Here’s the thing about Thanksgiving: no one actually pulls off a flawless turkey and glowing skin if they try to cram everything into one chaotic Thursday morning. The secret? Legwork. Pros brine their birds days in advance, chop like TikTok stars with enviable mise en place, and get their pies chilling overnight. The same logic applies to skin. While the turkey rests and the cranberry sets, you can be soaking in overnight hydration, exfoliation, and brightening.

Think of it this way: food tastes better when it’s rested, and skin looks better when it’s prepped while you sleep. Overnight masks are like culinary marinating—but for your face. Work smarter, not harder. And because multitasking is the holiday sport of champions, let’s pair cookbooks worth splattering gravy on with overnight treatments that deserve equal counter space.

The New Doubleday Cookbook by Jean Anderson and Elaine Hanna + Sisley Velvet Sleeping Mask

This doorstopper cookbook is basically the Swiss Army knife of kitchens: 4,000 recipes deep, reliable enough to cook Thanksgiving and then feed you for weeks after. Pair it with Sisley’s Velvet Sleeping Mask—a luxe, saffron-and-honey laced cream that reads more dessert than skincare. Both are classics, both expensive, and both worth it. Like the turkey centerpiece itself, they’re not trendy, they’re timeless.

Meals, Music, and Muses by Alexander Smalls + Karuna Hydrating Hand Mask

Alexander Smalls is a triple-threat with a James Beard, a Grammy, and a Tony (your dinner playlist suddenly feels underwhelming, doesn’t it?). His book layers Southern comfort food with curated playlists—soul for your soul food. Match it with Karuna’s Hydrating Hand Masks, which slip on like gloves and soothe the hardest-working tools in your kitchen. Bonus: the masks come in packs of four, so you can hand them out to houseguests the night before. Who wouldn’t want smooth hands and mac and cheese?

Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi + Korres Greek Yoghurt Probiotic Superdose Mask

Ottolenghi has a gift for turning humble vegetables into dishes that feel like feasts. Think crispy cauliflower drizzled with tahini or roasted eggplant punched up with pomegranate molasses. His secret weapons? Acids, syrups, and healthy fats. Which pairs beautifully with Korres’ Greek Yoghurt overnight mask: probiotics + lactic acid = calmer, brighter skin by morning. Vegetables and yogurt: underrated heroes in both kitchen and bathroom.

Six Seasons by Joshua McFadden + Youth To The People Superberry Glow Mask

McFadden’s hot take: four seasons are a myth. He swears there are six—because produce comes in nuanced cycles, not tidy quarters. The result? A book that gets you cooking peak vegetables at peak nutrition. And those antioxidants? Good for your body, great for your skin. Enter YTTP’s Superberry Glow Mask: packed with antioxidant berries and vitamin C. Put it on, roast some beets, and wake up renewed.

Cook Beautiful by Athena Calderone + Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair Honey Bear Mask

Athena Calderone makes a compelling case that we eat with our eyes first. Her recipes are chic, earthy, and plated to perfection. Briogeo’s cult-classic hair mask got a honey bear makeover—equal parts nourishing and adorable. Sure, slathering conditioner on for an hour feels tedious, but when it’s in a squeezable bear bottle, it suddenly feels… Instagrammable. Call it edible aesthetics, but for your hair.

The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen by Sean Sherman + Laneige Cica Sleeping Mask

Sean Sherman’s mission is to decolonize your Thanksgiving plate by returning to Indigenous ingredients: think wild rice, cranberries, maple, and herbs like sumac. It reframes plants as both food and medicine, which dovetails neatly with Laneige’s Cica Sleeping Mask. Its star ingredient, centella asiatica, is an ancient medicinal herb turned modern anti-inflammatory hero. Both will leave you nourished, inside and out.

Jubilee by Toni Tipton-Martin + Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Mask

Tipton-Martin’s book isn’t just recipes—it’s history, a deep dive into 200 years of Black cooking traditions. The way she dusts off forgotten techniques feels like resurfacing something both old and luminous. Which is why Glow Recipe’s Watermelon + AHA Glow Mask makes the perfect partner: it exfoliates gently overnight, revealing what was always there—just brighter, fresher, and ready to shine.

Dessert Person by Claire Saffitz + Topicals Like Butter

By dessert, you only have room left for the best. That’s Claire Saffitz’s lane: buttery chess pie, chewy cookies, and flaky pastries. Butter is the through line. And on the skincare side? Topicals’ Like Butter mask. With colloidal oatmeal and shea, it’s the soothing, creamy balm for skin that’s been overworked, over-exfoliated, or just plain irritated. A slice of pie for your face.

The Takeaway

Thanksgiving is not about sprinting through a single day—it’s a marathon of prep, patience, and plating. The cookbooks above remind us that food rests, flavors deepen, and meals become memories when you put in a little work early. The same is true for skin: overnight masks let you wake up with results that look like effort, without the effort.

So the night before, while your pie chills and your turkey brines, grab a mask, grab a book, and let both do the heavy lifting. Come morning, you’ll look radiant enough to rival the tablescape.