Frownies Review (2026): What Happened When I Actually Wore Them Every Night

6 hours ago

4 min read

Do Frownies actually work?

Yes — if you commit and wear them consistently, they absolutely work in my experience. After two weeks of nightly use, the fine lines on my forehead were visibly smoother, to the point that they seemed to disappear. That's a pretty big statement, and I don't say it lightly.

The trick to these babies is CONSISTENCY. For me that meant nightly at first, then 3–4 nights a week for maintenance. They simply can't work if you don't wear them.

The reality: as a mom in her mid-thirties, I am constantly bombarded with ads for anti-aging products. Almost all of my friends are getting Botox. And every Instagram ad promises glass skin overnight. In addition to battling wrinkles (and occasional acne, rude), I have also been pregnant or breastfeeding for much of the last six years, which made me especially careful about the products I was using.

In my search for my retinol replacement during pregnancy, I came across Frownies. Anything that works while I sleep immediately gets my attention. So here's the honest version — what Frownies did, what they didn't, and whether I'd buy them again. (Spoiler: I would, and do.)

What Frownies are (and the slightly weird part)

Frownies are basically paper patches that you dampen and apply to your face. You overlap them to create a "crown" that covers the entire area. They dry completely, and stiffen, helping hold the skin in place so it doesn't crease as easily while you sleep.

The idea is that limiting repetitive facial movements helps soften the appearance of expression lines over time. Frownies describes this as "retraining your facial muscles."

The patches themselves don't contain active anti-aging skincare ingredients. They're a mechanical approach to smoothing the appearance of lines, which is part of what appealed to me.

Elephant in the room: yes, your husband is going to make a comment the first time you come to bed wearing them. Once you're past that, you'll honestly forget you look somewhat ridiculous. I have worn these under a hat for daycare drop-off more than once.

One trick I've landed on: I try to extend the "overnight" window as long as I can, into my morning workout — a time when I'd normally be moving my face a lot. I've found the longer wears (12+ hours) let me get away with just 1–2 nights a week if needed.

My before and after

I started using these before I started posting pictures of myself online for strangers, so I don't have a great "before" to show but here is the best I can do!

Before (zooming in on random pictures of myself!)

And after:

Literally what is a wrinkle. For 20 something dollars, this is THE most effective skincare for the price that I've ever used, bar none.

Pro tips: get their rosewater for application! It smells so nice and acts as a little toner, too. If you have sensitive skin you can absolutely just use a little tap water.

I have now dedicated "Frownies nights" each week and I wear them the night before I plan to workout. I like this for two reasons: 1) because they help keep my forehead flat when otherwise I'd be making all kinds of faces during the workout itself 2) sweating the Frownies off makes them come off SUPER easily.

If you have more sensitive skin you can also take them off in the shower (that's what I did above!). I've never had any issues with it but I've had friends on Instagram tell me that removal irritated their skin the first couple times.

💌 Want more like this? Let's be email friends — the good stuff goes to the list first.

What they don't do

Perform miracles. You can't use them once and expect major changes. If you try them, give them a couple of weeks of regular use before you judge. And I highly recommend taking real before pictures for yourself — progress you see day-to-day is nearly invisible, but week-over-week photos don't lie.

Where to get them + the code

You can grab Frownies here and code MamaMeg10 gets you 10% off. If you grab them, the code helps support this little corner of the internet at no extra cost to you 🤍

They're also the first half of my low-effort mom self-care duo — the other half is in my Lumebox review after a year of almost daily use. All my current codes live on my discount codes page too.

FAQ

How long does it take for Frownies to work?

For me, two weeks of nightly use before the forehead lines were visibly gone. Everyone's face is different, but don't judge them on a handful of wears — consistency is the entire mechanism.

Do you have to wear Frownies every night forever?

No. I did nightly at first, then dropped to 3–4 nights a week for maintenance. If I stretch each wear longer (12+ hours, sleeping into the morning workout), I can get away with 1–2 nights a week in a pinch.