Why I Returned the Laneige Water Sleeping Mask

Photo: laneige.com

So last week, I went to Sephora and purchased the Laneige Water Sleeping Mask. I also bought the Laneige Cream Skin Toner & Moisturizer, which by the way, impressed me so much with its intense moisturizing effect. However, I did not have the same experience with the sleeping mask. I expected so much from it because it is so hyped up in the skincare community. People who've used it claimed that they woke up with glowing and hydrated skin... but that was not the case for me at all.

This is the description of the Water Sleeping Mask on Laneige's U.S. website:

"Recharge your dehydrated skin while you sleep with this innovative mask. Formulated with highly concentrated Hydro Ionized Mineral Water to deliver high doses of moisture to stressed, parched skin."

Photo/Gif: laneige.com

I actually only used the sleeping mask once. I initially tried it on my boyfriend, who has combo but usually dry skin. He didn't have a bad reaction to it (luckily, he doesn't have sensitive skin) but I noticed that it dried out within minutes. I was like, "where in the world did the product go?!". I touched his face and the sleeping mask completely dried out but I didn't think too much of it. Later on that night, I applied a decent amount of the sleeping mask on my face. I went to bed, used my phone for a few minutes, and suddenly my face felt dry already. It had dried out within minutes... again. I really wanted this sleeping mask to work because it seemed to be the HG of so many skincare enthusiasts. I wanted to experience the morning glow that they speak of. I thought that maybe I just didn't apply enough of the product on my face? I went back and applied a little bit more of the product. It finally felt okay this time and then I fell asleep.

When I woke up, I was expecting my skin to be well hydrated and glowing but it seemed to be the opposite of that. My face was dry and tight. I looked into the mirror and spotted a few whiteheads on my upper cheek that magically appeared overnight. Fortunately, my skin didn't have a super bad reaction to the sleeping mask. I texted my boyfriend and asked him if he felt dryness and tightness on his skin too after using the mask and he said he did. It is easy to imply that my skin was probably just purging but this product is not even worth going through a purge for because it didn't provide the hydration that I needed for my combo/dry skin. Since my boyfriend and I pretty much have the same type of skin (mine is just more sensitive), I'm thinking that maybe this product is just not hydrating enough for some people with combo to dry skin.

I am a subscriber of James Welsh, a well-known skincare YouTuber. I remember watching one of his videos a while ago about the products that he hated and I was pretty sure he mentioned the Laneige Water Sleeping Mask. I went back to that video to review his experience with the product. We basically had the same experience (except the emergence of whiteheads). The sleeping mask also made his skin dry and tight. I should've just listened to him before I bought the mask! He starts talking about the sleeping mask at 5:28.

Luckily, Sephora accepts returns so I was able to return the sleeping mask. I ended up exchanging it for the Laneige Lip Glowy Balm because I kinda got obsessed with the smell of the berry flavored Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask and I wanted a lip balm version of it that I can wear all day. Also, I just realized that the Laneige Cica Sleeping Mask is a cream version of the Water Sleeping Mask, which is a gel texture. Now I'm wondering if the cream sleeping mask would've been more moisturizing and a better fit for my skin. Maybe I'll give it a shot in the future but definitely not anytime soon. I am currently waiting for the products I ordered from Krave Beauty and I cannot wait to try them. But lesson learned: just because a product works wonderfully for most people, doesn't mean it'll work for you too! Find something that'll personally work for your skin!

If you've tried the Laneige Water Sleeping Mask, how was your experience? You can share it in the comments section down below! Thanks for reading my blog!