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There’s no denying Espa’s under-eye gel masks (£46, Lookfantastic.com) are a godsend for tired, dull skin – but have you ever tried using them elsewhere on your face?

I hadn’t until a video from TikTok’s Elle McNamara, aka @bambidoesbeauty, showed the skinfluencer applying eye patches to her nasolabial creases alongside the caption: “To the girl who told us eye patches aren’t just for your under-eyes, I owe you my life.”

More curious than ever, I took a whack at the new approach to eye masks, with the image of McNamara’s post-patch glow playing on repeat in my head.

For context, I’m 27 years old and am starting to see fine lines around my eyes, 11s (the area between the eyebrows) and forehead, with my nasolabial creases, too, getting increasingly sunken as I get older.

Of course, all of this is natural and I’m definitely of the mindset that ageing is a gift; however, if there is an injectables-free method to take the edge off these natural signs of getting older, I’m all ears. Read on to discover my verdict.

How I tested

Following in McNamara’s footsteps, I applied the cooling masks to all my areas of concern, tapering them so that the tail end was sitting where there were fewer fine lines and the wider, main patch where they were more concentrated. I left the masks on my skin until they were as thin as tissue paper, no longer had any moisture and weren’t slipping and sliding about my face.

Regarding results, I tested the hydrating properties of the patches by raising my eyebrows, frowning, smiling and scrunching my eyes with an aim to find the movement in these zones restricted, and any fine lines plumped. Here’s how I got on, both initially and after continued use.