In this post, I mentioned that I bring sleeping masks onboard a plane-and use it to moisturise everything. I love sleeping masks as a one-all-be-all moisturising product. Sleeping masks aka sleeping packs, aka overnight masks, came from the wonderful world of K- Beauty. They’re the last step of your nightly skincare routine.

Beauty purists might say it’s not your traditional night cream, but that depends on ingredients. They serve the same purpose of more intense hydration and moisturising than a day moisturiser. If there’s perhaps any difference, it’s that sleeping masks tend to have a gel-like texture that slips easier on the skin – at least that was my personal experiences with sleeping packs. Night creams also tend to have anti-aging ingredients such as retinol, that are not suited for daytime wear/sun exposure.

I’m a huge fan of sleeping masks for their versatility. I preach customising your daily skincare to suit skin needs for the day. And I have such finicky skin. Depending on weather and climate, I constantly veer from oily to combination to dry skin. Life is hard. With sleeping masks, I can layer them on dry days, or slather on a thin layer when I’m greasier.

Doubling Up as Day Moisturiser

I’ve done this plenty of times. I use sleeping packs as day moisturisers. This meant I essentially just need to pack one moisturiser when travelling. Heck yeah minimalist travel.

All you do is apply a thinner layer of the mask in the day time.

I would look for masks with hyaluronic acid as one of its main ingredients. If some masks feel more heavier and filmy, I find patting my skin with oil blotters at the end of my makeup routine helps heaps.

Some masks also had skincare ingredients only for night time; those are to be avoided. An example is Too Cool for School’s Pumpkin Sleeping Pack which has Vitamin A or retinol.

They mostly come in tubs. I would use a spatula to scoop them in a smaller travel-sized container.

These are my top picks for overnight masks.

1. KLAIRS FRESHLY JUICED VITAMIN E MASK

The Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin E Mask has been my go-to for a long while. I adore this. It has a unique pudding-like texture that is unlike any other that I’ve tried before. This is also the only mask that markets itself as being able to double up a day moisturiser.

For day, I apply one thin layer and I find it makes for a fantastic makeup base. The mask dries down to a tacky base that grips onto the makeup and makes it last.

In the night time, I think you’re suppose to layer it… but I would just scoop it out of the tub at one go out of laziness and massage it all over my skin.

2. ASAHI PACK GEL

Ah the reclusive, unassuming Asahi R&d Suhada Shizuku Pack Gel All-in-one. Just by its mouthy, lengthy name, you can tell it’s a Japanese invention. This was also the first overnight mask that I used. This has a gel-like texture that magically transforms into water droplets when massaged in. It’s fascinating. This is highly underrated and you can’t find much information online which is a damn shame.

Although this is gel-like, it feels both hydrating and moisturising. As its name suggests, it’s an all-in-one toner/ serum/moisturiser, and I feel like this was made for my lazy girls out there. When I bring this on my travels I’d slap this on my face (after double cleansing) and call it a day/plonk straight to bed. Admittedly it can get a bit heavy for daytime use, and I find foundation wears off faster with this BUT this was a godsend on my Vegas trip- when the arid air dried out my skin.

I picked them up from Japanese drugstores but you can purchase them on Amazon right here. Tokyu Hands also stocks them.

3. Laneige Water Sleeping Mask

The Laneige Water Sleeping Mask was the OG product that propelled sleeping masks to fame to K-beauty outsiders. I used this in yesteryears but since I’ve discovered Klairs Ive abandoned this. I enjoyed using this when it first came out, but I find the fragrance these days a little more nuanced for my liking. It’s also the most expensive out this lot here, but it’s a lot more readily available than the other two. This is a beautiful, cooling gel texture that glides effortlessly and promises bouncy skin when you wake up.

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