This Tatcha Kissu Lip mask has been on my list to try for a while now and I decided now was the time. Now we all know, I love my lip products. And lip masks are one of my absolute favorite ones. I know, they surprisingly rank higher than lipstick on my personal list. let the gasps commence.
While it is easy to think of lip masks in the winter where icy winds casus daily chapping, I often find them of great use in the summer. My lips don’t chap in the summer in the same way they chap in the winter. I know that sounds a little weird. In the winter if not taken care of my lips will get dry and crack in painful chapping. In the summer time though, my lips will get dry spots on them from too much time in the sun rather then the same chapping that they get in the winter.
My only theory on this is that with the heating on the air is over all drier inside as well as the exterior exposure and in the summer time the air where I live is so humid that it is never quite the level of dryness that chaps my lips. I’m sure there is a more logical or medical based explanation. but that is my working theory. I’d be happy to be corrected, but it does mean that I deal with my lip health, shall we say, differently.
First off I use a lip scrub in the summer time. I don’t bother in the winter because all my lips need then is a moisture bomb, not a scrub. My current lip scrub of choice is the Hanalei Sugar Lip Scrub. It works well and it smells like lemonade. Which I rather enjoy. It also scrubs without overly drying my lips more since it has it’s own oil inside.
The Lip scrub I need to pair with a lip mask.
From all descriptions the Tatcha lip mask sounded like it would be perfect for the summer. It is a Jelly lip mask, which I hoped would feel lighter and it has squalene inside which all of my skin tends to react well to using. According to the Tatcha website this mask is…
Elegant, non-sticky jelly melts into skin and layers on to comfort, hydrate, and lock in moisture. Plumps the look of fine lines and wrinkles for a supple, firm look. Restores essential moisture to flaky, parched lips for a smooth, soft texture.
The three key ingredients are Japanese Peach Extract: A traditional Japanese beauty secret used centuries ago to help repair damaged lips. Works with orange peel extract to revitalize and calm irritation, Japanese Camellia Oil: Rich in oleic acid, vitamins, and nourishing Omegas 3, 6, and 9, this featherweight oil has been prized in Asia for centuries for its superb ability to help seal in moisture, and Squalane: All-natural squalane works instantly to richly moisturize and improve the skin barrier, locking in moisture and minimizing dryness all day. The weightless emollient absorbs easily without clogging pores or leaving behind an oily residue.
Tatcha
The jar is a clear glass jar that shows off the delicate pink mask inside. The jar comes with a little golden spatula. I think that this might come in more useful as I delve deeper into the jar. Although it is fine now. It is very easy to scoop too much mask with the spatula though. You really need to just surface glide across the top to get enough product. If using a finger instead of the spatula it is a bare tap of the surface to get enough product on your finger tip.
When I first opened the jar I thought there was a plastic sheet on the top (incase you notice the divots. There isn’t one. The product goes all the way up to the top. The lid is tight fitting enough that I am not worried about it drying out at all. And honestly I love that it is completely full. There are no air pockets making the jar half empty. It is completely full of product.
I also like that very little product is actually needed to apply on the lips. It means this little jar is going to last me a long time, even with continuous use. Which my budget likes. I don’t mind spending more on good products, but I am always happy when they last a while. And even happier when they work well. Although to be honest, this mask was $28 which isn’t a terribly outrageous price (Laniege lip masks are about $25 and those tend to be my standard jarred lip masks – smaller tubes of lip masks are cheaper of course, but in size the Laneige is the closest to the Tatcha in product amount that I regularly use)
So, how does it work?
Well the full review will have to wait until a month of use has passed but for a first use, this went really well. I used my lip scrub to remove the flaky bits and then rinsed and dried my lips, applying the mask over it (I didn’t want the il from the lip scrub affecting perception). The Tatcha Kissu lip mask is slightly sticky to the touch. when applied and spread on the lips it feels a little sticky at first, almost like a lip gloss. Thee is almost no scent to it. There is a light scent that might be peachy, but it is gone so fast it is hard to identify.
I am perfectly fine with a lip mask having no scent as a scented lip mask can be a bit much. As the lips are located right under the nose, any scent, if lingering, can become a bit much. while the light scent was there when I opened the jar, it was gone by the time I applied it to my lips and not noticeable at all as I wore it.
The mask was a little lip gloss sticky when applied and it had a lip gloss shine to it. The stickiness faded after a minute or two and after twenty minutes I took the second picture of my lips. The shine faded and while my lips felt hydrated it no longer felt as though I was wearing anything on them.
Now I did this fires test in the day mostly because i wanted to see what was happening, however I did wear the mask to bed at night. I applied it, had my usual half hour of reading before sleep and then went to sleep. I was worried that because the mask disappeared so quickly that it wouldn’t nourish through the night. I needn’t have worried. The next morning my lips were soft and nourished and completely hydrated. While I am sure that there will be greater effects after a month of use, One (okay technically two times) of use makes me very hopeful that this will be the perfect summer lip mask for me. It is light weight, with no over bearing scent and it appears to hydrate well. As a first use, this went fantastically well.
And when I ordered, I received three samples of other Tatcha products I’ve wanted to try out, so even though the point was to find a fantastic summer weight lip mask (which I think I might have done) I also get to try out a couple of products that were on my to try list before I place another order. I know, a lot of companies send samples with their orders so that isn’t shocking.
However i am tickled that when they showed the list of samples available and I got to choose three there were actually three available on the list that were on my personal to try list and now I get to try them before I purchase in the full sized. (they were the Liquid Silk Canvas Primer, the Silk Powder and The Rice Polish (Deep), in case you were wondering. So often when you get to check out the samples aren’t ones you wanted to try or hadn’t tried, at least for me anyway so that was just an extra bonus. All in all I was happy with my purchase and can’t wait to see how this Tatcha Kissu Lip Mask performs over the next thirty days.
Ms. Mimsy Reviews 