Sleeping

The past few months have gone by quickly — a blur of work, Netflix binges, and frozen cauliflower-crust pizzas. My skincare routine has taken a hit, and I’ve been trying to get my skin’s moisture back to its healthy pre-hibernation levels. There have been nourishing oils, hydrating serums and rich moisturizers on heavy rotation, but I find myself going back to the LANEIGE Firming Sleeping Mask* ($39) over and over again. And kind of…unsure about it? Now that I’ve almost gone through the entire jar (and lost the little scoop it came with), it’s time to decide if I’ll repurchase this overnight treatment or move on to something new.

LANEIGE Firming Sleeping Mask Review

I love overnight treatments. They are a lazy girl’s best friends, especially in winter. A good one can give dull skin its glow back in less than eight hours. The LANEIGE Firming Sleeping Mask is great for those evenings when all you want to do is take your makeup off with a wipe and go to bed. It works hard while you sleep, and you wake up with plump, hydrated skin.

The LANEIGE Firming Sleeping Mask has a really unique texture. If the Water Sleeping Mask (reviewed here) is a gel, the Firming Sleeping Mask is a jelly. When the product is scooped up from the jar, the surface gets chunky and then smooths itself out in seconds…like magic. It’s cold and slippery, which doesn’t sound great, but a little goes a long way and it feels like water on the skin once it warms up. It dries down quickly and without leaving a greasy film behind. My skin soaks it up so quickly, there’s nothing left to rinse off by morning.

This is a good mask layering with oils and serums for extra nourishment and hydration as it’s not quite as hydrating as others I’ve tried all by itself. I especially love using it with the fragrance-free Crambé oil I’ve been testing recently as it lets the beautiful scent of the LANEIGE Firming Sleeping Mask shine. It’s lightly fragranced with the same Sleepscent that is found in the Water Sleeping Mask — a relaxing and (hopefully) sleep-inducing blend of ylang-ylang, rose, sandalwood oil and orange flower. My skin is very sensitive to fragrances, but this one has never been a problem for me. Be sure to do a patch test if you have reactive skin!

Unlike the Water Sleeping Mask, which is all about hydration, the Firming Sleeping Mask is  — you guessed it! — all about firming and tightening the skin. As I get older, I definitely notice that my skin is losing some of its firmness and elasticity, especially when I’m dehydrated. I haven’t noticed any changes in my skin’s firmness or elasticity while using this mask, but I do like how plump and hydrated my skin is in the morning. I find that I miss the extra hydration from the Water Sleeping Mask formula, though someone who worries about the first signs of aging might prefer to trade some hydration for a little firming action.

TL;DR?

The Water Sleeping Mask is still my favourite overnight treatment from LANEIGE. It’s mostly down to the fact that I prefer the gel-like texture of the Water Sleeping Mask over a slightly chunky jelly texture of the Firming Sleeping Mask, but also because the first is more hydrating. The Water Sleeping Mask’s packaging is sleeker…and yes, I do pick products partly based on how they look on my dressing table when they’re a little more pricey. If firmness and elasticity are your main concerns, the Firming Sleeping Mask is a good option to target both signs of aging and hydration. For now, I’ll stick to the Water range…while I still can.

This post features products that were provided for editorial consideration.