The eyes have it: your ultimate guide to eye care.
If eyes are the windows to our soul- I, for one, would like my eyes to reflect radiance and lumonisity- sans any fine lines and dark circles; thank you! The eye area has always been of particular importance to me; The eyes are often the first place I notice in the mirror and when I meet someone. I am most definitely prone to crepey skin around the eyes due to my fair skin tone and complexion. I wouldn’t say I like the look of anti-wrinkle injections in the eye area, and I also cannot smile or laugh without expression lines around my eyes (hello, 30s). So if you are anything like me and are at times concerned about fine lines, crow’s feet, dark circles, and puffiness around your eyes – read along for some recommendations on which eye cream I believe is best for each concern.
Whether you’re team no sleep due to babies and children or different reasons and ever woken up looking (and feeling) like you didn’t get any sleep. Or maybe you’re starting to notice the first signs of ageing in fine lines around your eyes- an eye cream is probably the first thing I recommend you seek out and add to your routine. Still, to save you from being overwhelmed by the number of eye creams available, we have curated the very best offering of eye creams with varying formulations and ingredients to address each concern.
Fine lines & wrinkles
The eye area is much more susceptible to signs of ageing as the skin is much thinner and more delicate around the eyes. This skin has fewer sebaceous glands (which produce oil), and as time goes on and the skin ages, the skin around the eyes slowly loses the ability to renew itself as efficiently as it was once. It’s important to remember that eye cream may not be the only line of defence needed to solve your concerns(see blog on best treatments for the eye area). Still, they can help with hydration, reducing signs of ageing and preventing fine lines and wrinkles. Peptides are the hero ingredients for this as they reduce micro-contractions, preventing wrinkles from expression lines.
The best eye creams to help with fine lines
Fine lines around the eyes can be one of the first indicators of ageing and dehydration. So, when looking for the best eye cream to help with fine lines, your focus should be on keeping the area hydrated. It’s also essential to protect the skin around your eyes from sun damage not only to avoid pigmentation but also because the sun dehydrates our skin even more by breaking down collagen and hyaluron, which gives our skin its water content and firmness. As a general rule, a great all-rounder eye cream will have antioxidants, hyaluronic acid, peptides, and retinol ( for use only at night). Here are a few of our recommendations:
Cytoline Eyecare Firming Concentrate
Medical Beauty Research
This firming serum plumps from the inside out, restoring skin’s volume and elasticity and strengthening the collagen fibres, resulting in a visibly lifted effect, preventing wrinkle formation and skin sagging.
For an absolute powerhouse of a dynamic duo-pair this eye serum with Cytoline Eyecare Cream 100 for you uncontested solution to firm, bright and luminous skin.
Interfuse Treatment Cream Eye
Skinbetter Science
A powerful, award-winning eye recharger that can diminish dryness and locks in moisture with a synergistic blend of humectants.
Youth Eye Complex
iS Clinical
Includes powerful peptides, key growth factors, and potent antioxidants help reduce the appearance of wrinkles and visibly brighten the under-eye area to keep skin smooth, hydrated and protected all day long.
Puffiness
Several factors, including water retention and stagnant lymph, often cause puffiness around the eyes. For some, even using eye cream before bed can cause puffiness upon waking. If this is you, opt for more of an eye cream with a balm consistency with less water content. You can only go past Skinceutcials A.G.E Eye complex for this. Caffeine, in particular, is a great ingredient to help combat eye puffiness, as it stimulates circulation and blood flow.
We also recommend putting your eye cream in the fridge. Cooling the area with an eye cream kept in the refrigerator will cause blood vessels to constrict, reducing blood flow to the site and decreasing any swelling and inflammation. Don’t underestimate a little massage while applying your eye cream to assist with lymph stimulation in this area.
The best eye creams & products for eye puffiness
Instant Effect Gel Eye
Skinbetter Science
The stainless-steel rollerball precisely applies the gel to immediately fill in rough texture and lines around the eyes. Enriched with caffeine to help with circulation, as well as a potent algae and a plant extract blend to minimise puffiness.
Eye Express Radiance Ice Cubes
Anne Semonin
Refresh, lift and brighten tired eyes in a flash with these botanically-rich, cooling cubes. Specially developed as a complete solution to treat dark circles, puffiness and wrinkles in one.
Dark Circles
Poor sleep hygiene, genetics, sinuses, and allergies can all contribute to dark circles in some of us. Topically treating this area is best to focus on feeding the skin with brightening peptides, light-reflecting minerals, and optical diffusers to visibly reduce any shadowing and reflect light off the site while keeping the area well hydrated.
The best eye creams for dark circles
Vita-C Eyes Dark Circle Corrector
Murad
This serum is formulated to target multiple types of dark circles: thin skin around eyes which increases visibility of unoxygenated blood, sun damage, hyperpigmentation, the look of redness, and dark circles caused by allergies.
Booster No. 5 Anti-Dark Circle Booster
Evenswiss
Improves texture of skin and diminishes the look of dark circles under the eyes, reduces the formation of free radicals.
Eye cream application
Now that you’ve chosen the most suitable eye cream, it is imperative to learn how to apply it to your eye area. As mentioned above, the skin around the eyes is very delicate, so you will need to be super soft and careful during application.
- Do not pull or rub at the delicate skin around your eyes – pulling can contribute to wrinkles! Prevention is key here!
- If you’re using micellar water to remove makeup, ensure you soak the pad well before using it around your eyes, and do not rub a dry pad on that area.
- Apply a small amount of eye cream to your ring finger, and using patting motions, apply to the orbital bone both down the bottom of the area and up to the eyebrows.
- If you are using a Gua sha, ensure there is enough slip – don’t do this on dry skin.
- I like to apply my eye cream in the morning & night before any serums. This protects the eye area from any low-PH serums which may irritate the skin and allow the eye cream to be applied neat for best absorption.
- In the morning, take your sunscreen up to the eye area to help protect the area from sun damage and wear sunglasses to avoid squinting when outdoors.
Still unsure or have specific questions and concerns?
You are only one phone call (or appointment) away from personalised professional advice. Please don’t hesitate to book a consultation by calling us on 02 8377 0614.
