We test whether Kate’s kogao masks help with one of Japanese women’s most desired beauty goals.

Face masks have essentially become part of our wardrobes in the coronavirus era. Like any other article of clothing, finding a mask with a flattering fit is a key part of looking your best, which brings us to the new line of Kogao Silhouette Masks.

These masks promise to provide the kogao (literally “small face”) aesthetic of delicate, slim facial features. You might recall that we tested a somewhat similar product a while back, but only with our male staff members. With the kogao look being primarily a beauty goal of Japanese women, we’re correcting that oversight today with the help of some of the hard-working ladies of SoraNews24, and we’ve got high expectations since the Kogao Silhouette Masks are made by Kate, one of Japan’s most popular cosmetics companies.

The washable Kogao Silhouette Masks are available in four colors: black (dubbed the “Cool” mask), pink (“elegant”), lavender (“clarity”), and beige (“mode”). At 990 yen (US$9.40) for at two-pack, they fit with Kate’s image as a brand of affordable luxury.

The masks’ promised kogao properties come from two sources. First, the lower half of the mask has streaks of offset color that angle up towards your ears, visually slimming your jawline. Second…

…they’re extremely form-fitting, as shown here by our reporter Ikuna Kamezawa. We suppose you could argue that this doesn’t mean Kate’s masks give you a “small face” so much as that other masks give you a “large face,” but either way, Kate’s masks allow the actual contours of your face to still be visually conveyed, whereas a run-of-the-mill mask tends to make your cheeks and jaw both wider and less defined.

▼ Normal mask (left) vs. Kate Kogao Silhouette Mask (right)

Joining Ikuna on the Kogao Silhouette Mask test was fellow reporter Natsuki Gojo.

To achieve this form-fitting look, Kate’s masks are made with a stretch material. However, neither Ikuna nor Natsuki found them at all uncomfortable to wear, with no unpleasant tugging sensation on their ears or chin.

Just to triple-check, though, they also had male coworker Yuichiro Wassai try one on, and even he said it felt perfectly comfortable.

With Kate being first and foremost a makeup manufacturer, they even have some recommendations about what kind of cosmetics coordinate best with their Kogao Silhouette Masks. For example, for the color Ikuna is wearing below, Kate suggests using its Designing Brown Eyes (Pink Brown) and Conscious Eyeliner Color (Dusty Pink), and after applying them, Ikuna feels like it’s a winning combination.

So while she might be kind of down in the dumps these days, as least Ikuna can take mask and makeup off her to-worry-about list.

Photos ©SoraNews24
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