Review: Shangpree Gold Premium Modeling “Rubber” Mask from Peach & Lily

If you want to make like Beyonce and get an upgrade in the sheetmasking game, then you should start to shop for modeling masks (aka rubber masks) from Korea! Sometimes you just want something different than a regular cotton sheet drenched in serum. After all, it envelops your entire face for 20 to 45 minutes – you should enjoy this time that you’re taking care of yourself. Like dining out, variety is the spice of life and I appreciate all the unique ways I can mask at home thanks to the popularity of Korean beauty. Modeling/rubber masks is more expensive than your typical cotton sheet mask but the results are worth the extra dollars once in a while. This Shangpree mask, available from Peach & Lily, is truly unique in that it doesn’t use the typical water and powder formula, it’s GOLD and that it was developed from a reputable “model spa” directly from Korea. More than just an upgrade in your routine, it’s a straight up premium treatment that was once only available from the hands of an esthetician. Click to read the full review.

About Shangpree and “Rubber” Masks

Let’s get this out of the way first, “modeling masks” and “rubber masks” are used interchangeably. They are known as modeling masks in Korea and are dubbed as rubber masks in America I suppose for better clarity. These masks need to be prepped and mixed together when you’re ready to mask because it needs to firm up and turn into a rubber texture as its molded on your face (to create a model of your face so to speak). This Shangpree Premium Gold Modeling “Rubber” Mask came in my Peach & Lily Seoulcialite Box 2.0 where we received two packs to try. Since then, they also released a silver (silk) and black (charcoal) version now available on their website at $20 per pack/one-time use.

You’ll wonder why this particular rubber mask is so pricey and it’s because it was developed from Korea’s top spa, Shangpree, where their estheticians aren’t allowed to touch a client’s face until they have completed three years of training and supervision and that’s after they’ve already accumulated 20 twenty years of experience prior to working at Shangpree. Shangpree has been in business for over 25 years and will only use the best grade of ingredients. Their research and develop labs took four years to develop their first retail consumer product, the modeling mask!

Alicia Yoon, Co-Founder of Peach & Lily, made an interesting point in her article on Byrdie that modeling masks with the typical water and powder formula might have a dehydrating effect. Water can actually be pulled out of your skin as the mask is drying, err rubberizing. This Shangpree rubber mask does not use additional water and instead uses a gold gel packet that you mix with another smaller packet of collagen powder. The rubber mold acts as a barrier on your skin to gently push beneficial ingredients into your pores for maximum absorption.

Product Claims – What Will The Shangpree Gold Premium Modeling Mask Do?

According to Peach & Lily‘s website, the mask promises to:

• Hydrate and condition
• Firm and revitalize
• Remove impurities
• Bring back youthfulness

On the box, it claims to be:

• Nourishing, Cooling, Anti-aging and will provide 72-Hour Deep Moisturizing (whoa, that’s THREE days)
• The Gold Gel will activate cell renewal and rejuvenate your skin
• The Active Collagen Powder will boost the skin’s moisture retention and promotes collagen production to awaken skin’s youthful glow.

Packaging, Size, Price, etc.

One pack is $20 for one-time use and Peach & Lily also sells a set of 5 for $98.00. The gold anti-bacterial rubber bowl and spatula are sold separately at $10.00. If you already own your own rubber bowl and spatula set, there’s no need to buy it again. I suppose you can also use a regular non-rubber bowl if you don’t want to make the investment but make sure that it has been sterilized with alcohol and clean from ANY oils or food scraps. This gold bowl and spatula set from Shangpree are made out of antimicrobial material to prevent bacterial growth.

TIP: Don’t try to split up the packets in half and get two uses out of it – each packet is meant to be used in full for best effects. The mask might not peel off entirely and it won’t soak in as much if you only used half a portion. Each gold gel packet is 50 g./1.76 oz. and each Active Collagen Powder is 4.5 g./0.16 oz.

