Whether it’s the seemingly endless festivities, no break from the office, or being woken at the crack of dawn by tiny humans, one thing we can all agree on is how tired we are. Especially as we emerge from a week-long food coma and late night New Years Eve celebrations and head back into our usual routines.
Under-eye masks promise a solution, claiming to revitalise, soothe and tighten our puffiness. But are they really worth the hype?
We asked members of the HuffPost team to review a selection of under-eye masks on the market. Here are our honest reviews.
Pixi DetoxifEye Depuffing Eye Patches, Marks & Spencer, £22
As tried by Amy – “I’m intrigued by the pot of gooey under-eye masks – they’re sparkly and green and have a little fork to lift them out. All very new to me, but I’m up for it.
“I leave them on for 10 minutes, timing this trial with a 10-minute meditation. They are cold and soft and gooey to put on, and it takes a few attempts to get them in the right place. Once they’re on they feel great and don’t slide down at all – cooling on my face and relaxing. After the 10 minute Headspace session, they feel so comfortable on my face that I forget they are even there.
“I peel them off – and my skin is ridiculously soft and lovely underneath. I don’t notice eye bags or puffy eyes the next day, but I only get these periodically anyway. I loved the whole experience, mainly because it was so relaxing, but I can’t notice the direct benefits straight away. I’m sure if I carried on using there would be long-term benefits, but for me it was a lovely self-care ritual that I’d do again.”
Institut Esthederm Lift & Repair Eye Contour Lift Patches, Feel Unique, £53 for 10
As tried by Amaliah – “As I steamroll closer to 30, the quest to not look as tired as I feel is well and truly on. Creams, masks, cucumbers, I’ve tried the lot. As far as these cloth patches go, it’s a fairly standard affair. I opt for five minutes of reviving care while making some dinner and feeding the cats. After that time, you simply remove the patches and dab in the excess residue into the skin.
“Immediately, I feel a comforting cool sensation and my eyes feel more open. There is a little tightness soon after taking off the patches but nothing that warrants throwing the box away. My eyes feel awake and even after a full-on day at the office, I look like I’ve had a perfect night’s sleep. Despite the high price point of £53, I would highly recommend these as a pick-me-up for those days when your regime needs a helping hand. Also ideal for refreshing your eyes after travelling.”
Starskin Eye Catcher Smoothing Coconut Bio-Cellulose Second Skin Eye Mask, Look Fantastic, £8.58
As tried by Nancy – “Despite an early exposure to chick flicks, I’ve never used a face mask, let alone tried under-eye ‘slugs’. Sorry, but that’s what they look like – and I’m not far off: when I check the ingredients, listed as if on a movie poster, starring alongside the vitamin-rich coconut juice is genuine snail mucus. This slime factor makes them tricky to unpeel, let alone apply to my actual face, but once they’re stuck in vaguely the right place, I can’t deny the cooling, soothing effect on my bags. So much so I keep them on beyond the allotted 10 minutes.
“Next morning, however, my shadows are no less visible and I find out that, according to PETA, snail mucus, while a common ingredient in K-beauty products, is secreted by stressing out the poor little snails. The veal of the beauty world if you’d like. I think it’s a no from me.”
Cheeky Cherry Eye & Cheek Mask, Squish Beauty, $20 (£16)
As tried by Louise – “I stumbled across Squish on Instagram and immediately loved the campaign full of people with real skin, like mine, which I’m constantly trying to manage for hormonal acne.
“I should start this by saying, I love under-eye masks and have used them for years. Not limited to just your eye area, these red gel masks are in the shape of giant cherries, and one of them will cover most of the side of your face. They’re not slippery, nor greasy and best of all, stay put rather than sliding off every time I moved.
“No they’re not particularly life-changing, but anything that involves a bit of pampering I’m here for.”
Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels, Marks & Spencer, £25
As tried by Tasha – “Peeling open the sachet to skyn Iceland’s ‘hydro cool firming eye gels’, I was struck by the realisation this is my first rodeo when it comes to using an under-eye mask. On the two occasions I try them, the underneath of my eyes aren’t particularly puffy in the first place. But I do enjoy the cooling sensation as I stick them to my skin. The sachet says to leave the gels on for 10 minutes – so I do just that while sipping my morning cup of tea and slowly come to life.
“I’ll be honest, I don’t see a difference in the de-puffing department (probably because there wasn’t much there to begin with – a rarity, believe me) but my under-eye area does feel firmer and softer afterwards. It’s nice to have the 10-minute micro-spa experience before work and for £25 for eight pairs (equating to about three quid per pack), I’d say it’s worth the punt.”
Patcholoogy Moodpatch “Down Time” Calming Tea-Infused Aromatherapy Eye Gels, Space NK, £15 for 5
As tried by Maryiam – “I try the down time eye masks before bed and I am quite surprised. The tea infused hydrogel masks are calming and I really enjoyed the lavender scent.
“I’ve used quite a few different eye masks in the past. In comparison I’d say that they are a nice little treat, these ones do have a little more plastic packaging than is needed inside the individual sachet. I would use them again, and I’m keen to try the ‘perk up’ variety while I get ready for a big event.”
MZ Skin Hydra-Bright Golden Eye Treatment Mask, Net-A-Porter, £70 for 5
As tried by Brogan – “First, a disclaimer: my beauty regime is quite limited and I’ve never used an under-eye mask. So when I’m told the price of these golden strips, I can’t quite believe my ears – and I expect miraculous results to justify the cost.
“Reader, I get no such thing. After sticking the gooey golden strips to my under-eyes for 15 minutes, my skin does feel quite refreshed and soft. But after the moisture has fully sunk in to my under-eyes there really is no difference.”
111Skin Celestial Black Diamond Eye Mask x 8, Net-A-Porter, £75
As tried by Jess – “These eye masks certainly look and feel the part – the addition of diamonds(!) sparkling in the black base of the product and the smooth, silky feel make them very luxurious. (That starry-eyed feeling is somewhat destroyed, though, when I see in the mirror how ridiculous I look with two black wings on my face).The gel-like consistency means they feel cool when I apply them, and not overly sticky or wet.
“I keep them in place, which they mostly stay, for the recommended 20 minutes and when I remove, the skin under my eyes is soft and plump to the touch. I’m not sure the results are especially noticeable to justify the £12 for a single use product, but they certainly provide a special touch to a self-care pamper session.”
Elemis Pro-Collagen Hydra-Gel Mask, John Lewis, £52 for a pack of 6
As tried by Sophie – “I am willing to spend hours looking after my skin if it means it stays blemish free. But one thing I’ve never been that bothered about is the area around my eyes – I don’t have dark circles or puffiness and I’m still young enough (just) not to be worried about fine lines (although the grey hairs are definitely appearing). So the idea of eye masks is always an indulgent treat rather than something I’m expecting results from. But when I heard how much these Elemis eye-masks were I was expecting a facelift.
“My partner and I both try them on a Sunday morning in bed – they are wet and fiddly to get on (he compares them to slugs, too) and keep bunching up whenever we move our faces – this might be our poor application method. They are relaxing, cooling and smell nice but after 20 minutes we can’t really see much to show for them. Will finish the pack when I fancy a chilled weekend, but won’t be buying them for results.”
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