review: ole henriksen blue/black berry enzyme mask

Ole Henriksen is a brand I am fairly new to seeing as I have only tried out two products: the Enlighten Me Skin Tone Corrector and, the topic of this post, the Blue/Black Berry Enzyme Mask. The brand's philosophy focuses on simple, effective, and safe formulas where they strive to incorporate natural extracts into the products. Ole believes in the "less is more" ideal which is something I really appreciate.

This mask claims to hydrate and renew the skin while also gently smoothing out and relieving skin stress. The main ingredients advertised are hyaluronic acid to bind moisture, lavender extract to act as an anti-inflammatory agent, & of course blue/black berry extract to oxygenate and refine skin texture. Here is the full ingredients list:

INGREDIENTS:
Water (Aqua), Glycereth-7, Glycerin, Polysorbate 20, Carbomer, Vaccinium Angustifolium (Blueberry) Fruit Extract Rubus Villosus (Blackberry) Fruit Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Papain, Sodium PCA, Allantoin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Panthenol, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Triethanolamine

I had never heard anyone ever talk about this mask which was one of the main reasons I was interested in buying it. The description and ingredients sounded promising and the little reviews I did read raved about the scent. So how does this mask fare?

The texture of this mask is a clear gel. I was expecting the scent to be fruity but it distinctly smells like lavender. It isn't bothersome to me but if you hate the scent of lavender you could give it a whiff in store as a test since it does linger while on your face. I apply a thin layer all over my face and upper neck and let it rest for about 20 minutes. The effect at first is cooling, but not the same sensation as menthol. More like if you constantly had cool water caressing your face. It is very pleasant.

During the 20 minutes this sits on the face, it does not harden. After the 20 minutes are up, there is still gel residue on my face but the amount is significantly reduced since some of the ingredients soaked into the skin. I tend to know when to rinse this off once I don't feel the cooling sensation anymore. One thing I absolutely love about this mask is that it is a breeze to rinse off since it is just a gel.

The after effects of this mask are soft, refreshed skin. My skin absolutely loves this stuff. It immediately feels and looks fresher, cleaner and well rested. When I first used this I was so amazed on how my skin reacted to it that I thought it was a fluke. I have since then repeated many rounds with this and have had the same results each time. A real winner!

OVERALL:
This is a wonderful mask that refreshes, plumps out and freshens up the skin. It is gentle enough that it doesn't irritate yet it is effective to the point where I see immediate results of well rested skin after removal. I can't think of a single negative aspect of this mask unless you hate the scent of lavender since it lingers during wear. All skin types would benefit. I definitely plan to repurchase once I run out so my skin always has this pick-me-up ready.

Have you tried this mask? I really recommend you check it out if you haven't. Ole Henriksen, you are two for two. What else to try...