No matter what your age, it's always nice to try and make your eyes look that little bit brighter.
Bad sleep and technology overload can leave your eye area looking dull, feeling parched and in need of TLC. Now many beauty brands offer 'under eye patches' promising to work all kinds of miracles.
The patches are usually covered in serum and you pop them on under the eye for a few minutes to give them a much needed moisture boost. But do they actually work?
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Like most beauty products, they come in a range of prices and we put some budget and luxury brands to the test to see how they compared. You can read our reviews below and let us know in the comments section if you've found an under eye patch that really works.
Amazon hydrogel eye mask
I had high hopes for these hydrogel eye masks, claiming to be "anti-ageing" and great for puffy eyes, I was intrigued. The product is said to "add shine" to dull skin and "restore elasticity". Eye masks are definitely all the rage at the moment, perfect for a pamper evening which is what I’m all about.
At first glance, the masks looked pretty fancy. They were a gorgeous gold colour, and almost had a slight shimmer to them in the tub. There was one thing that let them down though. They were so slippery in the tub, to the point where I really struggled to keep them on my eye.
The general shape of the eye masks were a little strange, and didn’t really feel natural under my eyes. It was a real struggle to keep them actually stuck to my face, which is not ideal when you want a pamper.
My eyes actually began to sting a little bit too, but that could be because they’re quite sensitive anyway. Unfortunately, I ended up taking the mask off after a few minutes because they were just so awkward and slippery.
I wish I could praise these gold eye masks, but unfortunately, it was all a bit too fiddly for me. It’s hard to relax when something is slipping off your face!
Where to buy: Amazon
Price: £9.99 for a pack of 30
Rating: 2/5
Anatomicals Puffy the Eye Bag Slayer
I've struggled to sleep practically my entire life, so under eye shadows and bags are sadly a pretty consistent problem for me. It was my birthday recently and, as an insomniac with a decades-long Buffy the Vampire Slayer obsession, my friend picked these little beauties up for me.
Adorable packaging and clever, pun-based titles are a trademark of fun-loving brand Anatomicals. According to the brand's website, each product is "packaged with a wry frivolity".
Puffy the Eye Bag Slayer eye patches are cool and soothing, helping me feel both relaxed and more awake at the same time - an ideal combination for someone who's constantly exhausted. They're enriched with vitamins and collagen to help reduce puffiness and dark circles.
Since using them a few times, I have noticed a definite reduction in puffiness but my dark circles still remain rather consistent. I won't hold that against the product though, I'm 31 and have battled insomnia most of my life so I think I'll always have dark circles under my eyes.
I'd definitely try these again.
Where to buy: ASOS, Amazon, Anatomicals UK
Price: £6.29
Rating: 4/5
MasqueBAR Pure Gold Brightening Hydro Gel Eye Patch Masks
If there's one area of my skin that I struggle with, its under my eyes. It's never quite as smooth and hydrated as I'd like and can sometimes mean my makeup doesn't sit right, which can prove an absolute disaster.
Needless to say, I had high hopes. According to the product description, the golden under eye patches "sooth and hydrates skin" and contains "hydrolized collagen and coconut extract". The patches are also said to "elasticity of the skin".
The patches curve under the eye and are supposed to remain in place for 20 minutes to do their work. The scent of the masks was delightful, with a hint of coconut making me feel like I could be in a spa.
The result was almost instant, with my under eye area feeling plump, hydrated and ready for the day. I'll definitely be buying again.
Where to buy: ASOS
Price: £2.99
Rating: 4/5
Garnier Moisture Bomb Eye Sheet Mask
I hadn't used an eye mask before and was hoping it would give my under eye area a much needed boost. With two young kids, I'm regularly slapping on under eye concealer to get rid of my unsightly bags.
I tried the Garnier Moisture Bomb Hyaluronic Acid And Orange Juice Hydrating Brightening Eye Sheet Mask, which you can get from Boots for a very pocket friendly £1.99. You only get one in a pack and when I opened it up the masks were soaked in serum.
I popped them into position, taking care not to get any serum in my eyes and then rubbed a bit of the excess serum, which was still in the packet, over the tops of them.
They stayed in place nicely and thankfully didn't start sliding down my cheeks at all. As suggested on the instructions, I'd put the packet in the fridge prior to using it to make it extra cooling, but I'm not sure it had a big effect as they didn't feel particularly cool.
After I peeled them off and chucked them in the bin, my eye area certainly looked moisturised and well hydrated. The masks claim to "visibly reduce eye bags", but I can't honestly say that I noticed a big difference in that respect. Nice for a budget pampering treat, but don't expect miracles.
Where to buy: Boots
Price: £1.99
Rating: 1/5
Florence By Mills Swimming Under The Eyes Gel Pads
I rarely use eye pads, but I was given these cute under eye gel pads from actor Millie Bobby Brown’s beauty and skincare range as a present. The Florence By Mills Swimming Under The Eyes Gel Pads are an adorable whale shape and claim to help you feel “re-energised and present again”.
The pads are soaked in a “soothing essence” which aims to hydrate and brighten the under eye area. It includes coconut extract to de-puff, hyaluronic acid to moisturise and brighten, and pine extract which is a source of antioxidants to “help feed the skin”.
I love the purple pot containing the 30 pairs of eye pads, and once you unscrew the lid, the whales look adorable stacked on top of each other in two neat columns. The product comes with a very handy spatula tool to easily remove each whale one at a time, but one of them did rip slightly despite me being very gentle with the spatula.
The pads fit the under eye area perfectly, and although there's plenty of serum on them, they don’t slip around. You leave the whales beneath your eyes for 10-15 minutes, then remove and pat the remaining serum into the skin with your fingertips.
I found the Florence By Mills Swimming Under The Eyes Gel Pads very refreshing and hydrating. However, there was quite a lot of serum left on my skin once I removed the pads which took a long time to soak in completely.
Overall, I was impressed with how hydrated my skin felt after using the whale eye pads, but I wouldn’t say my under eye area looked any brighter. Maybe with continued use this would happen. I was very grateful to receive the Florence by Mills gel eye pads as a gift, but I wouldn't buy them for myself, as I believe they are over priced.
Where to buy: Boots
Price: £34
Rating: 3/5
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