You've probably heard that your skin is at its repairing best as you slumber. That comes as a surprise to absolutely no one. Which is why there has been such a recent boom of products aimed at repairing everything from wrinkles to split ends. This idea that your body calls all available nutrients to arms and rebuilds as you sleep has helped shine the spotlight on the seemingly latent chunk of time while we’re sleeping as a newfound beauty opportunity.This is a boon for anyone who’s ever wished they could relegate all menial and annoying tasks to their sleeping, regenerating selves. While they may not get as ridiculous as Amy Schumer’s “Sleep Gym,” Korean primp-while-you-sleep treatments do some impressive things. And they go well beyond traditional sleep masks (which in Korea are so yesteryear). I’m talking superfood for longer lashes, peel-off eyebrow tints that last for days, micro-needle anti-aging treatments, and the next generation of overnight masks.
Keep clicking to see all of your bedtime beauty options. They'll definitely give you more reasons to abuse your snooze button.
Lazy girls, brow-challenged babes, and members of the swim team assemble! This peel-off tint stains the brow hairs and the skin under and around them to fill out brows for up to seven days, even through sweat, water, and washing your face. Sounds pretty amazing, right?
The catch is that it takes a minimum of two hours to work its magic. Ain’t no one got time for that. Except your sleeping self. Apply before bed, and wake up to brow magnificence. Just be sure the formula sets before you go to bed; rolling around in your sleep could result in the tint setting on non-brow areas of your face — a mistake you’ll be regrettably stuck with for days.
Etude House Tint My Brows Gel, $7.19, available at Jolse.
Most Koreans just aren't genetically blessed with long, luscious lashes — so eyelash extensions, perms, and ampoules are aplenty on this peninsula. This ampoule essence from TonyMoly is a double-duty wonder of an eyelash fertilizer. Both formulas boast impressive roll calls of growth-boosting botanical extracts from soybeans, blueberries, rice, and ginseng, as well as botanical waters from lavender, rosemary, and aloe.
On one side is an eyelash ampoule that is dabbed on the lashline to fortify and coax growth as you sleep. The other end is a nutritive-essence mascara to be swiped on prior to “real” mascara during the day so the growing doesn’t stop. Keep up the routine for a few weeks, and you’ll see your garden grow.
TonyMoly Double Needs Eyelash Ampoule Essence, $9.33, available at Jolse.
These little patches from Korean pharmaceutical powerhouse Hugel follow the "no pain, no gain" beauty philosophy. Granted, the pain in question is miniscule; they just won't feel like soft kitten kisses on your face.
Hugel is best known for its more “serious” products of the injectable filler/Botox variety, but it also has a skin-care line that harnesses the science of its laboratories into the products. The Hyaluronic Acid Micro Needle Patch sticks onto the undereyes or laugh lines, where tiny needles penetrate the skin, allowing peptides and hyaluronic acid to melt directly into your wrinkles. Slap them on for a minimum of four hours — perfect for when you're heading off to dreamland — to see those fine lines smooth out.
Personally, I was almost disappointed by the absence of pain. When I hear the word "needle," I expect a certain level of discomfort, but these micro-needles are so fine, any discomfort came from adjusting to sleeping with stickers on my face.
I was not, however, disappointed with the results, which showed an improvement in the very fine lines around my eyes after a single use. Keep in mind that there are comparable treatments stateside, like this one from Rodan + Fields, that command much higher sticker prices.
Wellage Hyaluronic Acid Micro Needle Patch, $12.66, available at Korea Depart.
No matter how youthful your face looks, your neck could still look older. The skin on your neck is as delicate as on your face, but with fewer sebaceous glands (so, less natural oils to protect skin) and fewer melanocytes (melanin-producing cells that color skin and protect it from the sun) — and it’s also the area we often neglect. Sarah Lee of Glow Recipe says, “Doing a neck mask is inconvenient during the day because everything is just going to drip down. Doing a neck mask at night means treatments stay right where they should to replenish the area as you sleep.”
To avoid a Real Housewives neck situation later in life, start with a rich, nourishing lipid-based treatment like Whamisa’s Facial Oil, which is a fellowship of oils to fawn over. Argan, olive, hazelnut, jojoba, and camellia join forces to iron out wrinkle rings around the neck, giving your face a prettier pedestal to sit on. Lee recommends massaging the neck in an upward motion while you apply the mask, for fast absorption of the formula as well as a little anti-sagging exercise.
