Overnight masks: everything you need to know

There’s nothing quite as satisfying as scoring a ‘twofer’ (two-for-one) whether it’s simultaneously ticking a pair of items off your to-do list or making efficiencies by doubling up on tasks. And when it comes to beauty, anything that saves me time, effort or offers twice the reward is very welcome indeed.

This is where multi-masking comes in, the beauty trend that allows me to indulge in treatments from top to toe, thanks to a whole host of overnight offerings. I might combine a nourishing hair treatment with a skin-balancing face mask (and maybe throw in a cheeky hand mask while I’m at it) to really amplify my beauty sleep. Wake up to softer hair and clearer skin? Don’t mind if I do… 

If you're simply never going to embrace a ten-step beauty routine, the one take-home from our skin-savvy Korean counterparts is to use an overnight mask (mainly because it involves almost zero effort). K beauty converts will already be au fait with the skin-boosting credentials of a sleeping mask (essentially an amped-up night cream) as skin cells regenerate faster overnight. I add one to my pre-bedtime ablutions when I feel like my skin needs a little extra TLC.

I have an unwavering love for Sisley’s Black Rose Cream Mask, whose cosseting effects leave my skin calm and comfortable by morning but it now has a rival for my affections in the form of the Velvet Sleeping Mask, which is perfect for parched complexions. Moisture tends to be what our skin craves overnight so most formulations are geared towards hydrating and nourishing. Look out for Elemis’ luscious Peptide4 Plumping Pillow Facial Hydrating Sleep Mask, or Erno Laszlo’s Hydra-Therapy Memory Sleep Mask.

If sleep is proving elusive, apply a very thin layer of Darphin’s Vetiver Aromatic Care Stress Relief Detox Oil Mask. 

But sleep masks can impart more targeted benefits too. I love Sarah Chapman’s Skinesis Overnight Facial, which is designed to lift and firm, as is the Black Tea Firming Overnight Mask from Fresh. For an overnight recharge, Lancôme's Énergie De Vie Nuit Sleep Mask is my go-to, and for days when my skin is playing out its own little melodrama, REN’s Evercalm Overnight Recovery Balm soon gets it back on the straight and narrow.

Coarse, stubborn and unmanageable; it’s fair to say that my hair does not respond to gentle coaxing with a comb or cajoling with conditioner. What does make it behave, however, is an overnight mask. I’ve tended to opt for regular strengthening masks such as Aveda’s Intensive RestructuringTreatment, or Ouai’s Treatment Masque as my overnight fixers, smoothing them through damp hair before twisting it up into a loose chignon. But now there are options specifically dedicated to caring for our strands as we sleep such as Living Proof's Perfect Hair Day PhD Night Cap Overnight Perfector. The only discernable downside? Slightly tacky pillows come morning so make sure you lay down a lightweight towel first or, better still, pop on a Slip Pure Silk Turban (the pink feels suitably ‘spoilt starlet’).

How to take multi-masking to the max? Add in an eye mask such as the Pro Collagen Eye Revive Mask from Elemis, while treating your digits to some overnight pampering with the NEOM Organics London Perfect Night's Sleep Hand Balm. I'll go as far as wrapping my feet in clingfilm after slathering on Clarins Foot Beauty Treatment Cream or London Intensive Hydrating Foot Lotion from podiatrist and foot expert Margaret Dabbs. I might even slip on some socks for a more intense overnight treatment, though this requires real dedication to the soft-foot cause during the warm summer months.