Don't use it and go! (Montagne Jeunesse Face Tonic)

Member Name: sunmeilan

Product:	Montagne Jeunesse Face Tonic
Date:	29/03/07 (531 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Leaves skin refreshed and smooth...eventually

Disadvantages: My skin was bright red for an hour or so after use

I do look after my skin pretty well on the whole, but with a presentation to give the next day, I thought I could do with a bit of a boost before facing the enemy. I had picked up this face tonic from Boots a day or two before, so was well-prepared.

The product
I was familiar with the brand name, probably because of having previously read reviews on this site, but had never actually used it myself. However, I was happy enough to give it a try, especially as a sachet was only 95p.

I knew that the tonic was going to be orange-scented, but I hadn’t really read the sachet instructions before I opened it and presumed it would be in the format of a spreadable face mask. Therefore I was surprised to find something that felt like one of those wet hand towels you get in restaurants. When I opened it up, I realised that it had been cut into the shape of a face with spaces for the eyes and nose and was pre-soaked in some kind of lotion. The cloth was pale orange in colour with pictures of orange slices in a darker orange all over it. The smell was very fresh and orangey.

The claim
Although the sachet was covered in writing, there wasn’t much in the way of English. However, the general gist was that if you are late for a very important date, this energises the skin and is ideal for a quick fix.

Using it
The mask was cut a little too large for my face and I ended up having a narrow section covering my hair and another section that I had to tuck in under my chin. Not having read the instructions carefully, I didn’t immediately realise that I was supposed to cut out the mouth area and stick the strip over my nose before applying the rest of the mask. Once I’d done that with a pair of scissors (the cloth is too tough to just tear it by hand), I was all ready to go.

The cloth was very moist and felt cold against my skin, but it didn’t drip down my neck, nor was it uncomfortably cold. The instructions said to leave it for 5-10 minutes; as I believe in getting my money’s worth, I left it on for about 10 minutes, then used the cloth to wipe the rest of the lotion into my face and splash with cold water.

The results
When I first looked in the mirror, I was absolutely horrified. Where the mask had been (and bear in mind that it has bits cut out of it to fit around the face), my skin was absolutely bright red and looked ridiculous against the rest of my skin. I was really surprised because there was no burning sensation, rather the opposite.

Frantic at the idea of having to give a presentation with a face that was patchily red, I splashed it with more cold water – it was still bright red. I then decided to leave it for an hour or so to calm down. Thankfully, when I looked again an hour later, it had returned to its normal colour and actually felt beautifully smooth and taut, without being too dry.

I applied some moisturising lotion and went to bed. By the next morning, my skin did look really good, very healthy without being too red.

Conclusion
Although the results were good, I can’t really given this product more than three stars. Firstly and most importantly, I don’t see how it can be marketed as a quick fix when it left my skin in the state that it did. Anyone using it just before a date could be in for a big shock. Looking at the packet afterwards, it did recommend doing a skin test on the inside of the arm beforehand, but I have never done so with any other skin product and I have never had a problem before. My skin is certainly not sensitive. I'd certainly advise anyone else to test a patch of skin first.

Secondly, I prefer to use a product that I can spread over my neck and the top of my chest rather than just my face. Although there was some spare cloth to tuck under my chin, it was nowhere near enough.

Thirdly, I felt that the cloth didn’t stick to my face as much as a spreadable face mask would have done and I had to keep pressing it down against my skin. This didn’t help with the patchiness once I took the mask off.

If this was the only face mask that I could get my hands on, I would consider using it again, simply because it did eventually leave my skin looking good and it is a relatively good price. Otherwise, I will look out for another product next time.

Summary: Make sure you test it first!