Eye cream. Otherwise known as “hope in a jar.” 🙂 It’s been on my mind lately because every time I look in the mirror I wonder if I’ve always looked this tired? Because, duuuude! — I can’t remember the last time I saw my reflection and thought, “Wow, I look like I slept well.”
Hence the current eye cream obsession.
Looking for a new eye cream
I’d been using Clarins Super Restorative Total Eye Concentrate since last fall, but I recently ran out. It was doing a pretty good job…but it wasn’t rocking my world. And that’s what I want! I want something that’s going to totally rock my world.
Story of our lives, right?
If I try and fail, I figure I can always go back to Clarins…
(BTW, if there’s one you swear by, hook a cat lady up! The very dry skin around my eyes preemptively thanks you.)
To help me on this search, I also asked on Instagram, and here were the suggestions I saw the most:
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OLEHENRIKSEN Banana Bright Eye Crème ($38)
This one looks promising, and I like the price! It has vitamin C, which I’ve had great results with in eye creams before.I’m not sure about the jar, though… I’ve read that vitamin C-containing products are most effective when they come in packages that seal out air and light.
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ESTÉE LAUDER Advanced Night Repair Eye Concentrate Matrix ($69)
A few people cited this one, including my friend Jessica, who swears by it, so I’m keen to try it, like, now. She says it layers well under concealer and hits plenty of the anti-aging bells and whistles (which I want!!!). -
KIEHL’S SINCE 1851 Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado ($29)
Lots of dry-skinned ladies love this one and call it their “go to.” Looks worth a try, and the price is right, but I wish it contained more stuff for fine lines, though.
I’m leaning toward the Banana Bright one…but I wanna hear what you like before I commit.
To use fillers, or not to use fillers — that is the question
Sometimes I wonder if eye cream is just a waste of time and money. Not gonna lie, I’ve been thinking about fillers. They’re supposed to really help with dark circles, although I recognize that my evidence for this is anecdotal…from YouTube videos.
Right now I don’t use any fillers, mostly because I have this weird internal struggle happening where part of me is like, “You know, you’ve made it this far in life. Let your face be the map of your journey. You don’t need to cave to society’s pressures to look young. EFF THOSE antiquated, unattainable ideals, and rage against the machine.” Etc., etc.
I also think about what kind of message it sends to Connor.
Plus, my biggest fear (other than the needles…) is that I won’t recognize myself in the mirror. Would I still look like me? Could I still make the same goofy expressions I make when I tell stories about Tabs waking me up in the middle of the night by kneading my hair or jumping off my stomach? Or will my face be frozen into an emotionless, immobile mask?
I just don’t know, but I’m curious. I wonder if it would save time and money in the end…
As of right now, though, I’m not quite curious enough. Maybe in a year or two… I’m leaving the door open.
Try this if your concealer routinely disappears
While we’re on the subject of that area under our eyes, here’s something that occurred to me the other day: If you find that your concealer (and/or whatever makeup you wear on your lids, for that matter) pulls a disappearing act by the end of the day, try trading your eye cream for something else, because some eye creams work better under makeup than others.
This got me yesterday. I tried Nyakio Red Ginseng Line Smoothing Eye and Lip Cream for the first time (it’s rich and hydrating). Then I put eye makeup on top… Bloop, bloop, bloop. Within a few hours, everything was like a downhill ski run! Sliding, sliding, sliding down!
This never happens to me when I use Clarins Super Restorative Total Eye Concentrate…
Aaand that’s it for today’s rambling thoughts. 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S.
I stopped using eye cream about one year ago even though my eye area is very dry. I realized that most eye creams have similar ingredients as my face moisturizer. Since I use a very emolient one, I just tap a bit over my vitamin C Serum (Derma E) and let it sit a bit before I add anything else. I have used the Kiehl’s eyecream with Avocado which worked well for awhile, but then I didn’t notice anything major. I will say that for me, my concern is hydration mostly. I have learned to live with the lines and the minimal darkness. I guess that comes with age. I brighten up what I can with a corrector concealer when possible.
