SweetNight Eye Tech Mask Review

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Full review and video transcript

Please note that I made a few small edits to the transcript so it’s clearer to read. I also added a couple of extra notes to clarify some points I make in the video.

Introduction

Hi, I’m Ethan Green from NoSleeplessNights.com, and in this video/article, I’m going to be doing a review of the SweetNight Eye Tech Mask.

As the name suggests, the Eye Tech Mask has a few features that separate it from basic sleep masks. You can use it for a relaxing vibrating eye massage, as well as a warm compress or a cold compress.

Below, you can see me wearing the Eye Tech Mask from two angles. The detachable battery is on the right side of the mask, with the power button on the left side.

For just under $90 at the time of filming, however, it was going to have to really impress me to make me think it’s better than a $10 sleep mask for daytime naps, or a couple of slices of cucumber when my eyes are feeling tired.

I spent a week using the mask during the daytime and before bed, and overall, I have mixed feelings about it. While there are a few points that I do like about the mask, and I imagine some people might find it helpful, there are a few design decisions that bothered me.

What’s in the box

In the photo below, you can see what you get: the box, the mask, a detachable battery, two power cables, a carry bag, two cool gel packs, and a user guide.

To start at the beginning, I was initially quite impressed with the packaging and look of the mask. It comes in a sturdy box with an easy-to-understand user manual, along with a quick start guide.

The mask itself is dark blue and looks very smart at first glance, if a little on the large side. It comes with a useful carry bag which you can fold the mask into when you’re traveling.

There are two ice packs which you put in the freezer before using if you want the cold compress mode. And then there’s the detachable battery and two charging cables, which I’ll explain more about later.

One thing that was noticeably missing is a power adapter, so you’ll need to supply your own USB power outlet to charge the mask.

Design of the mask

Before I talk about the massage and the compress features, let’s take a closer look at the design of the mask itself. I’ve spent a lot of time reviewing sleep masks in the past, and even though that’s not the main function of this one, I was hoping it would be comfortable and block out light well.

There’s no information on the SweetNight website or in the manual about the fabric, other than it being waterproof. I asked them about this in an email, and they told me it was polyester.

The material does have a more synthetic texture than the silk sleep masks I’m used to, but it’s still relatively soft and smooth on the skin.

The mask is contoured with quite deep eye sockets that provide plenty of room for your eyelids and eyelashes to move around freely. The contours are padded and contain the vibrating and heating components.

In the photo below, I’m demonstrating the inside section of the mask. You can see there are thick contours, which creates lots of space for your eyelids and eyelashes to move.

I think I would have preferred a bit more squishiness in the material around the eyes or a bendable nose cartilage. As it is, there’s not much flexibility to shape it to your own facial structure.

On the plus side, the stitching is good with a robust look and feel to it. The strap is adjustable with snag-free micro hooks rather than thick Velcro or a slider buckle, so it is easy and quick to adjust it to your head size.

The mask is fairly lightweight, which I like. I weighed it at 53 grams without the battery and 76 grams with it attached.

How well it blocks out light

Because you can’t really shape the mask around your eyes and nose, other than by tightening the strap, it won’t completely block out light for everyone.

For me, it works well enough, though, with just some small slivers coming in around the nose. I didn’t really notice when I closed my eyes, but there is an element of luck involved in how effectively it’s going to block out light, depending on your individual facial structures.

Note: I have a ‘Roman nose’, as they say. I think the mask may be a better light-blocking fit for those with smaller/rounder noses.

Main features

Let’s talk about the main features now. First of all, it’s important to understand that only the vibrating and the heating need power. The cooling is simply done by adding the gel packs, and you can’t have cooling and vibrating massage together. Although you can have the heating alone, you can only have the massage with the heating, and not on its own.

Vibrating massage + warm compress mode

Let’s start by looking at the massage and heating features. There are two ways to power the Eye Tech Mask. The first way is to use the USB-C cable provided to charge the detachable lithium battery, which takes around 40 minutes. You then stick the battery onto the magnetic point on the mask.

Below, I’m about to attach the detachable battery to the mask. The magnetic connection is quite strong, and it doesn’t fall off when you move. But if you roll onto your side in bed, it may come off.

Alternatively, you can use the longer cable to plug it directly in if you want it to last longer than the 36 minutes the battery typically lasts for.

