Undereye gel patches are the revitalising cucumber slices of the 21st century | Sali Hughes on beauty

From the 1970s to the early 2000s, the universal visual shorthand for “a spot of pampering” was a mud pack and duo of cucumber slices. Now, it’s a set of undereye patches.

I notice this constantly in popular culture. Reality show girls’ night in = eye patches. TikTok self-care video, celebrities in-flight, film characters “at rest” = eye patches. It seems that wherever a mythical woman is enjoying the relaxation of a DIY beauty ritual, her undereyes are masked with reclining apostrophes in jelly or cloth.

I was curious to see if much had moved on since they went big 10 or so years ago. Then, I raved about Skyn Iceland’s Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels – and I still think they’re very good at instantly plumping up tired, dehydrated, dull undereyes, working much as a cup of water might on a raisin. But at £15 for four pairs they seem hugely indulgent, and I’ve used them only when flying long-haul (skin is parched and there’s time to kill) or on a friend who’s three hours from wedding vows. This is broadly how I feel about the entire category, but I’ve sought out a couple of options that still feel like a luxury, only with less associated guilt.

Best performance-to-value ratio came from Nip+Fab’s Hyaluronic Fix Extreme4 Jelly Eye Patches (£13.95-£19.95 – stockists vary – for 20 pairs). In 15 minutes these calmed and soothed my undereyes, flooding them with moisture and leaving a smooth surface for makeup. And a quid a go is tolerable for intermittent or emergency use.

But my favourite find – one I’ll now never be without – is Dieux Skin’s brilliant Forever Eye Masks (£22). Just one pair of almost infinitely reusable silicone patches that you simply stick over lashings of your chosen face or eye serum.

What affords the extra plumpness is the sealing action, and that, for me, is the beginning and end of what makes eye patches work.

Think about how much nicer hair feels after conditioner has been left to “cook” under a shower cap; how much softer feet are when moisturised overnight under cotton socks.

This is precisely what the Dieux patches facilitate and they work brilliantly in just five to 10 minutes, before you wash and return them to their travel-friendly case.

You can refrigerate them too, if you like. For depuffing I remain devoted to cryoglobes, but the Dieux are a great option if you’re shorter on fridge space.