went to sleep, it was already way into the wee hours. One of those days that by 6:30, your cats deemed you had had enough sleep, and they started meowing out of hunger/boredom. One of those days that you wake up, look at yourself in the mirror, and think you suddenly look 5 years older.
Now what do you do? I know what I will do. I will reach out for my pot of KenzoKi Belle de Jour White Lotus Mask.
Growing up in Taiwan, some of my best summer memories involve lotus. The botanical garden in Taipei has a big lotus pond, and it is an amazing sight when the flower is in bloom.
Not only is lotus beautiful, it is also extremely useful. The roots and seeds are edible (I love the roots because they’re crunchy), and the leaves can be used for many different purposes. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the KenzoKi Belle de Jour line (literally means beauty of the day), as it is inspired by white lotus.
Now, according to Kenzo, white lotus is not your average lotus (which, now come to think of it, I have almost never seen in person). Kenzo cultivates white lotus in the southern Chinese province of Zhejiang (it is a bit further south than Shanghai). The mask is supposed to have three effects, including the pleasure effect (according to Kenzo, pleasure is a source of beauty), the bubble effect (it protects the skin from the harm of stress and tension), and the wake up call effect (it stimulates cellular regeneration and illuminates the face). A wake up call? Sure sounds good to me!
The Belle de Jour White Lotus Mask comes with a brush, which I think is a genius idea. It is not only more hygienic, it also prevents the mask from being heated up with fingertips. It is always a pleasant experience slathering it on my face (though slathering it on is more of a figure of speech. A thin layer will do, as the little instruction booklet says).
This is how the mask looks straight out of the pot and smoothed out on the back of my hand:
When Kenzo says there is a pleasure effect, they mean it! The smell of this mask is flowery, calming, and beautiful. The texture is not very oily or heavy either. I actually think it’s as bouncy as a mousse! After I put it on, I have 10 minutes to stumble around the house, put my mocha pot on the stove and so on. It is supposed to be removed with a moist cotton pad. I personally like to soak a cotton pad in my toner for the job. After I wipe it off, I can see my skin is plump, smooth, and radiant. It doesn’t claim to have an anti-aging effect, but it certainly takes the 5 years sleep deprivation adds to my skin away!
The only drawback of this product is the price. A 50ml pot retails for 115.70 euros here. *gulps* I understand this is not the price range that most people can impulsively splurge on. However, just as I cannot recommend something sub-par just because it is cheap, I cannot NOT recommend something good because the price tag is big. I can tell you that jar will likely last you a long time if you use it a couple of times a week, and I will leave the purchase decision to you!
Have you tried anything from Kenzoki? Have you heard about it at all? What’s your favorite hydrating mask?
Sunny, your beauty culture translator xx
PS: 50ml of KenzoKi Belle de Jour White Lotus Mask retails for 115.70 euros exclusively at ICI PARIS XL. Here is the ingredient list if you would like to see it:
EDIT: The price on the ICI PARIS XL shop is actually 84.29 euros, which is significantly lower than what is listed on the PR info I received. Now let’s rejoice!
Disclosure: The product mentioned in this review is sent by the PR for my consideration. All opinions are honest and my own. I am in no way compensated for this review. I have always been, and will always be committed ONLY to my readers.
