Applying the Rose Stem Cell Bio-Repair Gel Mask from Peter Thomas Roth is like having my face smothered in glorious, gelatinous Turkish Delight. There are few things I can think of, at this particular moment, that would be as high up on the sexiness scale as face-planting a giant, floppy slab of Turkish Delight. Somewhat niche when it comes to fetishes, I grant you, but hey – some people get off on being inside an inflatable rubber suit, others make love to hoovers. I just crave sugar and have an almost indecent passion for beauty products – it’s pretty low-maintenance if you think about it.
But oh, the Bio-Repair Gel Mask – the sweet smell of roses and the fresh feel of the cool jelly clinging to my skin. It’s enough to make me want to take a bath just to sit there with it stuck to my face. Which I do. Frequently. (Mr AMR: “didn’t you have a shower about three hours ago?”)
I have to say that it took me a while to come around to testing the Rose Stem Cell mask – I’m a big user of the Pumpkin Enzyme Mask, also from Peter Thomas Roth, but I assumed that this pink, rosy jelly would be as superficial as the Pumpkin mask is powerful. I assumed (wrongly, as it turns out, so never judge a book by its cover/mask by its pot) that it would be one of those masks that feels a bit like applying Aloe Vera gel – good after a day on the beach, but offering very little beyond a pleasant cooling effect and a spot of soothing action.
Well, the Rose Stem Cell mask isn’t like Aloe Vera gel at all. I actually get something of a tingle from it and after removing with a warm flannel – my skin feels revived, more toned and lifted. Softer, smoother, generally just a bit more energised and youthful. I wouldn’t say that the effects are quite as profound as those from the Pumpkin Enzyme Mask, which has an almost instant, visible brightening effect, but there’s something about the rose one that keeps me coming back for more. I do a big slathering at least twice a week, more if I’m feeling flash.
The blurb online says that the Rose Stem Cell Bio-Repair mask is a
“cooling gel to help invigorate and improve the look of skin vitality. Helps to improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, dehydration, dullness and sagging as it strengthens and tones the look of skin. Skin is left looking silky soft, radiant, beautiful and youthful.”
I’d say that it ticks a lot of these boxes even on the first use – my skin does feel invigorated and more toned. It also feels silky and soft and hydrated and, though I can’t honestly tell whether the mask has done anything for fine lines and wrinkles, it definitely gives a bit of a radiance boost.
As for the cooling gel texture, this is one of my favourite things about the mask – there’s no wishy-washy liquid jelly here; it’s a robust gel that sticks fast to the face even if your skin is slightly damp. A boon if you’re in a hot, steamy bath or you’ve just cleansed your face (which you probably will have done) as it means that you don’t need to dry your skin first, and you don’t get runny, melted gel slowly running into your eyes and mouth.
And then there’s the smell, which is utterly divine. So long as you love roses. There’s a shedload of rose going on here; desert rose, pale rose, white rose, damas rose, rose water, rose hip seed, rose extracts, rosa cantina. I mean, bloody hell, you couldn’t pack any more rose stuff in. But each type seems to have its uses, and the promised benefits cover everything from sagging to dullness, fine lines to dehydration.
I find it impressive that the mask manages to leave my skin feeling tighter and more toned – as though it has been sort of shrink-wrapped to my face a bit – yet still nicely hydrated. It just always feels like a good all-rounder. A beautiful treat to apply on any day, for almost whatever reason. A “go-to” mask, if you want a mildly irritating media-speak phrase to pin on it.
I apply for ten minutes or so, during bathtime. I’d say “whilst shaving my legs/applying a hair mask” or some such fabrication, but the truth is that I usually sit bolt upright composing posts like this one in my head. I can’t even lie back in the bath, because it’s too big and I slide under, which isn’t ideal if I’m not washing my hair. (Luxury problems! It makes it sound as though I’m in one of those footballers’ spa-tubs, with waterjets and so on. I’m not. It’s a standard bath, it just has very steep sides and I can’t get good purchase on the other end with my feet which means that I’m constantly bracing myself for the sudden plunge. As I said, luxury problems.)
Anyway, the Peter Thomas Roth Rose Stem Cell Bio-Repair Gel Mask: great for all skin types (though I’d always check if you’re very sensitive) and particularly wonderful if your face feels hot and bothered, hormonally imbalanced and ready to scream. It’s £50 for a big pot and you can find it at Cult Beauty here* or $52 at Sephora*.
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