Lock in the treatment with a targeted product like Innisfree’s Soybean Firming Neck Cream, which has a fermented formula versatile enough to use night or day.
Whamisa Organic Flowers Facial Oil, $40, available at Glow Recipe.
If you’re a little fuzzy on the difference between a night cream and a sleeping mask, it’s because they could be the same thing. Typically, night creams are heavier moisturizers to round out your evening skin-care ritual while sleeping masks are more concentrated, rich creams — oftentimes formulated toward a specific skin concern — to be used periodically through the week as needed. Some products actually fall somewhere between those, like this probiotics sleeping cream from Leejiham, a Korean dermatology brand.
The hydrating, gel formula is packed with probiotics that neutralize free-radical activity on skin, similar to the rebalancing role of probiotics in your gut. The two-in-one treatment also contains seamat extract, a marine plankton that reduces pore-clogging sebum production as you sleep. It’s light enough for nightly use, but also powerful as a sleeping mask to punch up your skin-care regimen when you need a little extra oomph.
Leejiham Cosmetics Probiotics Sleeping Cream, $48, available at Glow Recipe.
This sleeping mask from RE:P stands out from others in that it’s deeply moisturizing but also gentle enough for anyone with sensitive or acne-prone skin — i.e., those who may have shied away from sleep masks in the past. The lightweight, gel formula contains calendula and tea-tree oils, which Charlotte Cho of Soko Glam says can keep acne in check, as they are both gentle, anti-inflammatory ingredients. Olive oil and basil extracts keep skin soft and glowing until morning.
Cho adds, “It also doesn't hurt that RE:P has taken efforts to be the first Korean brand to be cruelty-free certified by the Leaping Bunny Program, and [carries] through its eco-friendly brand philosophy by printing all its packaging with soy ink and bottling its formulas in recyclable materials.”
RE:P Nutrinature Ultra All-Night Moisture & Relief Mask, $38, available at Soko Glam.
The eyes are always in need of extra TLC, as the eye contour is home to the thinnest and most fragile skin on the entire face. This firming eye mask comes from So’ Natural, a Korean skin-care line that keeps its formulas as close to the Earth as possible. The soothing, gel-like formula contains hyaluronic acid, vegetable collagen, and shea butter to deeply moisturize and firm up the area as you sleep.
So’ Natural Eye Zone Firming Mask, $14.16, available at Tester Korea.
We’ve always been told going to sleep with makeup on is disastrous, but this BB cream is apparently the exception to the rule. Night Beauty Balm is the latest creation from Dr. Jart+, a brand that knows a thing or two when it comes to BB creams. Its lineup of BB creams has won the full gamut of beauty awards here in Korea.
While most BBs contain SPF, Night Beauty Balm's super-clean formula doesn’t have any pore-blocking sunscreen. This is also a plus if you’re going out and need the light, natural coverage that a BB gives without any glare or shine.
It takes some getting used to in terms of application. The formula is a clear gel with little silver beads that encapsulate the colorant, iron oxide. Iron oxide is a mineral colorant that’s safe to use even on sensitive skin, and in order to activate the color, you’ll need to rub the gel in your palms so the beads pop. It blends into a watery, pigmented emulsion that wears like a sheer veil of coverage. Bonus: In addition to its p.m. perfecting powers, you can also use it during the day as a highly customizable, gentle BB cream. Just don't forget the sunscreen.
Dr. Jart+ Night Beauty Balm, $38, available at Sephora.
TonyMoly Haeyo Zayo Hair Sleeping Pack looks straight-up like a squeeze bottle of mayonnaise. For someone who briefly had a fear of mayonnaise as a child (it couldn’t even touch my skin or I would freak out), I found this, understandably, kind of gross.
Thankfully, the product is nothing like mayonnaise — either in formula (full of coconut and lavender oils), or in consistency (a gel-like emulsion that easily absorbs into damp hair). Having your hair damp is crucial, since you’ll want the product to have as even spread as possible. The optimal time is post-shower, when hair cuticles are steamed wide open and more receptive to the treatment.
Word of caution: Though the formula contains coconut and lavender extracts, it smells faintly of cleaning solution. It’s the kind of smell you’d find comforting if entering a public bathroom, but not so much when applying a product to your hair. Thankfully, the aroma dissipates almost immediately after applying, and the morning result is an incredibly soft and nourished mane.
TonyMoly Haeyo Zayo Hair Sleeping Pack, $6.65, available at Korea Depart.
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