Key points
- A flat mask presses on the lashes and rubs them whenever you move.
- Eye doctors at the AAO say rubbing and tugging can break natural lashes.
- Take eye makeup off before bed, and read what is in the lash glue.
- Cups 18 mm deep leave room for extensions, and 13 mm leaves room to blink with natural lashes.
Why a flat mask is hard on extensions
Put on a flat mask and the fabric lands on your lashes before it reaches your cheeks. Lie on your side and the pillow presses that fabric harder against one eye. Every time you roll over, the cloth drags across the lashes in one direction, and by morning the extensions on that side can point every which way.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) is plain about why this matters. Its eye doctors say rubbing, tugging or pulling can fracture natural lashes and can even damage the lash follicle for good. An extension is glued to a natural lash, so whatever pulls on the extension pulls on the lash under it.
The AAO also lists the risks of extensions themselves: trauma to or infection of the eyelid or cornea, an allergic reaction to the glue, and lashes lost for a while or for good. A mask changes none of that. What it can do is stop adding friction of its own, night after night.
Take the makeup off before bed
The AAO advises removing all eye makeup at night before you sleep, mascara most of all, because it can stick to the lashes. Makeup left on can irritate the eye. The same page asks you to be gentle with your lashes and with the thin skin around the eyes.
That advice is for the night. A deep cup earns its place in other hours: a nap on a long flight, half an hour on the couch before dinner out, a train ride home after a wedding. Then you want your face to stay the way it was, and a cup that stands clear of the lashes leaves the mascara where you put it.
False lashes have their own warning. According to the AAO, glued and magnetic lashes can irritate the sensitive skin around the eyes, or dip into the eye and scratch the cornea, if they are not applied well.
What the FDA says about lash glue
The FDA treats false eyelashes, eyelash extensions and the adhesives that hold them as cosmetics. It reminds you that eyelids are delicate, and that an allergic reaction, irritation or other injury in the eye area can be particularly troublesome. Its advice is to read the ingredients of an adhesive before it goes near your eyes.
Ask your lash artist which glue they use and keep the name on your phone. If your eyes sting after a set, the FDA safety checklist says to stop using any eye cosmetic that causes irritation and to see a doctor if the irritation does not go away. It also says to skip eye cosmetics while an eye is infected or the skin around it is inflamed.
None of this is about the mask. Glue and makeup sit on your face for hours before you lie down, and the deepest cup does nothing for an allergy. All a cup does is keep fabric off lashes that are already in place.
How deep a cup needs to be
Cup depth is the room between the rim that touches your face and the inside of the cup over the eye. On our Contoured mask it is 13 mm, enough to blink with natural lashes. The Spacious and the Pro masks go to 18 mm, 5 mm more, and extensions need that extra room.
Depth is only part of the fit. On the Spacious mask the face side follows the brow and the cheeks, so the rim closes the paths light takes from above and below. The sides taper thin at the temples, and the side of your head lies flat on the pillow. Its seams are thread-stitched rather than glued, so it can go through the washing machine in a laundry bag.
Both of our 18 mm masks sit together on one page, MZOO sleep masks for lash extensions. The whole range, in every color, is on the sleep mask shelf.
| Mask | Cup depth | What it suits |
|---|---|---|
| A flat mask | No cup | Fabric lies on the lids and lashes, hard on extensions |
| MZOO Contoured | 13 mm | Natural lashes, room to blink, five colors |
| MZOO Spacious | 18 mm | Extensions, long natural lashes, a nap in makeup |
| MZOO Pro Breathable | 18 mm | Extensions on warm nights and long flights |
Putting a mask on over extensions
Do this sitting up, before your head meets the pillow. Pulling a mask down over your face drags the lower rim across the lashes, so bring it to your eyes from the front instead.
- 1
Loosen the strap at the buckle until the mask hangs loose in your hand.
- 2
Hold the mask a little way in front of your face and bring it straight back, so each cup circles one eye and nothing slides across the lashes.
- 3
Slide the strap over the back of your head, above the ears.
- 4
Pull the free end through the buckle until the mask stays put when you turn your head, and no tighter.
- 5
Blink a few times. With extensions you should feel nothing touching them, and if you do, move the mask a little higher on the brow.
Warm nights and long flights
Some people sleep warm, and solid foam over the eyes can feel close by three in the morning. Our Pro Breathable mask keeps the same 18 mm cups but puts a mesh on the face and cuts the padding behind it in a honeycomb of vents. Air moves through the mask instead of stopping at your skin.
Its strap has two buckles and runs from 18.6 to 25.2 inches. You can set the mask level without twisting it, which helps when you are trying not to touch your eyes. It arrives pre-washed, in a gift box with a pouch and a pair of ear plugs. For flights and night shifts, our guide to sleeping on the move covers the rest of the bag.
When to see an eye doctor
A mask is for the dark. It is no help when the eye itself is unhappy, and the sources are clear about who to call.
- Lids that itch, swell or redden after a new set: the AAO says not to remove the extensions yourself after an allergic reaction, but to see an ophthalmologist.
- Irritation from any eye cosmetic: the FDA says to stop using it right away, and to see a doctor if the irritation persists.
- An infected eye or inflamed skin around it: the FDA advises against eye cosmetics while it lasts.
- Lashes thinning or falling out in patches: the AAO counts temporary and permanent lash loss among the risks of extensions, so ask an eye doctor rather than guess.
Every mask named here is part of the MZOO mask line.
