A couple of weeks ago I was approached by New Zealand brand ActivLayr to trial their revolutionary 5sec Firming Eye Mask. To say I was excited is somewhat of an understatement, and being an under-eye patch fanatic, of course I accepted their generous offer! I mean, a dissolvable 100% natural collagen patch that you apply for 5 seconds - hello? The whole concept intrigued me and having viewed the YouTube video (HERE), I can assure you I was well and truly stalking the postie ♥...
The box arrived a few days later and contained the cutest little spray bottle of water, seven pairs of eye masks in sealed foil-lined sachets, and a very helpful and informative brochure explaining how to apply the patches along with the process behind their creation...
For starters, they look a bit different to other eye masks - the same shape, but they're a blue fabric material with a white collagen coating on one side protected by a super-thin clear film, which you peel off before applying...
The white material that does all the work is a mix of marine collagen (from Hoki fish skin), Vinanza grapeseed and kiwifruit extracts and hyaluronic acid, all formulated into a water-based solution that is then spun into nanofibre before binding to the blue fabric. It all sounds very techno, but there's absolutely no fishy smell, and the good news is that the fish skins are a by-product of the sustainable NZ fishing industry (gotta love zero waste), there are no additives in the product (100% natural), and it is instantly (and I mean instantly) absorbed into the skin, and continues to absorb for the next 50 minutes up to 2.5mm into the dermal layer...
You'll find more very interesting information on their website (HERE), but I've pretty much covered the basics, so let's get onto my experience! ♥...
The recommendation is to apply the patches after cleansing, but before any of the serums and moisturisers in your usual beauty routine, so I did just that for seven nights. Probably the most important rule with these patches is that your hands must be completely dry before touching them or attempting to peel off the protective film - the active layer dissolves and is pulled into the skin as soon as it comes in contact with water, and if your hands are even the slightest bit moist, the collagen will penetrate your fingertips instead of your eye area where it is needed most...
Given how careful I needed to be with moisture, I decided to treat one eye at a time - I first spritzed under and around my eyes using the mini water bottle that came in the kit, and then made sure my fingers were completely dry. After peeling off the protective film (a little challenging, but I got better at it with practice) I pressed the white side of the patch into place, and instantly the material changed to a slightly darker blue colour because the white layer had dissolved into my skin. I counted to five, carefully peeled it off, and within a few seconds, I could feel a tightening sensation - a bit like when you let a clay mask dry, but nowhere near as intense. On a couple of occasions, my skin felt a bit sticky afterwards, which meant I hadn't sprayed on enough water, so I just added a little more and patted it in with my fingers. I then let the skin dry completely before continuing with my usual moisturising routine...
So, do they work? Absolutely! My wrinkles aren't as intense as those in the before/after pics I've seen on their Instagram page (HERE) so I knew the results wouldn't be as dramatic, but there was certainly a reduction in the depth of my crow's feet as you can see in the (unretouched) photos below. Incidentally, I took the pictures in the same lighting conditions, with my face in repose, and did my best to take them from the same angle. I haven't included snaps of my under eye area as my bags are just too gross to photograph, but in the first picture on the left, you can see some vertical lines directly below my eye caused by the sheer size and weight of the bag pulling the skin down. And in the pic on the right, those lines are barely visible and the skin has firmed - woo hoo! ♥...
After seeing the photographic evidence for myself, I'm suitably impressed, and have ordered two more sets - another round for my eyes, and one for the vertical lip lines and tramlines between my brows (with 14 patches, I can treat both areas each with one patch for seven days) and I'll be recording my progress again in another blog post. At present, the patches are only available from their website - they retail for $89.99, and shipping is free ♥...
Thank you ActivLayr for the opportunity to try your highly effective and amazingly innovative product - can't wait till the full face masks are available! Incidentally, if you're still working on your range, I would LOVE an eye patch that also covers the area above my eyes, which also needs major firming and de-wrinkling ♥...
So what do you think lovelies - can you see a difference?
Take care of you,
kats xxx
