Follow Me (and My Dark Circles) As I Review the Nuvesse Tired Eyes, Puffiness & Dark Circles Regimen #sponsored

As a participant in the Nuvesse Tired Eyes, Puffiness & Dark Circles One-Month Regimen Test, I received product samples and compensation for my time and effort. Although this post is sponsored, all opinions are always my own. nuvesse.com #sponsored

My parents have a picture of me from my college graduation day in their living room, and in that picture I look completely refreshed and awake.

And I don’t even know how! — because I’m not wearing any concealer in that picture, and my friend Eleanor and I were out all night long at a party the night before.

I think I got a total of 90 minutes of sleep before I had to get up, take a shower, get to the stadium and take pictures before the ceremony.

Ah, those were the days…

It’s not like that anymore, of course. Now, if I get anything less than 10 hours of sleep a night and don’t drink gallons of water throughout the day interspersed with green juices, fiber-full salads and lots of yoga, I have dark circles.

So it’s basically a 24/7 kind of thing.

In an effort to quell/stanch/erase/improve my dark circle sitch, I started a one-month dark circles regimen from a skin care company called Nuvesse. Right now I’m halfway through the one-month regimen, which involves applying a weekly mask and using a daily serum roller.

What is Nuvesse?

“Nuvesse Skin Therapies, Inc. was founded in 2004 and developed a propriety wound-healing technology, HealSmart Personalized Woundcare System (HealSmart™). The company realized that the application of its newest active delivery technology, Cellulation™ Technology, to skin care had the potential to yield superior benefits and reach and launched its first skin therapy portfolio of products in mid-2014 into the aesthetic medical channel. After further refinement the company just launched its new consumer brand, Nuvesse.”

— Nuvesse

Video Review

Nuvesse has products for consumers for deep hydrating and brightening, eye-firming, anti-aging, eye puffiness and dark circles. They’re all available in serum-infused bio-cellulose masks and serum rollers, which you can use separately or together as part of a regimen, which is what I’m doing right now with the one-month Tired Eyes, Puffiness & Dark Circles Regimen Kit.

The one-month dark circles regimen is for reducing dark circles (obvs), puffiness and fine lines in the under-eye area, all of which are things I really want to happen (!). It comes with four weekly serum-infused masks and a twice-daily serum roller with Nuvesse Celluation™ Technology, which has been proven to deliver the ingredients deep into the skin to make the serums more effective.

Ingredients
Water, Isopropyl Alcohol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Camellia Oleifera (Camellia) Seed Oil, Hesperidin, Retinyl Palmitate, Niacinamide, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glycerin, Caffeine, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe) Leaf Juice, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Kjellmaniella Crassifolia Extract, Copper Tripeptide-1, Hydrolyzed Sesame Protein, Lavandula Angustifolia

How to Use the Masks

I know you’ve probably used a mask before, but there are instructions on the back of the box. I will say that it might help to watch a video first, because I couldn’t figure out which side to put under my eyes and how to angle them (even though the trays are marked “left” and “right”). It’s a little confusing.

I figured out that the wider side goes under your eye so that it covers as much of your dark circles as possible, and the narrower end with the tab (which looks like you’re supposed to pull on it) alongside your temple.

Also, remember to peel off the blue liners (on both sides).

I used the first mask set on the first day and the second mask set one week later, so I have two mask sets left in my one-month regimen.

The patented power of Cellulation Technology

“Each of our unique skin therapy serums uses patented Cellulation™ Technology which is clinically proven to deliver up to 26 times more vital ingredients deeper into the skin.

Nuvesse serums first act by super-hydrating the skin. This gently creates openings and pathways down through the skin to the deeper basal layers where issues begin and are most effectively treated.

At the same time, hyaluronic acid, Vitamin A and other beneficial ingredients are wrapped in a protective micelle structure that is positively charged. The natural structure of the basal layer has an opposing charge. These differing charges are actively drawn to each other–like a pair of magnets–bringing the beneficial nutrients much deeper into the epidermis than a more passive skin product might.

Having protected the ingredients through the top layers of the epidermis, the micelle structure breaks down and the ingredients are able to do their work. The effect is that the active ingredients are able to act at virtually the same concentration in the basal layer as when the serum was first applied.

