My Travel-Friendly Facial Massage Tool Was Worth Every Penny

My Skinny Confidential Hot Mess Ice Roller is my emotional support ice roller that I use at least twice daily, once in the morning and once at night. It helps me depuff, ease facial tension, and feel less inflamed. To say I'm obsessed is an understatement, and you can read why it's worth the hype in my in-depth review of the Hot Mess Ice Roller here. However, its large size makes it difficult to travel with and pack in my personal item bag. Luckily, the brand came out with a dual-sided, travel-friendly version: The Mint Roller ($89).

The Skinny Confidential Mint Roller is a smaller version of the brand's viral ice roller with an additional contouring roller on the other side. It's made from the same materials but designed to fit in the palm of your hand, making it easy to take with you wherever you go. It's one of the most useful and versatile beauty tools I own, and I truly can't leave home without it.

The Skinny Confidential Mint Roller

From

$89

$89 at The Skinny Confidential

Ahead, you can read why the Mint Roller is a travel essential that comes with me on every trip and why it's worth every penny.

Although I love my Hot Mess Ice Roller, the Mint Roller is my new favorite for travel and at-home use. The Mint Roller has the same weighted feel as the Hot Mess Ice Roller, which delivers the perfect amount of pressure for a relaxing facial massage. I use both the smooth roller and the contoured roller for all my facial massage and sculpting needs. I like the smoother roller for massaging my forehead and overall depuffing, especially when I want a cooling facial treatment paired with a sheet mask. The contoured side is my go-to for sculpting and lifting my face. I also love it for massaging areas that are near crevices like the undereyes, brow bones, and cheekbones. Both the V-shaped side and the smooth side roll with a smooth glide without the weird, annoying, squeaky noise.

The aluminum rollers remain naturally cold to the touch despite not being in a fridge, but the Mint Roller retains its coldness for a longer time when you store it in a refrigerator. I can massage my face for about 20 minutes before the coolness starts to warm up to my skin's temperature.

Although it's primarily a facial tool that helps you appear more sculpted and revived, I actually use it to help with pain relief too. It has been my go-to for relieving neck and shoulder tension, especially on long plane rides. The indent of the contour roller perfectly hugs my jawline and cheekbones, which feels amazing when massaging out the tension in that area. I use it to relieve headaches and migraines, as well as stuffiness from allergies and irritation.

The brand notes that the V-shaped side is designed for sculpting and contouring areas like the jawline and cheekbones and the smooth side is created for depuffing. However, because of its versatility, you can use either side for a wide range of reasons from head to toe. I love using the V-shaped side to massage my neck and shoulder area. You can also use the smooth roller like an ice pack to soothe razor burns, rashes and irritation, or to help decrease swelling.

The brand also recommends rolling up the face and then down the neck to help with lymphatic drainage. For an extra cooling effect, you can store this in the fridge in your hotel room or next to a cold water bottle in your carry-on. During long-haul flights, I ask for a cup of ice to help it stay cold.

It's also a low-maintenance tool and easy to keep clean — just use a gentle soap with a washcloth and rinse it off with lukewarm water.

As someone who has both the original Hot Mess Ice Roller and the Mint Roller — both of which are pricey — I don't think you necessarily need both tools in your arsenal. The Hot Mess Ice Roller has a thicker and slightly wider roller compared to the smooth side of the Mint Roller, and it has a better handle for grip. However, both tools essentially do the same thing.

You can choose the one that best fits your lifestyle needs and personal preferences, whether you prefer a larger tool with a proper handle or something dual-sided and travel-friendly.

If facial massages are a core part of your self-care routine and you benefit from cold therapy and lymphatic drainage, this tool is 100-percent worth every penny. The build and quality of the Mint Roller surpasses every other ice roller on the market and there's truly nothing comparable. I highly recommend this to anyone who deals with facial tension or frequent headaches, or those who want to treat themselves to a mini spa moment — especially while traveling.

The Skinny Confidential Mint Roller is available on the brand's site, Nordstrom, Anthropologie, and Revolve.

Rating:
★★★★★

Anvita Reddy (she/her) is an assistant editor for PS Shopping. She has a passion for products and reviews home gadgets, cookware, tech, and more. Having dealt with acne as a teenager and into adulthood, her expertise lies in beauty. She tests skin care, makeup, and hair care, plus countless other beauty products.