POV: You slept just okay, and it was one of those mornings where you hit snooze and begrudgingly forced yourself out of bed. As much as I prioritize sleep — and it has been documented that I very much do — sometimes, you can’t help feeling tired. And for me, my eyes are an undeniable tell; when I’m low on zzz‘s, my undereye area is puffy and purplish (I am not genetically prone to dark circles, so I know it’s bad when I need to color-correct). I’ve consciously uncoupled from eye creams, but still love a lightweight eye serum or better yet – an undereye patch.
At first look, eye masks more or less seem the same across the board: Usually made from a hydrogel or lyocell and/or bio-cellulose material, saturated with a serum-like goo to help soothe, brighten, and hydrate under the eyes. Well, not only are they very much not created equal (many that I’ve tried simply feel nice, but that’s about it), but I’m here to report that I’ve found an unlikely favorite in Rhode‘s new Peptide Eye Prep.
Remember what I said earlier about a lot of patches just feeling nice but not actually doing much? Not these. Hailey did her big one with these, because Peptide Eye Prep doesn’t only contain peptides (somewhat of a hero ingredient for Rhode), but also caffeine, sodium PCA (an amino acid that works similarly to hyaluronic acid to trap and lock in moisture), and glycerin to visibly depuff, brighten, and moisturize under the eyes. After a night of too many cocktails and not enough sleep, I put these on while walking my dog the following morning. Right away, these felt instantly cool and refreshing (even without putting them in the fridge), and the symmetrical bean shape meant that I didn’t have to play a guessing game of how to properly place them. (There is somewhat of a hotly contested debate over the Nike swoosh-shaped ones, and whether the tapered end should face your inner or outer end of the orbital area.)
When I got back to my apartment about 10 minutes later, I removed them and inspected the results. To my surprise and delight, my puffiness was nearly gone, and my dark circles visibly less noticeable. But perhaps most noteworthy is that I actually felt like my overall eye area was perked up and felt awake. I’ve liked most Rhode products that I’ve tried, and admit that at first, I thought these logo-printed patches were just a viral beauty moment — and a clever one at that. But after trying these out a few times, I have to say that I’m impressed. Peptide Eye Prep definitely earned its spot in my airplane beauty routine as well as my makeup bag before getting ready for a night out. Are they a bit pricey at $25 for six (or $47 for 12)? Well, yes — but not at all unheard of for premium eye masks. (My other fave, Wander Beauty’s Baggage Claim, are similarly priced at $26 for a set of six.) The individual packaging adds to the cost, but makes them infinitely more travel-friendly in my opinion — which I personally am willing to pay more for. And the Rhode-club selfies you’ll post while wearing ’em? Priceless.
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