By getting more of these key ingredients, deeper into the skin, your skin’s supportive structures–like collagen and elastin–are nourished and sustained for long-term improvement, where it matters most. After just one use, your skin will look and feel more nourished, will be visibly brighter, hydrated and appear more youthful.”

— Nuvesse

Since I’m halfway through the regimen, I’ve used two of the four mask sets so far. I followed the directions and left them on for 20 minutes to let the serum do its thing, although you could leave it on for longer than that. I’ve heard that some people leave them on overnight.

The first thing I noticed about the first mask set was how good it felt — like a super thin, soft fabric soaked with serum — and it felt cooling, but not tingling or stinging or freezing cold like some masks. It’s like putting a cool, damp washcloth or slightly chilled cucumber slices on your eyes, but way less awkward and clunky.

They feel fantastic and make me want to put my feet up and take a cat nap, buuut I usually just check Instagram and catch up on whatever Blac Chyna and Rob Kardashian fiasco is happening on that particular day instead. Of course, you can also do other things while you let the masks work, like, I dunno…take a leisurely walk around your neighborhood while waving and yelling “Hi!!!” Or, you could bake a loaf of zucchini chocolate-chip bread, because in either scenario, there’s no danger of the mask falling off, let me tell you that. They grab onto your skin and don’t let go, so don’t worry about them falling into your bread batter (side note: how gross would that be?).

• Power-packed peptides together with Vitamin B3 help to strengthen skin
• Caffeine and hesperidin visibly diminish the look of fine lines and puffiness
• Hyaluronic acid significantly increases hydration, softening the look of crepey skin
• Camellia seed oil brightens the look of dark circles for a more revitalized, youthful look
• For optimal, long-term results, continued use of both serum-infused masks and serum rollers is recommended to give your skin the boost it needs to look rejuvenated and healthier.

How to Use the Serum Roller

I use it in the morning and at night, right after I wash and dry my face, and I leave it on my face (so I don’t wash it off). It only takes a few seconds, and the serum feels very similar to the masks — cool and refreshing like tabby kisses or those cold cucumber slices.

The serum is clear, absorbs quickly and, after I pat it in, the skin under and around my eyes looks dewy and borderline shiny.

Both the masks and serum, by the way, have the same scent, which is vaguely lemony… I can really only smell it if I take a super deep yoga breath (and I have a basset hound’s sense of smell).

Results & Conclusion: The Halfway Point

Honestly, I didn’t expect this kit to turn back time, so I wasn’t expecting to look like I did when I was 19 and could stay up all night long and still look refreshed the next day, but I do see an improvement after two weeks, particularly in terms of dark circle color.

My dark circles are usually a lovely shade of purplish blue, but now they’re a tad lighter, less blue and more of a lighter violet.

They’re not as dark and intense as usual. It’s not an incredibly dramatic difference, but I can see a change, which is very promising after two weeks, especially two weeks that included the holidays and all of the junk food I was eating.

Puffiness
I definitely see a slight difference in puffiness right after I use one of the mask sets or the serum roller, but my eyes aren’t super puffy to begin with unless I’ve been crying, which happens sometimes. I get emo once in a while! But after a normal night when I get an average amount of sleep, I’ll have a little bit of puffiness under my eyes the next morning, and the serum roller deflates the puffiness.

Skin Texture
In terms of my fine lines, I don’t really see big changes there. I still have them, which is no big surprise. My skin does feel softer, though, when I touch it, and when I look in my scary magnifying mirror (I have a love/hate relationship with mine), I think my skin looks a little smoother, even up close.

Other Nuvesse Products I’d Like to Try

Nuvesse also has some other products and less expensive $18 one-week trial kits. I want to try their Firming & Anti-Aging Regimen Kit, which has full-face masks, and I’m also curious about the Hydrating and Brightening one because I have dry skin and some age spots, which you can really see in the closeups in the video…which, by the way, was quite terrifying for me to do because the only creatures who ever get that close to my face are my kid, my cat and my husband.

Oh, and me when I’m looking into my frightening magnifying mirror… Again with the scary mirror!

Anywho, so far, so good. I still have two weeks and two mask sets to go. I hope my dark circles are utterly terrified! I’ll keep posting check-ins along the way.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Click here to read part two now, the summary of my results after finishing the entire one-month regimen.