I’ve mentioned my sleep problems in passing since the beginning of this blog, but they’ve gotten progressively worse. Nowadays I feel like I need meditation, a Gregorian choir softly chanting, ear plugs, an eye mask and maybe a voodoo ceremony to come even close to actually sleeping. So, a sleep mask is a priority for me, and I tried some of the best. Here’s the Slipsilk™ vs Holistic Silk eye mask battle: see how they fared in a direct comparison.
What I look for in an eye mask
It should block out light – duh – and fit well. I don’t want the fabric to suck all moisture out of my eye area during the night, and I also want to wash it easily, because, well, yuck.
I’ve to stress that I do wear my sleep mask every night, because my bedroom doesn’t have blackout curtains or blinds that turn it into the pitch-black cave I want it to be. That means I have slightly different demands for it than someone wearing it once in a while, or on a red-eye flight.
Slipsilk™ vs Holistic Silk eye mask: the battle!
Holistic Silk One Strap Eye Mask
What it is
Our original award winning Eye Mask design made with one soft, wide Velvet elasticated strap, totally blocks out all light to give you deeper, more restorative sleep. Containing soothing natural dried Lavender flowers they are recommended by sleep experts as a perfect addition to your night-time routine.
Holistic Silk
Available with a classic Dupion Silk front and soft Cotton Velvet lining or with skin-loving Pure Mulberry Silk on both sides.
What I say
Certainly, a beautiful mask that also comes with ties instead of an elastic. With 73,00€, it’s rather pricey. As an extra, this is actually filled with dried lavender flowers, smelling gently of soothing lavender (at least at the beginning of its lifetime). The scent stays astonishingly long, but gets very faint after a while.
Pros and Cons
Fit: Huge. I like that, because it covers a lot. It is also very comfortable, because the fabric doesn’t just press down on your eyes, but rather sits on your cheek bones. The elastic, though, wears out easily.
Fabric: The silk is just on the OUTSIDE of the mask. The inside lining is made of cotton velvet – very soft, but then, cotton is VERY absorbent, so maybe not the best for the lining of an eye mask. I want my skincare on my skin, and not absorbed into my mask. You can also get a model that comes with silk lining, though. (I didn’t know that at the time I bought this one.) It’s not very padded, though.
Hygiene: Here’s the thing – because of the dried lavender, this is hellishly hard to clean. The website says that it can be dry-cleaned or even washed on a delicate cycle, but I personally wouldn’t risk that. (Just imagine the lavender becoming mouldy!) I actually spray a cloth with a disinfectant from time to time and clean it that way.
Slipsilk™ Silk Mask
What it is
Slipsilk™ is specially-commissioned and made to our exacting standards, developed and refined over ten years to provide the ultimate combination of shine, thickness, softness and durability. We use the highest grade (6A) long fiber mulberry silk, with a thickness of 22 momme and enforce the strictest quality guidelines, including non-toxic dyes. Silk fibers are significantly less absorbent than many other fibers, so they can help keep your skin’s moisture and expensive face and hair products where they belong, on your face and hair.
Slipsilk
Slip pure silk sleep masks are 100% pure silk, inside and out. They’re made with pure silk filler, silk internal liner and a silk-covered elastic band.
What I say
To my eyes, it looks rather cheap. The crinkly elastic doesn’t do it for me, and the mask is rather small, reminding me of the cotton masks you get on a flight. It’s also rather thick. The price is a bit more palatable, coming in at 50€.
Pros and Cons
Fit: On me, the mask fits very snugly, with the eye pieces pressing down gently on my lids. While I can open my eyes when wearing the Holistic Silk Mask, I physically can’t while wearing the Slipsilk™one. If you’re a fidgety sleeper, the mask may slip during the night – resulting, because of the small size, for light to hit your eyes. You’ll also might wake up with imprints of the elastic strap on your skin.
Fabric: Slipsilk™prides itself on its high-quality silk. It’s very soft and slippery, which is a good thing in silk. (More about silk here.) I was astonished to see that it’s not only lined with silk, it’s also filled with it. This should prevent your skincare products absorbing into the fabric.
Hygiene: As with any silk item, you can either hand wash or put it into the delicate cycle. (Slipsilk™ has very detailed washing instructions on their website.) I approve!
Slipsilk™ vs Holistic Silk eye mask: The Winner
I don’t own the Slipsilk™ mask long enough to see how the elastic fares over time, but I nevertheless have to give it to them. I prefer the silk lining (due to the preferable absorption over cotton), and the ease of keeping it clean. Slipsilk™ is also significantly cheaper than Holistic Silk. (Holistic Silk is available at Niche-Beauty and Lookfantastic, for example, while Slipsilk is carried at Sephora and Niche-Beauty.)
Please note that this review is not sponsored in any way. We buy products ourselves, with our own money, and don’t accept exchanging goods, or money, for reviews. We are completely independent, and our reviews reflect that.
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