You then press the power button on the mask and relax as it heats up and vibrates. According to the SweetNight website, it warms to 113 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 45 degrees Celsius, and it provides 7000 soft vibrations per minute.

Personally, I didn’t like the massage feature at all. Even though it’s designed so that it massages around the whole eye area, I found that the vibrations are stronger on one side than the other, which was just a bit annoying. Also, the motor is quite loud, which isn’t exactly conducive to relaxation.

Warm compress mode without the massage

On the plus side, I did actually like the warm compress feature without the vibrations. I tested it several times after staring at my laptop screen for far too long, and I found it’s a nice way to rest my eyes during the daytime. After a 10-minute nap with the warming compress, my eyes did feel less tired.

In these comparison shots here, you can see my eyes after a few hours of using my laptop and then after 10 minutes of using the heating and vibrating mode on the mask. You can also see what my eyes looked like after 10 minutes on the cooling.

Personally, I don’t think there’s a huge amount of difference, but I did feel that they were a bit more relaxed after using the mask on both modes.

Cool compress mode

Now let’s talk about the cold compress feature. As I said earlier, you don’t actually need to power the mask to have the cooling effect.

All you do is take the gel ice pack and stick it in the fridge for 10 to 20 minutes before using the mask. Then you simply slot the ice bag into the cavity in the mask, put it on, and relax.

The thing is though, there’s no fabric between the ice bag and your eyes. Even though the ice bag is quite smooth, I think it would be much better to have some fabric or a flap in the mask rather than having cold plastic pressed right up against your eyes.

Below, you can see how the cool/ice bag sits between the contours. That means you feel it on your eyelids because it occupies most of the space there.

You also need to be quite careful with how much you cool the ice bag before you use it. The first time I tried it, I left it in the freezer for an hour before wearing it. I didn’t think it would be comfortable, and it really wasn’t!

Having said that, when I cooled it correctly – for a short time in the fridge rather than the freezer – the cooling effect was quite pleasant.

I don’t think I could describe it as a miracle cure for puffy eyes, but I did quite enjoy using it during the daytime when my eyes needed some TLC. And I probably prefer it to cucumber slices because you also have the light-blocking effect of the mask itself.

Safety points / who shouldn’t use the mask

There are a few important safety points to consider before using the mask. Basically, you don’t see these on the website, but they are in the user manual once you’ve got the mask.

It says that the following groups either shouldn’t use the mask, should use the mask with caution, or consult a doctor first. I would personally interpret this as probably don’t use the mask if you’re in one of these groups.

• If you’re pregnant or suspect you may be.
• If you’ve had an eye operation, or have any eye diseases such as glaucoma, cataract, or amotio retinae.
• If your body temperature is above 38 degrees Celsius, or you have low-grade fever or burns.
• If you have thrombosis, an aneurysm, dermatitis, or infections.
• Children under 14.
• People with reduced physical sensation.

Verdict

It’s time now for my final verdict of the Eye Tech Mask. Even though I thought it was okay, I didn’t exactly love it.

I think the mask definitely looks good, with robust stitching and large contours that create ample space for your eyes. It’s relatively comfortable to wear, but you can’t mold it to your face, so you may find a bit of light enters around the nose area.

I also think it’s only really practical to use when lying on your back or in the sitting position because it feels too bulky when you’re on your side or front, and you risk knocking the battery off too.

It’s very easy to operate though, and I like how you can use the detachable battery or plug it in for longer use.

Which features I liked

As for the main features, I didn’t really like the vibrating massage effect and didn’t use it again after a couple of tries. I found that the vibrations aren’t equally intense across the whole eye area, and it’s just a bit too loud.

I did like the warm compress mode though, so it’s good you can have that without the vibrations. I would have liked to have had multiple temperature settings rather than just one. Still, I do think it’s relaxing to use during the daytime. I can imagine some people may find it relaxing to use before bed, but I don’t think I’m going to make it part of my bedtime routine.

As for the cooling, I think it would have been better to have a soft fabric pouch for the ice bags rather than having cold plastic pressed directly onto your eyelids. Having said that, I did quite like the cooling effect.

I can’t really comment on whether the mask might help with headaches and migraines because I just don’t suffer from those, but what I can say is that the warming and cooling modes are quite pleasant in small doses. Whether that’s worth the price or not, I’ll leave up to you to decide.