This product is a bit of an unusual one in my collection (yes, I do have one although it is small), because I didn't buy it myself nor would I have given the product a second glance if I had come across it. I don't really look at the Vitamin E range - it's more associated with the more mature age group, or at least it seems to be! In fact, my mum had bought herself a gift set a few months ago, mainly for the body butters and ended up trying to palm off her unwanted items onto me. I ended up with a few bits of this and that and whilst I've enjoyed the products she gave me, this ended up being the unexpected star of the show.

I had actually spent a few nights online in the past looking for a good overnight moisture mask, so when this ended up in my posession it couldn't have come at a better time. My skin was playing havoc; it was extremely dry on my cheeks and forehead, to the point where it was going flaky yet reasonably oily everywhere else, so I came to the conclusion that - amongst other things - I was dehydrated and needed some intensive products pronto. I obviously made myself start drinking more water (Does anyone else find this to be a chore? I don't get thirsty very often and can quite easily go for several hours without needing a sip), but I was keen to give this a go on my dry patches to see if it improved anything.


This is a mask unlike any other that I've ever owned. It comes in a tub rather than a sachet and it's a generous sized tub too - 100ml to be exact. It contains a whole host of different oils to nourish and moisturise, including rice bran and Community Fair Trade soya from Brazil. The directions say to smooth a thin layer over the face, leave on for 10 minutes and tissue off, which sounds quite traditional if you ask me - like if you were to apply a cold cream. However, I have mostly ignored the instructions and tend to slather on quite a generous layer, leaving it on until just before bedtime and wiping the excess product off, so I don't get it all over my pillows whilst I sleep. The mask is almost gel-like in consistency, very light and cool and spreads easily across the skin; a little goes quite a long way. It's almost like a jelly, you can shake it around in the tub and it keeps its shape, it's quite strange!


When left to sink in to the skin, it does feel quite cooling and relaxing until it warms to the temperature of your skin. I thought that it might feel a bit uncomfortable to leave on for some time but I didn't find that to be the case. Even though it doesn't ever sink in fully, it doesn't feel heavy or particularly oily on the skin, despite those various oils being featured in the ingredients list. After about 20 minutes or so, it does feel like it's sunk in as much as it can. Like mentioned, however I sleep on it and in the morning, I wash off any residue with my usual cleanser. I can happily report that this does deliver some intense hydration; my skin feels softer, smoother and any tight feeling that I usually have with my dryness has completely gone. I do think that this delivers the best results by being left on overnight - so if you're planning on going on a big night out, say, I would do this the night before rather than on the day. Although this mask is a bit messy to apply at first, you don't really have the hassle of removing it like you normally would with a face mask - especially if you do follow the instructions and only apply a thin layer!

Final verdict: All in all, it's a simple, no-fuss product that does exactly what it says on the tub. Make sure you pick it up when The Body Shop are running one of their deals to get the best value for money.

The Body Shop Vitamin E Sink-In Moisture Mask can be bought either in store or online for £12.