These Hydrating Under-Eye Masks Are My Secret to Getting Rid of Puffiness and Dark Circles

For someone whose favorite pastime is sleeping, I look like I pulled an all-nighter way too often. For this, I can thank the dark under-eye circles that popped up sometime during college and decided they’d stick around. While my everyday makeup routine is pretty lax overall, I never leave home without a few slicks of concealer under my eyes for fear of frightening young children or looking like I was out all night on a Tuesday (when in reality, my evening consisted of Netflix documentaries and a self-imposed bedtime of 9 p.m.).

I had pretty much accepted that dark under-eye circles were just the hand I was dealt, even through my attempts at sleeping for over 10 hours a night (judge me if you must). But in a divine skincare intervention that arrived by way of a Sephora sample, Wander Beauty’s Baggage Claim Gold Eye Mask came into my life, and I’ve never looked back.

I’ll admit: Having seen selfies starring these gold-foiled eye masks on my Instagram feed, I wondered whether or not they actually lived up to the hype. Not that I have anything against Insta-worthy skincare, but my skeptical nature didn’t allow me to get my hopes up too high, just in case. Lucky for me, all it took was one look in the mirror to find my perpetual dark-circles visibly reduced and in their place, plumped-up and brighter looking skin. I was hooked.

After rubbing in the remaining serum (no-mess masks are always a plus!), I immediately headed online to stock up, only to find them sold out everywhere. It was clear I wasn’t the only person who’d fallen in love with the mask’s hydrating, brightening, and dark-circle erasing benefits — but I checked back daily until the cult-fave was restocked and added it to my cart.

Aside from being frequently sold out, the Baggage Claim Gold Eye Masks have garnered rave reviews on Nordstrom, with even the pros chiming in to celebrate the hydrating, plumping, and brightening effects of the under-eye strips.

“I use these on clients pre-makeup. My studio keeps these bad boys on hand! They work WONDERS for mature eyes that have a lot of texture underneath the eye. This hydrates the area, plumps and smooths it out, making for flawless product application! I would recommend this to everyone,” said one reviewer.

It turns out that the shiny gold top layer isn’t just for show, either. The eye mask — formulated with a powerful and ultra-nourishing blend of hyaluronic acid, aloe leaf extract, lavender oil, and jojoba seed oil — is designed with an outermost layer meant for retaining heat and ensuring the serum is absorbed fully into the skin.

What’s more, the mask’s elastic middle layer keeps it from sliding so you can enjoy the cooling feel and rejuvenating benefits without having to stay still — a must for busy, multitasking mornings. Personally, I put them on clean, dry skin right after washing my face and let them sit while I make my coffee and dry my hair. After 15 minutes or so, I’m left with refreshed and brightened under-eyes, sans pesky dark-circles, and while the coffee may help, the eye mask is to thank.

Head to Nordstrom to grab Wander Beauty’s Baggage Claim Gold Eye Masks, which come in a set of six individually-packaged masks sure to keep dark circles and under-eye bags packed for good.