As a beauty editor, I've seen a lot of trends that have caused me to raise a cynical eyebrow over the years—including but not exclusive to LED masks, snail slime and cryotherapy. But one trend I've always been really dubious about is eye patches. I’m not the biggest fan of sheet masks anyway, so I kind of put eye patches in the same category. Sure, they might feel like a fun, self-care ritual, but I wouldn't reach for them if I wanted an efficacious product that would create a noticeable change in my skin.
Then I re-entered society, post-lockdown 2.0. With sunny days spent at the park with rosé, friends, more rosé and way less sleep than I'd been getting before, I was waking up post-weekend with puffy bags and dark circles under my eyes. Despite incorporating eye creams into my everyday skincare routine, on mornings like these, I needed a quick fix to pep up my eyes before that first video call of the day. Enter the Milk Makeup Cooling Water Undereye Patches.
Previously stashed in my to-try pile of new launches, I figured I had nothing to lose by giving these cool-looking eye patches a try. So after my usual cleansing routine, I popped a pair underneath my eyes for 15 minutes and let it work its magic as I brushed out my hair. If you’ve ever used eye patches before, you’ll know that annoying feeling when they start slipping down your face as you try to go about your business. Thankfully, these patches stay put.
The "magic” is created by combining energising caffeine, hydrating aloe and calming lavender amongst its ingredients. After peeling them off, my under-eye area looked a lot less like the sunken place—bouncier, brighter and above all I just looked more awake. While under-eye patches aren’t an everyday staple for me (that’s what eye creams for), these are now a key part of my post-weekend recovery kit.
Shop more of the best under-eye patches:
Formulated with peptides, this pair of patches gives the eye area a lifted effect after 30 minutes of use.
These biocellulose patches from new brand on the block Peace Out are infused with hyaluronic acid to help with the crêpey, dehydrated look under tired eyes.
If under-eye puffiness is your main concern after a late night, these eye patches from Soap & Glory contain cucumber juice and liquorice root extract to instantly help them look de-puffed.
Okay, first of all, these are shaped like little whales—how cute is that? Second, sodium hyaluronate (similar to hyaluronic acid) and coconut extract help to soothe and smooth a dehydrated under-eye area.
The latest drop from Maya Jama’s skincare line includes vitamin C, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid for a triple threat of under-eye brightening.
Up next, a skin expert just told me how to actually get rid of dark circles.
