The Her.ie team have been known to chat about bra sizes, embarrassing crushes and everything in between.
Tried and tested beauty products often come up in conversation, which can be very helpful when you want to find out about a certain item before purchasing.
Eye cream is one of the trickier products on the market. Should you use a cream or a gel or maybe one of those new-fangled caffeine roller things that promise to rejunvenate tired eyes?
Do you want to combat wrinkles, lift eye bags or get rid of dark circles? Is it wise to spend a lot on eye products or is cheaper better?
SO. MANY. QUESTIONS.
We discussed our favourites and the results of this chat are below.
I prefer a gel formula to a cream for the skin around the eye area. My skin seems to absorb this type of product much faster and it gives a lovely, cooling sensation on tired eyes. As the skin here is so delicate, it can often be the first indicator of tiredness and stress… or the giveaway after a sneaky midweek night out. Elizabeth Arden Visible Difference Brightening Eye Gel (€32) rolls on and reduces puffiness and dark circles with almost immediate effect, making it a beauty must-have.
I swear by Dermalogica Total Eye Care (€49.40). Not only does it reduce the puffiness and dark circles around my eyes but it also has an SPF 15 which protects the sensitive skin surrounding my eyes against sun damage. I’ve found that other eye creams can leave my skin feeling greasy but not this one which means I can apply it in the morning and at night.
I really love the range of products Dr Hauschka has and the daily hydrating eye cream (€24) with natural ingredients is particularly good. It hydrates well and is light enough and leaves your skin feeling nice and smooth. I’ve tried many creams and they can be heavy on the face but this one’s perfect for me.
I’m cheating slightly here as this is more of a treatment than an eye cream but if you travel a lot or suffer from puffy bags under your eyes, this is a great handbag staple. The applicator tip of Estée Lauder Idealist Cooling Eye Illuminator (€47) is designed to remain cold and feels amazing when run under tired eyes, while the formula is a light (slightly shimmery) cream that acts a highlighter to brighten dark circles. It’s not a miracle cream but it’s a great pick me up for tired eyes.
The eye cream I use is Shiseido’s Bio Performance Super Corrective Eye Cream. It is exceptionally expensive at €70 a bottle but you will notice a difference around your eyes after about three days of using the product. 30ml actually goes a long way and will probably last about a month. You can usually get it at Brown Thomas in town. Well worth the spend.
So you might not know this about me, but I used to be kind of a big deal. I starred in a major Hollywood blockbuster, The Ring. At least my eyes did when that little girl climbs from the TV. I’ve learned that I can’t change those bags, but I can reduce the darkness and puffiness if it’s been a late one the night before.
I’ve used the Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Dark Circle Roller (€13.69) before nights out, after crazy weekends or just when the bags need a lift. The caffeine seems to reduce the appearance of the circles, and the light pigment in the cream brightens the area. It’s not going to make those circles magically disappear but it’ll definitely make you a lot more presentable.
Eye cream confuses me. That probably sounds like a ridiculous statement but I don’t know if I need a correcting eye-cream or a preventative cream. Maybe it’s a hydrating gel or a soothing balm that will fix everything. With so many products available from practically every beauty company on the market, it’s hard to pin it down to just one. I’m still on the search but at the moment I’m liking the Philosophy Eye Duo (€45), as it works on both the skin under the eyes and the eye lids.
Grace
I adore Aveda products and have been a long-time ambassador of the line’s range for curly hair. Recently however I discovered Aveda skincare, well I always knew it was there but just never loved myself enough to buy it! One of my keys finds was the Green Science Firming Eye Cream.
Not only does it help moisturise, minimise fine lines and reduces appearance of puffiness and dark circles, but it also contains this year’s beauty must-have ingredient, argan oil. It is not a miracle cream but it’s probably the closest thing we’ll ever get to one!