The Masking

Always, always, always cleanse and tone your skin before masking! In order to get the best penetration from intense doses of beneficial ingredients, you need to get rid of the layer of dead skin that’s blocking all the good stuff from getting absorbed. If you can, gently exfoliate with either a chemical or physical exfoliant to help with cell turnover.

Since there is no additional water needed, there’s no guesswork in how to you’re prepping the mask. Just rip both the Active Collagen Powder and Gold Gel packets and pour into your rubber bowl. With other water + powder products, it takes a little bit more practice to get it just right otherwise, too much water makes it too drippy and not enough makes it unspreadable.

There was a little clumped up piece of what look’s like chamomile powder. I didn’t feel like crushing it into bits so I just threw it out. The rest of the powder had the chamomile flakes distributed loosely.

Look at that flowing gold river I wish was like my bank account. Squeeze every gold drop out and use your spatula to mix being careful not to accidentally “puff” any of the collagen powder out. The rubber bowl is flexible so be free to use both hands and scrape the bottom and sides thoroughly to get an even “batter”. Don’t take too long in mixing because once the powder and gel is mixed, it immediately starts to rubberize – don’t make the same mistake I did with the Lindsay Rubber Mask and get a mask with ricotta cheese texture.

I definitely had a bigger window in putting the batter onto my face but you can see where it’s a little clumpy because I was once again taking pictures for this blog post!  Some notes:

• Don’t be afraid to spread it onto your eyebrows, lips and even over your entire eyelids (eyes closed and lying down).
• The mask will NOT rip off your eyebrows or eyelashes. It’s so gentle that I lived to tell you my story.
• I highly recommend getting a friend or boyfriend/husband to spread it over your entire face to get real relaxation, just make sure to leave your nostrils free so you can breathe!
• Once you put it over your lips, avoid speaking or parting your lips because it’s really gross once you break the seal and the goop may or may not be in between your lips.
• Box says to leave on for 15 – 20 minutes but milk every drop of gold juice and leave it on for a max of an hour if your skin can take it and if it’s still relatively “wet” underneath and rubbery to the touch.

If you want to see an in-action video of someone applying the mask, Shangpree has a YouTube right here where the model expertly applied it over her lips at 00:46.

Outcomes

There’s a lot of satisfaction with peeling off the mask in one swoop and the thickness of the mask allowed me to do just that. You won’t hear a “ripping” sound that some masks will give you because a rubber mask will not adhere to your skin like a stubborn sticker or pore strip. The rubber texture is still soft and pliable in fact, a chunk of it fell off my face and landed on top of my lap-cat after 30 minutes! As I mentioned before, I needed to listen to my own advice and spread the batter on your face IMMEDIATELY but because I was taking pictures, that last glob had rubberized before getting on my face. You won’t have to worry about melting off in chunks as long as you apply this stuff soon after mixing.

FACE: I still has some stray gold pieces on my hairline but you can use warm water to swipe it off. It was highly moisturizing and slippery feeling but I patted the juices instead of cleansing it off. There was definitely a dewy glow and plumpness upon unmasking. You can see the dewiness on my forehead and upper lip the most (but I know these pictures aren’t in the best lighting). Some users have described the mask to feel “greasy” to them but that’s because there are a lot of waxes, oils and extracts and remember no additional water to dilute its potency which is a huge plus in my book. My skin also looks very refined and smooth as if I used the “Beauty Filter” on my camera for softening effects – but I didn’t! It also has a nice cooling effect that would slow down the production of oil if you have oily skin.

LIPS: I also saved this mask for the winter knowing how dry and chapped my lips get so any treatment that included my lips earns bonus points. The heat can get unbearable in my apartment but this mask has made my lips nourished and flake-free for these past 3 days. I still had to do proper maintenance and apply lip balm of course but the mask didn’t just fix it superficially, it really feels like made a deeper difference nourishing them.

