When it comes to skincare and aging, the eyes don’t lie – well-rested, sparkling peepers are the quickest way to look fresh and youthful. Likewise, a few late nights or one too many glasses of wine and the eye area is the first place to show it. Thinner and more delicate than the rest of the face, the skin of the eye area also has no oil glands, meaning that it has no capacity to self-moisturise and can develop fine lines much faster. Add under-eye shadows and puffiness and you’ve got a recipe for a lackluster look that can easily add years to the face.

Eye creams and serums do a lot to help us with these woes, so we asked West Australian Beauticater Amy Mattes-Harris – a self-confessed skincare nerd and complete beauty addict –  to dive headfirst into some of the best and brightest specialist eye care products on offer. Here’s what she discovered.

“This product’s colour and consistency makes it immediately intriguing – a mesmerisingly bright iridescent blue gel, it is so thick it has to be patted into the skin rather than massaged in like a traditional cream or serum. I was pleased to find that the serum’s impressive ingredient roster made it more than just a colourful gimmick: it includes copper peptides to stimulate collagen and elastin, and spin trap and alpha lipoic acid for protection against free radicals. Most importantly, it gives results – the incredibly rich, almost sticky consistency delivers hydration levels that are off the charts and saw my fine ‘smile’ lines visibly reduced.”

THE CRÈME DE LA CRÈME

La Mer The Eye Concentrate

“I love new and shiny skincare innovations as much as the next beauty junky, but nothing beats the satisfaction of an old-school, super luxe and ultra rich cream. The La Mer legacy continues with The Eye Concentrate – a deceptively simple cream that’s massaged into the skin with a metal-tipped applicator wand. The cream contains a concentrated version of La Mer’s trademark marine-derived Miracle Broth, along with the mineral hematite to improve skin discolouration. Using this cream is like a daily ultra-lush facial for the eyes – with use across 4 weeks it left my eye area looking noticeably plumped and smooth, with a distinct brightness that was missing before; best of all, the results have been lasting.”

“This rich, super-nourishing cream continued my experience with SK-II as a brand seriously intent on delivering results. Perfect in its simplicity, the cream is easy to apply and absorbs quickly, leaving no stickiness or oily residue. Thanks to a super-charged ingredients list my eye area was noticeably more hydrated, fine lines were reduced and under eye circles appeared to fade – the perfect trifecta for an eye cream, achieved with zero irritation.”

“I’ve reached for this on a number of bleary mid-week mornings when my tired, puffy eyes needed a quick solution. The package design in genius – the tube’s sleek metal applicator tip feels deliciously soothing and cool on the skin and it works double duty to massage in the product. The cream inside is light and quickly absorbs with no residue, leaving a distinct feeling that can only be described as “fresh”. A quick and effective solution when tired, puffy eyes are a giveaway of too many late nights and need to be sorted out stat.”

THE GLOW-GETTER

 Arcona Eye Dew

“One of the brands to arrive in Australia with Sephora, Arcona’s small batch skincare made using organic ingredients was immediately intriguing to me. Eye Dew is an interesting product – a cooling, slightly gummy serum, it performs best when left to dry on the skin before makeup is applied on top. Given time to settle on the skin, it leaves the eye area with a seriously glowing, dewy finish that makes looking wide-eyed and well rested an easy task. A new go-to in my morning routine.”

“The unique texture of this product can only be described as comforting. Thick and velvety, it glides over the eye area to smooth fine lines and create the perfect base for make-up. The product boasts a retinoid and peptides in its ingredients list, to reduce the appearance of under-eye bags and discoloration. Applied under makeup it left my eye area looking smooth, with some uneven skin tone corrected.”

Story by Amy Mattes-Harris

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