Eye creams: Favorite is La Mer. But it’s spendy and I only use it at night. The OH banana bright eye cream is great to use under the eyes before concealer. I love it. I also use the DE eye cream (orange topped bottle) before I use the OH cream. I ‘ve heard great things about Philosophy’s retinol eye cream. I think I am going to try that next before I try needles.
I use the It Cosmetics Confidence in an Eye Cream during the day and I love it! It’s a brightening eye cream and it layers beautifully underneath concealer.
I’m really curious about the Banana Bright eye cream. I’ve had samples of the Kiehls Avocado eye cream before and I find it doesn’t absorb very well.
I have a deluxe sample of a Fresh eye cream right now that’s pretty good. My go-to is Clinique All About Eyes because I love the texture but it doesn’t do much for aging.
I only use a separate eye cream when my face moisturizer isn’t safe around the eyes – I currently use Drunk Elephant’s Protini and it doesn’t make my eyes sting. You don’t need anything special there so maybe look into a more emollient face moisturizer safe for the eye area? Get a more lux cream and just use it there – it will last you forever. (CeraVe has a Healing Ointment with ceramides and hyaluronic acid I might get for days I need something extra under my eyes.)
A friend of mine gave me a sample of Rodan & Fields Redefine Multi-Function eye cream and got me hooked. It did make a difference! I bought a jar and when I ran out, decided to try a few others “just in case” but quickly realized that the Rodan & Fields DID indeed make a difference in the appearance of my under-eye lines. I don’t have an R&F hookup, I just buy from Amazon or eBay – whichever is cheapest at the time I need to reorder.
I am pro-undereye filler! I never even really had dark circles, just a little hollowness. I feel like a tiny bit of filler makes a big difference.
If you decided to go for it, just have a frank conversation with the provider about what you are trying to achieve. There are a lot of people out there administering fillers these days, but I chose to use a plastic surgeon who specializes in faces.
Mine is very (and I mean VERY) low-tech, low cost.
I use A&D ointment at night (yes the same thing you put on a baby’s butt) and for day I use a regular moisturizer and then I put on some grape seed oil (which you can buy by the bucket-load at Costco). None of this helps my dark circles but it definitely reduces my lines and how much they show up. Lately I’ve been using the YSL blurring primer (I got a little bottle of it at Sephora using some of my points) before putting my concealer on and that seems to help the look of those lines as well.
Hi Karen! I have dry, crepey, fine-lined skin under my eyes as well as very dark undereye circles – both from blood vessels showing through as well as surface discoloration and I also have saggy hollows, much like the woman in the before/after Restylane picture. I always look exhausted and sick no matter how much I’ve slept, and I hate it. I’ve come to terms with the fact that no cream or concealer can really hide or improve the hollows, but I still try to camouflage the blue veins and purple shadows as best I can. I like the Clarins Super Restorative – it’s not super-great but it does moisturize and doesn’t cause any problems. Lately I’ve had pretty good results with SK-II RNA eye cream – it’s very emollient but not greasy and doesn’t cake up under concealer or make it disappear, and it doesn’t travel into eyes or cause irritation. It’s stupid expensive but it’s a big jar so it lasts a long time. I use it by itself during the day and over a retinol/vitamin C serum at night. I currently am liking the Tarte Creaseless concealer for undereyes – it’s in a tube with a doe-foot applicator now instead of a pot. It’s like Nars Radiant Creamy but with more pigment, and it works over a corrector or on its own. I didn’t like Shape Tape – it’s too dry and thick and always looked clumpy and cracked after a few hours.
I really want to try the undereye filler – I’m so tired of looking like a zombie and having people ask if I’m sick – but whenever I bring it up my husband says “You don’t need that! You look great!” which is nice to hear but is also husband-ese for “We’re not wasting money on that.” I don’t think the filler would make you look frozen or weird, but like Botox, make sure you get it from a trained medical professional and not a “med-spa” – you want to be careful around your eyes and use a skilled practitioner and not someone who offers a Groupon.
