Lights aren’t the only thing that you want shining bright this holiday season. Turns out that bright eyes are younger looking eyes. What do I mean by bright eyes? You know how some days, you look in the mirror and the skin around your eyes looks plump and smooth, and your eyes just seem to shine? And then there are those other days… the ones where the bags underneath your eyes looks as if they’re stuffed for a month long sojourn to Siberia, and your upper lids look like they’re covered in crepe paper not skin. Ugh. Just thinking about it makes me feel 112. But there are simple measures that you can take to help keep those days at bay.
Now, nothing short of surgery is going to get rid of the drooping skin on your upper lid or that line of fat that may have sprouted up beneath your lower lash line. For that, you’ll need a blepharoplasty. It’s a pretty simple cosmetic procedure that removes the excess skin and fat from the upper and/or lower lid. But it is surgery and not everyone wants or can afford something that extreme. Personally, I’m saving my pennies, but in the meantime, I’ve been testing out different eye creams to see which ones really deliver on their promise and which ones don’t. Here are my current favorites:
By Terry Hydradiance Eye Contour for Bright Eyes in the AM
My two biggest issues in the morning are puffy eyes and dark circles. The puffiness factor is definitely dependent on what I ate the night before and how much sleep I managed to get, but given the fact that menopause is seriously messing with my sleep (you can read more about that here), I usually arise with more undereye “poof” than I would like. I’ve tried practically every de-puffing gel and cream out there, but most only manage to dry out my skin which isn’t good. This one, by By Terry, actually works. In fact, it’s fantastic. Terry is french and as we all know, french women never look their age. She was also the genius behind YSL’s “Touche Eclat”. Now with her own line of skin and makeup, this Hydradiance Eye Contour is a must in the morning. Lightweight, but packing serious moisture, this silky cream is full of antioxidants like Vitamin E and botanicals, but completely free of icky sulfates and Phthalates. The applicator is metal so it works like a cold spoon, calming and soothing the delicate skin around your eyes. In short, this product is divine. You can buy it Barneys or Amazon (when they have it). Totally worth the price.
Replenix Eye Repair Cream for Younger Looking Eyes in the PM
This is a product that I’ve been using for years. It works for both morning or night, but since I’ve started with the By Terry, I’ve moved this to the evening. It contains retinol so it promotes cell turnover which is the key to younger looking skin. But it’s not at all harsh. I have super sensitive skin and I’ve never had a problem with this cream. It’s also full of green tea, arnica, Vitamin K and peptides all of which work to eliminate dark circles and reduce eye “poof”. It’s lightweight, but seriously moisturizing. The latter is really important for younger looking eyes. When we apply moisture to the skin, it acts a little bit like sparkle, filling in the cracks to create a smoother finish. And smooth skin is young skin. You can find Replenix here.
Acure Eye Cream for Younger Looking Eyes in the PM
When I was doing my research on chemical free sunscreens, I discovered this product line. I started using their Facial Cleansing Crème as part of my double face wash (you can read more that here), and loved it so I decided to give the eye cream a go. It’s yummy. Again, lightweight (I can’t use heavy eye creams. They make my eyes more swollen, not less), but with a lot of moisture as well as chlorella growth factor and edelweiss stem cell. The whole line is also sulfate and paraben free, reasonably priced and readily available at stores like Whole Foods and The Vitamin Shoppe or you can buy it here.
Anti-Wrinkle + Energizing Eye Masks for Bright Eyes Anytime
Sometimes, especially during the holiday season, we need an extra jolt of de-puffing and brightening. These eye masks are like a shot of adrenaline for your eyes, basically faking 8 hours of sleep. Divine, right? I discovered them after my disastrous 50th birthday party where I spent the night before praying to the porcelain god and woke up looking like death. I kid you not. These suckers brought me back to life. Well, my eyes at least. They’re super easy to use. You just apply the pads (they kind of look like giant, cloth commas) underneath your eyes and let them sit there for 15 minutes. I’ll often use the same pad on my upper lids for 5 or 10 minutes to simply rehydrate the skin. Hydration banishes that crepe paper look, making your eyes appear young and bright. You can buy them here.
