La Prairie
Skin Caviar Luxe Sleep Mask
10/8/13

It's here! After much anticipation and raves from British Vogue to European beauty bloggers, I pre-ordered this highly-coveted mask from my La Prairie guru. At long last, it arrived last week. The packaging is pure luxury of course, and consistent with the rest of the Skin Caviar Line with a cobalt blue glass jar and silver top. The jar comes with a lovely brush, attached where a spoon would normally be for eye creams, along the silver rim at the base of the jar. Everything about the packaging screams luxury. From the silver boxes to the sealed silver paper, opening a La Prairie product is like opening a present- in every sense. 

I've long sung the praises of overnight masks, which is the optimal time for skin to reap the benefits. I have night and day masks for different needs, from added luminosity and exfoliation to a surge of hydration, and I rely on them about 2-3 timed weekly. Here are La Prairie's listed benefits for the Skin Caviar Luxe Sleep Mask:

"During the night, Skin Caviar Luxe Sleep Mask purifies and refines the skin and thoroughly replenishes it with moisture. 

Firmness is enhanced with caviar extracts and lines are plumped. 

It's an overnight sensation giving noticeable results quickly. Your skin will greet the day with fewer visible wrinkles, a firm look, a smoother texture, and the look of a healthy glow."

(click photo to enlarge)

The application is just plain fun. Instructions indicate to apply generous dots on forehead, cheeks, and chin. Using the brush, I smoothed the mask evenly over my face using upward strokes on my forehead, outward strokes over my cheeks, and downward strokes over my nose and chin. The creamy pink mask easily smoothed over my face with the delicate brush and instantly started to melt into my skin. I've used the mask three times now, and my skin is absolutely radiant the following morning. Fine lines plump up and appear to have vanished, my cheeks and jawline appear firmed, skin feels incredibly soft and smooth and my face is absolutely glowing. 

The first two applications, I let the mask sink into my skin and headed to sleep. The third application I decided to gently smooth the mask into my skin with my fingertips, which is listed as an option on the instruction card. That's the best bet for side sleepers, and it feels really good. It actually forms a clear film, locking in moisture. An overnight mask you can  wear to sleep without shooing (or scaring) your significant other away! The mask can be used 1-3 times per week, and I foresee myself using it twice a week since I like to use other masks as well. The brush can be cleaned with brush cleansers or with gentle soap and water and air dried. When I rinse the mask off, I'm happily surprised by the amount of time I spend rinsing it completely off my skin before cleansing. Who knew how deeply and how much this invisible mask absorbs? Super cool. 

My verdict? Sure, this seems like a heck of a splurge for a mask. I'd guess I'll get about 20 uses out of one jar. Considering what facials cost, it's actually a considerable savings since I think I'll be getting half as many. This is a facial in a jar, my friends.

La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Sleep Mask is $300 for a 1.7 oz. jar. 

Available at Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and Nordstrom.