I hear you on “what would Connor think?” I strongly considered a breast lift and augmentation after I stopped nursing but ultimately couldn’t get comfortable with what I would tell my daughter. The silver lining of my 40’s fat accumulation (the only one!) is that my boobs sort of came back – they’re still saggy but no longer look so much like deflated balloons.
Tatcha Eye Cream is the 8th wonder of the world. It’s a miracle worker with results in 4 weeks. You should do posts on their products. Everything is awesome.
I’ve started using this as well. The applicator feels really nice, especially when it is cold. I used to use the Kiehl’s avocado eye cream, but since it has salicylic acid, it is isn’t pregnancy safe.
I also use Biossance pure squalane oil all over my face, and pat it under my underlies as well. It’s really nice for dehydrated skin.
I’ve used the serum and it was very nice.
Origins Eye Doctor is really nice. Good for sensitive skin.
I love the Kiehl’s avocado cream, but I put it on at night only, because it takes a while to absorb. It is really moisturizing, though, so it’s worth it to me. I have my eye on the Banana Bright cream, too, so I’d love to hear about it if you try it.
Fillers- well, whenever I think about having anything ‘done’ to my face, even something minor, I think of Courtney Cox. She was so pretty and now her face is so harsh. And then there’s crazy plastic surgery addicts like Wayne Newton. I ask myself if I started it, where would I draw the line? What would be enough? In the end, I think I’m 42 and I should just look like I’m 42. But each person should do what they need to do.
I have the driest under eyes but super oily skin. I started using eye creams about 5 years ago and after using about 15 different ones, I never found one that blew me out of the water. I recently saw the Kiehls avocado one being used by @katy and she swore by it.. the girl has bags and dry skin so I figured I’d try it. Been using it for about a month now and it has changed my skin! Seriously! My under eyes no longer look like crepe paper, don’t look extra creasy with concealer and powder, and genuinely feel softer. My husband even remarked saying I look less tired (and that’s hard with a 10 month old lol)
It doesn’t play well with concealer, so I tend to just use it at night. Give it a go! It’s the weirdest feeling eye cream, as it feels like water is bursting as you tap it out. And smells fantastic!
I have dry undereyes/dark circles/oily lids ugh. I always look tired, it just is. I like Dr. Gross Ferulic acid undereye/lid serum followed by Bobbi Brown Extra Eye Repair (a little goes a long way, pricey but lasts). Tarte Shape Tape works the best for my dark circles with Laura Mercier translucent but that Ben Nye I’ve heard is great too.
I am thinking filler down the road just a touch for hollows but I’m like you -don’t know if I will ever do, just think of doing it.
I’ve thought about getting some kind of filler for my dark circles, too. I’ve had dark circles since birth (a mix of heredity and fair skin) — you can see them in a photo of me taken the day I was brought home from the hospital! Concealer doesn’t cover it up, and most creams that I look at seem to be for puffiness or fine lines, neither of which I have (yet). I wear glasses, so they get covered up slightly, but I still look perpetually tired.
I’m not sure if I’m willing to spend that much, though, especially since it’ll be out of pocket. Also, I’m not sure if I’d recognize myself without my dark circles!
I’ve been using the Kiehls avocado eye cream for a month or so, and I definitely look less tired. It has plumped up my under eye area really well – but I do have very dry skin and it’s winter here too, so the super rich cream is perfect.
I haven’t noticed any issues with wearing makeup over the cream, but I don’t wear makeup every day, and I also don’t wear much makeup these days.
