Don't worry - you won't want to eat it, whatever they claim! (Montagne Jeunesse White Chocolate Masque)

Member Name: steedandpeel

Product:	Montagne Jeunesse White Chocolate Masque
Date:	21/08/09 (139 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Price, texture, cleansing, softening

Disadvantages: Drying, not the smell I was expecting

Whenever I'm in Superdrug stocking up on beauty essentials, I often purchase a face mask from Montagne Jeunesse. They're cheap and cheerful and a nice little beauty treat. I've tried the chocolate one - although I like it, I didn't like the mess it made as the chocolate colour got all over the bathroom and stained my white flannel. So when I saw the white chocolate mask, I thought I'd found the perfect little luxury treat!

Just as a little aside, I'm going to be refering to this item as a face 'mask' rather than a face 'masque' as Montagne Jeunesse term it. I think this is deeply pretentious, when the word mask is fine!

I think I paid about 80p for one sachet. You can find them cheaper in some retailers, but I've never paid more than £1 for them. Often the sachets are available in a bogof or 3 for the price of 2 deals, so if you're a fan, it's worth stocking up.

The face mask comes in a foil packet with a perforated edge, similar to all face masks in thier range. I've always found they are easy to open, which is great as usually you have wet hands in the bathroom! The instructions and the extensive list of ingredients are written on the back. The instructions are really just simple drawing showing you to wash your face, apply the mask, relax for 20 mins and wash off - simple really.

I washed my face in preparation and opened the packet. The first thing I noticed was the face mask itself. It was a quite creamy consistency and relatively thick, in a slightly off-white colour. It oozed out of the packet easily ready for application.

However, the second thing I noticed was the smell. Far from the gorgeous smell it proclaims to have, I found it was quite medicinal, almost with a touch of surgical spirit about it. It smelt quite chemically; although it was not unpleasant, it certainly wasn't the delicious white chocolate smell that the packet warns you not to eat.

Anyway, I applied the cream to my face and neck, regardless of the smell. The thick texture of the cream means that it doesn't fall off whilst it's drying. I never use a whole packet of Montagne Jeunesse face masks - I don't put it on as thickly as it is shown on the packet, so I usually get two applications, making it even better value. Even though I apply it thinly, I don't feel like I'm losing quality or effectiveness by doing so.

The packet instructs you to 'relax' for 15 to 20 minutes. Well I don't do that - I hate sitting in the bath, 'relaxing'! Instead I decided to have a shower, shave my legs, file my nails etc - you may as well use your time efficiently, even when it comes to beauty! After 20 minutes, the mask was starting to dry, but had not completely dried out. However, I was eager to get on with my evening so I washed it off, using my usual gel face wash and my flannel. I'm please to report that the white chocolate face mask does not stain your flannel - a definite benefit when compared to the normal chocolate version.

My face felt very clean and soft after I'd cleaned it. However, it also felt quite dry and taught. I put on my normal moisturiser, which is relatively light as it's summer. However, this absorbed into my skin faster than usual, so I put on a second application of moisturiser - my skin still felt slightly dry. I wondered whether the dryness was due to the chemicals that were making the medicinal smell...

I checked the ingredients list on the packet. To my surprise, the list was mainly natural beauty products, including clay, cocoa, shea butter, almond oil, carrot oil, sugar and soya oil. I was very confused as the smell doesn't reflect the products.

So to summarise, the good points about this product were the price, the easy opening packaging, the texture and consistency and the fact it left my skin feeling very soft and clean. However, I was not as happy with the drying sensation and with the smell. I would use it again, but not in preference to some of the other Montagne Jeunesse face masks, which are less drying and more fragrant!

Summary: A good little beauty treat, but the smell was not as good as I would have liked