72 HOURS LATER: It’s Day 3 and I will admit that the smooth and plump feeling has lasted as it claims however this is assuming that you continue with a proper routine that includes cleansing, toning and moisturization. A one-time masking session won’t solve everything but what it does help with is application and absorption of your favorite products so that they all work more effectively. My lips are still unchapped and flake-free and my lip balm helps to seal the moisture that they have been blessed with.

Ingredient List

You should be aware that there IS water present in the gold gel pack but the difference with Shangpree’s rubber masks is that we aren’t adding any additional water at the time of mixing. There are pigment ingredients that probably make the mask look gold since the very last ingredient on the list is “gold”. The packaging does not claim that gold is a key ingredient in delivering its benefits so I will not tear their marketing claims apart since I don’t believe gold actually has any real skincare effectiveness except for adding a temporary “glow” (you can read more about my opinion on gold products here).

Even though I think gold is a gimmicky ingredient, the mask delivers as it promises because of all the other star players on the Gold Gel list:

Aqua, Glycerin, Sorbitol, Algin, Zea Mays (corn) Starch, Glucose, Beeswax, Peg-75, Potassium Chloride, Titanium Dioxide, Mica, Iron Oxides, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Butylene Glycol, Zingiber Officinale (ginger) Root Extract, Schizandra Chinesis Fruit Extract, Coptis Japonica Root Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Propolis Wax, Caprylyl Glycol, 1,2-hexanediol, Peg-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Adenosine, Chlorphenesin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Sodium Chloride, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Perfume, Simmondsia Chinensis (jojoba) Seed Oil, Vitis Vinifera (grape) Seed Oil, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Adansonia Digitata Seed Extract, Caviar Extract, Cornus Officinalis Fruit Extract, Panthenol, Algae Extract, Cucumis Sativus (cucumber) Fruit Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Plantago Asiatica Extract, Thuja Orientalis Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Taraxacum Officinale (dandelion) Rhizome/root Extract, Disodium Edta, Gold.

According to CosDNA, there are two potentially irritating ingredients for acne-prone skin where I marked in red above. Aside from these two potential acne triggers, the list is chock full of fruit and plant extracts. I use “Phenoxyethanol” as my rule of thumb to see the 1% cut-off mark since regulations won’t allow more than 1% of this preservative in a product. Seeing “Phenoxyethanol” at the bottom of the list means that there everything above it is at least in 1% concentration or higher. Score!

Ingredients for the Active Collagen Powder, also in CosDNA:

Glucose, Calcium Sulfate, Chamomilla Recutita (matricaria) Flower Powder, Allantoin, Panax Ginseng Root Powder, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Cnidium Officinale Root Extract, Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Achillea Millefolium Extract, Artemisia Absinthium Extract, Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Butylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol.

The Collagen Powder is clear from any potential acne triggers and full of top-notch ingredients as well. I don’t have anything to complain about!

Conclusion – Is This Worth My Money?

Considering how rubber masking treatments would cost anywhere from $100 – $300, this $20 at-home solution is a steal! Granted it doesn’t come with a facialist who will also massage and finish you off with extra treatments, this is an affordable alternative to having a Korean spa experience. I don’t go to the spa often but I tried to google a NYC spa that will offer a modeling/rubber mask treatment and nothing came up in my search so I’m not sure which spa will even offer this service unless you call and speak with someone. This mask uses an esthetician grade formula and by checking out the ingredients, it passes with my thumbs up for quality and the fact that the product actually did what it claims.

Rating: 5/5 – I will never give this product up!

This is the first rubber mask I’ve encountered that doesn’t require additional water and I’ve been impressed with how long the results have lasted. I wouldn’t credit the rubber mask alone in giving me the smooth and bouncy feeling but it has helped my other products in my routine perform so much better that it seems like its results lasted much longer. Last night I ONLY used the essence from a sheet mask pouch with nothing else on top and woke up with soft and firm skin. I was able to use LESS product to maintain a healthy glow probably because the mask’s juice penetrated so deeply.

Comment Below!

Have you tried rubber masks yet? What was your experience and are you hooked like I am? Are there any other brands out there you think I should try?