I’m a dry, dehydrated-skinned girl and I hate how much I rely on the Kiehl’s Avocado eye cream, but there you have it. I think it plumps my eye area out pretty well. I get so darned crepey if I don’t have it. I don’t have much trouble with using makeup over top of it, although my expectations may be low. For reference, if I get creasing midday, I don’t mind using a Q-tip or tissue to whisk it away, and I’ll reapply a bit of eyeshadow if my fix messed up my look. But, I routinely wear non-waterproof mascara on top & bottom lashes, no problem.
I love fillers and have been using them for almost two decades and it makes a huge difference! I buy less skin care and just go to the dermatologist every six months and I love it!
You are so beautiful, so honestly I think you don’t need to do anything! I am almost exactly your age and the struggle was so real for me. Of course, I tanned as a young woman and have fair skin- which is a death wish. All of a sudden, after 40, I just looked tired. I use a VERY small amount of filler ever four to six months and use an eye creme twice a day. The good news is that fillers are not permanent! I have combo skin and like the Algenist eye creme. Honestly, there is nothing wrong with refreshing your skin- as long as you don’t go overboard.
I thought fillers lasted several years?? But I’m certainly no expert! Lol thanks
I’ve used the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Concentrate Matrix. It was more moisturizing than the Advanced Night Repair Eye Serum Synchronized Complex II, but the packaging just about drove me crazy. When you’re about half way through the bottle it becomes really difficult to get product out. And since the bottle is dark glass it’s hard to tell if there’s anything left inside. But I ended up popping the wiper seal off the top of the bottle and putting cotton swabs in the bottle to get the remainder out. The product is so thick and creamy that even setting the bottle upside down does not get the cream to move closer to the opening. Why they didn’t use a pump, airless pump or squeeze tube I have no idea. I will not repurchase it until Estee Lauder fixes the packaging. So I’m trying out a sample of the Caudalie Premier Cru Eye Cream, but it’s 99 bucks for 15ml, so I’m not sure I’ll spring for it in the end. I’ll probably just go back to the Clinique Repairwear Laser Focus Eye Cream for $45, since all I’m after is a bit of moisture. I don’t really believe any eye cream will do anything significant for the skin around my eyes.
Since it hit the market I’ve been using, Avon Clinical Eye Lift Pro. My first jar was a gift. It sat in my drawer for a while before I gave it a shot. It’s a dual phase product. One side is a gel. You tap it in the skin around the eye. This is the magic. As it dries it smooths out lines, aka, wrinkles. The more you use it the better it works. When it dries, there’s no whiteness or residue, you apply the moisture cream. I’m not so fond of the cream as the gel. I usually use the cream at night on top of the gel. I am not young, 60+. The results have been amazing. I order it from the Avon website. It costs $26.00 or $28.00 a jar. I recently started using Drunk Elephant C-Tango Multivitamin Eye Cream over the gel after reading Caroline Hurons fabulous review. I like it but it’s $64.00. But, it contains a more stable vitamin c and peptides. The bottom line is finding something that makes a diffence to YOUR skin. Not everything works for everyone. As you said, I wish these companies would use pump dispensers. The Drunk Elephant is in a pump.
Hi Karen!
I too have been wondering about fillers. I was wondering if the fillers kind of fill the eye area and then once the filler dissipates, do your eyes look worse than before? Like, does the filler stretch the skin out so that you become dependent on it? I was just curious and wondering if anyone here knows. I have hereditary dark circles and some crepey skin/fine lines are starting to sprout at age 41 and considering them but don’t want to set myself on future dependence.
Any and all feedback is appreciated!
