Review: Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask

I think one of the things most of us forget when figuring out an effective skincare routine are the lips.

I know that I definitely fell into this camp, yet I continued through my life with dry, cracked lips acting like there was nothing to be done about it. Lipstick and lip gloss looked terrible on me; it just emphasized all my dry, dead skin and cracks. I'd wake up many mornings with dried blood around my mouth because my lips had split in the middle of the night. The worst was the eczema I'd get in the corners of my mouth that seemed impossible to fix. Why was this all happening? I drink a lot of water usually; definitely at least 8 cups a day. I was using chapstick regularly, even the "nicer" brands like Eos and Burt's Bees. Why did my lips still look terrible???

It turns out lip skin can vary from person to person, just like facial skin. It's important to find products that work for your lip skin type. Lip skin can be far more sensitive than facial skin, too; facial skin is about four times thicker on average than lip skin. This seems like common sense, looking back.

After extensive research, I found what many Asian beauty enthusiasts believe to be the Holy Grail of lip care - Laneige's Lip Sleeping Mask.

Laneige is a Korean brand, and therefore fits squarely into the Asian beauty community. Its lip sleeping mask is a lot pricier than most people would spend on a lip product - about $20 for a 20-gram tub. That being said, I had some credit card cash back available, and wanted to try the mask since it was so raved about on the Internet. I purchased mine from Amazon in the berry "flavor".

Laneige claims that the mask is meant to be worn at night while the muscles of the face are generally relaxed, allowing for greatest penetration of product. Plus, lip product is particularly prone to accidental wear due to eating and drinking during the day. The company also claims that dry, dead lip skin will simply wipe away in the morning.

Apparently the mask contains raspberry, strawberry, blueberry, and cranberry extracts which are all high in vitamin C, which serves to plump fine lines and prevent signs of aging, plus protect cells from the sun. The mask also contains a proprietary technology known as Moisture Wrap which helps to lock moisture and nutrients into the lips' skin.

Applicator "brush"

The first thing I noticed about this mask is that it smells absolutely incredible and goes on the lips like a dream, with assistance from the cute little applicator it comes with. The applicator is actually a great touch because it prevents part of the product from otherwise absorbing into your finger during application. I think this is a necessary tool for a higher-priced product like this one!

My lips must have been super dry when I initially applied this, since it seemed to dry up within minutes. I applied once more right before bed and went to sleep with super-hydrated lips.

When I woke up, I noticed at first that my lips felt kind of dry, which was initially disappointing. But, after going to the bathroom and wiping my lips gently with a wash cloth soaked in hot water, the dead skin truly did just wipe off. I was left with less creased, more evenly toned lips than ever before. My lips look plump, even, and like lipstick would glide on easily and look nearly perfect. The second night I used this, my lips stayed hydrated all the way into the morning; I guess my lip skin was super thirsty during the first night! As a side note, I also use Vaseline's Lip Therapy during the day to lock in the moisture (a super cheap and effective moisturizer; I've had more luck with this than with most chapsticks).

This product really blew me away. The price is kind of high for a lip product, but I've determined it's worth it. It also seems like a little goes a long way, so the 20 grams should last me quite a long time, especially when using the applicator. I give this a solid 5/5 stars. I'm unbelievably pleased to have found a product that can keep my lips healthy along with the rest of my face!

- Anna