Instagram is full of Victoria’s Secret models and celebs donning sheet masks to put their best face forward for the red carpet and to relax in a night of good old-fashioned cucumber-eye pampering.
The Korean beauty staple – a thin cloth or paper drenched in skin-boosting ingredients, sort of like an intense 15-minute serum – might make you look like a serial killer while wearing it, but the best leave skin glowing, firmed and refreshed. For most they’re too expensive to form a regular part of your skincare routine, but for special-occasion prep or much-earned me-time, there’s not much that’s better.
Most come in better-value multipacks, but where possible we’ve included single prices here so you can easily compare prices. Wear them for 15-20 minutes, then remove and massage in any extra product left on the skin.
1. Sarah Chapman Skinesis 3D Moisture Infusion Mask: £43 for 4, Space.NK
This mask had the longest-lasting effects of all we tested, with our tester reporting a difference two days later as if she’d had a proper facial. Packed with hyaluronic acid to firm and plump skin, it was a real treat on dry, tired skin.
2. Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Concentrated Recovery Power Mask: £16.50, Estee Lauder
A solid addition to Estee Lauder’s much-lauded Advanced Night Repair range, this delivers hyaluronic acid for deep moisturising and a double dose of Advanced Night Repair Serum for brighter, plumper skin immediately after use. Its comes in two pieces, top and bottom, to best fit the contours of the face, and the foil backing makes you look like a Marvel superhero while you wear it.
3. Charlotte Tilbury Instant Magic Facial Dry Sheet Mask: £18, Charlotte Tilbury
Make-up mogul Charlotte Tilbury’s entry to the sheet mask offering is unusual in that it’s dry. But despite feeling like it’s not doing anything while it’s on, our tester was surprised to find that it left skin soft, moisturised and glowing. How, we’re not quite sure, but it’s clever, mess-free and reusable for up to three goes. We’d say it’s the most Hannibal Lecter-esque of the ones we tested, but the way it hooks round ears means it definitely stays put.
4. Starskin Silkmud Pink French Clay Purifying Liftaway Mud Face Sheet Mask: £8.50, Feel Unique
Putting purifying mud into a sheet mask is genius for the mess it saves, and this super-reasonable number from Starskin absorbs excess oil and calms redness and spots. Like the Estee Lauder, it comes in two parts, meaning it fits closely to the face.
5. Skin Laundry Hydrating Radiance Facial Treatment Mask: £10, Liberty London
Skin Laundry’s Hydrating mask was, weirdly, the most cold-feeling application, making it refreshing and soothing for irritated, sluggish skin. It packs a hydrating, plumping and tone-improving punch that’s far above its price tag, with amino acids, sodium hyaluronate and hero-ingredient niacinamide.
6. Verso Intense Facial Mask: £65 for 4, Cult Beauty
Verso’s mask has fast become a cult product for its tough-talking injection of Retinol 8 and Ceramide-3, which produce hydration and fine-line smoothing effects for overall younger-looking skin for a good two days after use. Our tester experienced a light tingling sensation on application, which may be too much for more sensitive skins.
7. Suqqu Face Stretch Mask: £72 for 6, Selfridges
This, from the luxury Japanese beauty company, is sewn together to fit over the nose, and features flaps around the jaw that are designed to be folded up to lift. The serum contains niacinamide, which boosts elasticity and lactic acid to soften.
8. Indeed Labs Hydraluron Moisture Boosting Mask: £19.99 for 4, Boots
Fans of Indeed Labs's much-lauded Hydraluron serum will love the even more potent sheet mask version. Our tester found her usually tight, patchy dry skin was comfortable, refreshed and plumped for 24 hours after use. It's also one of the most competitively priced masks that we tested.
The Verdict: Sheet masks
If younger-looking, brightened skin is your concern, it’s worth splashing out a little extra for Verso’s cult masks, while Sarah Chapman’s Skinesis is the best for moisturised, refreshed skin for around £10 a pop – both offering the longest lasting effects we found.
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