Ok…so here’s my two-cents worth…(and I do have strong opinions on this subject!) I used to feel the same way about “what message am I sending to my daughters?” But you know what?! I realized I have to look at myself and see myself and be happy with myself, I am not trying to be some kind of unrecognizable piece of plastic but just a “little” more of what I was was! Now that I’m almost 50 my tune definitely changed about my feelings on “what message am I sending “, I look at some of my friends that have gone down a very dark and plastic path and I will stay as far away from that as humanly possible?but I also see some friends that have let “nature take its course “ and that is NOT the course I want to take either! I have done fillers(Botox, Belotero(for my under eyes-STAY AWAY at all costs!!) Xeomin(instead of Botox-my new LOVE) and most recently Restalyn Lift(in my cheek bones to help with the hollows of my under Eyes)
I think the most important piece of advice I can give you is to get referrals from people whom you trust and most importantly, that you like their results and REALLY look at the person that is going to work on you. If they look like plastic, run the other way! If they look natural and their philosophy matches yours, then that’s your person! The person I go to will send people away, if she realizes that their goals are unattainable and unrealistic. You have to find someone with morals and scruples otherwise you can go down that scary dark road with no one there to stop you! Also, do your research…when I did Belotero, I went in completely trusting the person that was doing it..big mistake! It turns out, you can go blind if the person injecting makes a mistake…I’m sure there are people reading this saying “well, duh?!” but I was very trusting and the woman was very reputable so I didn’t question-NEVER do that! It turns out, that it is very difficult to get good results from fillers under the eye, and that you can get better results from lifting your cheekbones with filler instead. Now, keep in mind, this is my experience and what I believe to be true, you may have a totally different experience but just please do your research first!
And, one other thing I forgot to mention( I told you I have strong opinions!)the longer you wait, the more difficult it will be to correct your problem areas, it really is better to get started in your 40’s so there isn’t so much damage!
I know fillers aren’t the same as cosmetic surgery, but I have mixed feelings about both. I have consider to get a nose job, because mine after doing sports isn’t straight anymore (it isn’t really noticeable unless I point it out), but at the same time I feel that it isn’t that important.
My problem with fillers, cosmetic surgeries, facelifts, etc is that I don’t know how much it’s because we really want them and how much we’re doing them because we want so badly to be among beauty standards. Also I’ve seen so many women that the older they become the more awkward they look and that’s a look I truly don’t want.
I think that if you really want to do it, at the end it’s up to you (actually in the first video for me the differences in most of the women where barely noticeable). I know that there are products that have the same effect for a couple of hours if you want to try before saying yes to the surgery. Here’s a video of one sold in Mexico, my mom haven’t tried it but the results look promising and last 8 hours: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbX_mQsEUzw If it’s sold in Mexico something similar must be available in the US.
At the end I think that the best message you can give Connor is to be happy and that it’s actually a grey territory, because you can be happy with yourself and get a fillers, they aren’t exclusive one to the other.
Hi Karen,
At nearly 52 years young, I have been using Dr. Denese’s Hydroshield Eye Serum for probably 10+ years. Key ingredients are ceramides and retinol, and it gets the seal if approval from Beautypedia aka Paula Begoun. It’s not super expensive and works well under makeup. You can find it either on the Dr. Denese website or QVC, but make sure you get the serum, not the Hydroshield cream.
I’m trying out Belif and it seems nice and emollient but doubt it has any special powers.
When I was around your age my under eye caverns bothered me every time I looked in the mirror I noticed them.
Now my 11’s bother me from squinting ( poor vision) and I done even notice the under eye. I’d love to fit that and the forehead wrinkles that seem to be coming. Wayne Goss had a video about some stuff.
But I say if you have the money and want too do it!
The Hubs always has dark circles that are worse the more sleep deprived he is. But, even at the best of times, he’s not a good sleeper. I don’t have that problem but do have 7 million other things that I don’t like about my appearance. Friends and I have been having these conversations quite a bit recently. I can say with confidence that some of the things we hate about our appearance aren’t noticeable to other people – even after we point them out. We’re very self-critical of our looks, as a society. 🙁 I’m not much of a gambler and it gives me pause to see that even the rich and famous can have “botched” results. I can’t imagine being even more unhappy with my looks and having paid for it. But, life is full of risk vs reward decisions and only you can decide what’s worth the risk. So, if filler will make you feel better and you’re not choosing between food, shelter or cosmetic surgery (which I know you’re not), then giddy up! 🙂