Erno Laszlo Hydra-Therapy Memory Sleep Mask

So I'm obsessed with sleeping masks at the moment, and I blame this 15mL/0.5fl. oz. freebie jar of Erno Laszlo Hydra-Therapy Memory Sleep Mask that I got from LookFantastic when I placed an order a short while ago. Let's just say I've since hoarded a few full size jars. Even more impressive is that hubby shares them with me and he loves this stuff as much as I do, and it's no small feat to convert him.  

Honestly, celebrity dermatologist, cosmetic surgeons, chemist brands and other name-brands just make me roll my eyes. Worse, I don't have a good impression of sleeping masks. Many years (like, more than a decade) ago, I used jar after jar of the super popular Laneige Water Sleeping Pack as well as other Korean sleeping masks but totally didn't get what the big deal was, and thus haven't bothered with any mask since, sleeping or wash-off or sheet or otherwise. I already have so little time to do anything, why waste it on masks? Plus I'm lazy :P For all the time and efforts that masks require, I felt the return just wasn't worth it, because I didn't and still don't get how a sleeping mask differs with a really good night cream. Any freebie mask I received over the past decade+, I immediately gave away.

All that is to say my first impression of this Erno Laszlo sleeping mask was a giant shoulder shrug. MEH. I thought of giving it away but didn't get around to text my family and nearby friends to see who'd want it, so it sat collecting dust on the corner of my desk for the past few months.

I actually had started using sleeping masks again last winter. Out of boredom. My skin has gotten drier as I get older, and last winter I started using DHC Enriched Night Cream Repair & Lift Extra. However, this darn DHC cream was so thick and rich that I could only use dabs at a time, and last winter at some point I got so bored I introduced Biotherm Aquasource Night Spa every other night just to break up the monotony. I had to stop using DHC when the weather got too warm, so now I still have more than half a jar left T.T 

Which is to say I got bored again and was itching to have something different to use every other night. However, I didn't have any other sleeping mask on hand other than this Erno Laszlo one, so one night I slapped some on and did a double take at the jar.

Holy hell, what is this stuff? It's AMAZING. 

First thing first: it's scented. And I love this fragrance. It very much reminds me of Chanel Coco Mademoiselle. If I had a favorite fragrance, it would probably be this one. In fact, I used to like it so much I even wore it every once in a while when I was in college. The crazy thing is: I'm not a fragrance person at all and have never cared for perfumes, unlike my mum who has a shelf full of them. So the scent got my attention for sure.

Second, this sleeping mask has a very interesting texture, a "self-healing" jelly not unlike Astalift Jelly Aquarysta. In fact, I think this Erno Laszlo sleeping mask has a better jelly texture than Astalyft, being much thinner, lighter, and "meltier." I look forward to using it every other night, because applying it has been such a joy. It spreads easily and melts right into my skin like water. My skin drinks it up like water too.

But neither of the above was what impressed me.

What got me was the immediate effect it has on my skin. The moment it set, and it set almost instantly upon application, it turns my skin into buttery silk, so soft and supple I couldn't stop touching my face. WOW.

Straight to Erno Laszlo's online store I went. Ouch. The full size 40mL jar is $120--way out of my price range. I don't like spending that much on any product, let alone a sleeping mask I don't usually care for. But I bought this sleeping mask, alright. Yep, I happily paid that $120. Hell, I want to try all the other products in the Hydra-Therapy line too! And four full-size jars later, I can say with certainty I'm hoarding this stuff.