Review
Best under-eye patches that’ll make you look instantly less tired
20 January 2021
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13 under eye patches to hydrate and plump
Designed to smooth, rehydrate and refresh, re-energising under-eye patches have become a valuable asset in our fatigue-fighting artilleries for instantly disguising the signs of a night spent tossing and turning – an SOS treatment for re-awakening tired eyes. Wedding makeup artists swear by them for sleep-deprived brides on the morning of their big day and celebs including Maya Jama whack them on while they're travelling so they arrive looking bright-eyed.
Infused with serum, eye patches work harder than a traditional eye cream, with the patch incubating the serum to stop it from evaporating, ensuring that it actually sinks into the delicate under-eye area, providing visible plumpness.
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Pixi Beautifeye Brightening Eye Patches, £22 for 30 pairs
Brilliant value for money, this pot of eye masks seems never-ending, filled to the brim with ultra-light, ultra-thin hydrogel patches to brighten the under eye area. They're infused with vitamin C, liquorice and ginseng to revive sleepy peepers. If brightening eye patches aren't what you need, Pixi also sells Fortifeye Firming eye patches , £22, for a toned, firm eye area.
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Patchology Chill Mode Soothing Cannabis Seed Oil Infused Eye Gels, £3 for 1 pair
Patchology rules the rost when it comes to affordable under-eye masks with endless ones on offer to cater to whatever you're in need of ( mood-boosting tea infused eye gels and illuminating eye gels , to name but two) but these are our pick of the bunch. Infused with cannabis sativa oil ( not to be confused with CBD ) these gel masks calm irritation and soothe the delicate undereye for refreshed peepers after just ten minutes. They feel ultra-light when you're wearing them and stay firmly in place even when you're moving around. Plus at just £3 they're among the most budget-friendly out there.
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Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Eye Gels, £28 for 8 pairs
Ideal after a heavy night out, these hangover-disguising eye masks help hide a multitude of working night sins. Akin to a strong coffee, each comes drenched in the brand’s signature eye-brightening complex (containing pure Icelandic glacial waters, arctic berries and oxygen), as well as fine line-fighting hexapeptide and de-puffing ginkgo biloba. Breathing new life into tired eyes, it’s well worth carrying a pair in your handbags at all times - you never know when you might need it.
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Comfort Zone Sublime Skin Eye Patch, £50 for 6 pairs
Actress Jessica Alba gave these a shout out for their hydrating powers in a skincare video she filmed for Vogue and we can see why. Conscious Italian skincare brand Comfort Zone makes products free from silicones and animal derivatives and if you're yet to try any of their products these hydrogel patches are a good place to start. They're enriched with peptides to banish puffiness and dark circles and are almost completely see-through, so are a great option if you want to sneakily indulge in some self-care while on a video call.
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MIJ Masks Hydrogel Eye Patches, £13.99 for 2 pairs
Maya Jama caused a stir with the launch of her beauty brand Mij Masks last year and these eye patches have been a consistent sell-out from the get-go. Made from pink sparkly hydrogel, they feel cooling to wear and look fun too if you're into taking selfies in your face masks. They're infused with glycerin, panthenol and hyaluronic acid to plump, soothe and moisturise and after wearing them for ten minutes we sported a noticeable under-eye sheen that definitely wasn't there before
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Florence By Mills Swimming Under The Eyes Gel Pads, £34 for 30 pairs
Cute points: through the roof. These adorable little whale-shaped patches help to instantly re-energize tired eyes. Formulated with soothing coconut extract, moisturising sodium hyaluronate (a form of hyaluronic acid), and pine extract packed full of antioxidants that help to nourish the skin. These patches are the perfect way to calm and de-puff the under-eye area.
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Bioeffect EGF Eye Mask Treatment, £75 for 8 pairs
The instant de-puffing and lifting capabilities of these patches is pretty remarkable. Plus, because they’re see-through and mould perfectly to skin, they won’t scare your housemates/family half to death when you’ve got them on. Enriched with EGF, a type of naturally occurring protein, they help to encourage the production of fibroblasts and therefore collagen in the skin to lead to improvements in both firmness and smoothness the more and more you use them.
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Elemis Pro-Collagen Hydra-Gel Eye Masks, £52 for 6 pairs
Incredibly hydrating, these refreshing eye masks are best put to use before applying makeup to create a smooth canvas for your concealer. Formulated with moisture-boosting plankton extract and hyaluronic acid and antioxidant-rich chlorella, it leaves stressed out fragile under-eye areas instantly soothed.
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Skin Glow London Under Eye Treatment, £8 for 1 pair
Wearing these made us look like we had a glowy, sparkly Instagram filter on and when we took them off it still looked like I had one of the skin smoothing filters on. Made from hydrogel (and thus lovely and cooling) these shimmering patches are infused with vitamin C, turmeric and hyaluronic acid to soothe and hydrate the delicate undereye area. We especially like them because they are thick the whole way across rather than petering off into a thin tail which pokes into the eye.
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111 Skin Celestial Black Diamond Eye Mask, £12 for 1 pair
From 111 Skin's much-loved 'youthifying' Black Diamond range, these slick black hydrogel masks work hard to plump the under-eye area with retinol smoothing the texture and peptides refining the appearance of lines. Just 20 minutes in these delivers an awakening hydrating boost, ideal if you've had a bad nights sleep. The Black Diamond collection also holds host to a Lifting and Firming Neck Mask , £18, which we're keen to try...
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Shiseido Vital Perfection Uplifting and Firming Express Eye Mask, £67 for one pair
These are pricey, so we expect a lot from them, especially given the brand recommends using them two to three times a week (an expensive habit if ever we heard one). They contain pure retinol alongside matsu extract to alleviate puffiness and create a brighter-looking eye area, plus they're much bigger than many of the eye patches out there, reaching to half way down your cheeks to really target the whole under eye area.
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MZ Skin Hydra-Bright Golden Eye Treatment Mask, £70 for 5 pairs
Containing nano gold particles to help boost cellular repair and protect delicate under-eye skin from free radical damage, these twice-a-week treatments provide a quick and concentrated burst of hydration for sleep-deprived SOS moments. Also containing vitamin-rich crispus extract from Irish moss seaweed, collagen and hyaluronic acid, they leave under-eyes brighter, tighter and smoother.
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Joanna Vargas Bright Eye Firming Mask, £48 for 5 pairs
Containing high concentrations of actives and cooling agents, this ‘Mask of Zorro’ style eye mask is perfect for slipping on after work thanks to its tiredness-sapping combination of algae extract, chamomile, softening hydrolyzed silk protein and collagen-boosting matrixyl . A go-to of our Editor, Victoria Woodhall’s, for an instant refresh, it comes as welcome relief for strained eyes that are tired of looking at a screen all day.
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Intreceuticals Eye Mask, £39 for 6 pairs
These cooling hydrogels have a generous amount of serum in the packet for you to apply liberally to the area before applying the patch for serious depuffing skills. They're made with sorbitol, a natural extract derived from algae which refreshes tired skin to revitalise the eye area.
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