If there's one thing I can call myself a bona fide expert on it's eye cream - I suffer from dark circles, extremely sensitive, often inflamed and very dry, delicate and dehydrated eyes. Yep, I get all the luck. I fully believe in having options within all types of skincare and listening to what your skin wants on a daily basis and the same goes for eyes - after years of experimenting I have a nice little wardrobe of eye creams to chose from to treat different issues.
Best For... Dark Circles
Okay, so this is the one that's made the biggest difference to my life - I've had dark under eye circles since before I can remember - you can check my prep school picture if you don't believe me! I remember asking my classmates in junior school what time they went to bed at since I thought that under eye circles were all linked to sleeping and, well, it just doesn't matter how much I sleep - they don't go anywhere! This is the only eye cream to significantly make any difference to my circles - I don't know how it does it but it delivers. Over time it's definitely reduced my dark circles quite noticeably - they're never going to disappear but this really has brought them down.
It's quite a potent formula and not one I can reach for on days when my eyes are feeling sensitive. Although the Space NK product description says this can be used on the eye lids I find my eyelids are too sensitive for most eye creams so I can't personally recommend that - though clearly it is safe to do so if you're eyes aren't as sensitive as mine!
This product isn't really designed to do anything other than reduce circles and brighten the area, both of which it does, so you need something else in your arsenal for lines, puffiness and hydration but if your dark circles mean Bobbi Brown Corrector is your best friend then this is one to check out.
Best For... Puffy Eyes
£3.50 and I can safely say this is the best de-puffing eye gel I've ever used! I was gifted this at an Arran Aromatics blogger event and the lady in the shop said they all swear by it and have various jars in the fridge in the staff room for the early morning starts when the eyes just need to be refreshed a little. I don't think puffiness is something that can really be tackled long term but for an immediate cooling and de-puffing of the eye area this baby is brilliant.
I also have tried the Origins No Puffery Cooling Roll On which retails at £24.00 and is supposed to do the same job. In fact for my sensitive eyes the Origins product was far too potent and caused the skin to become really inflamed and I have to remove it immediately - though I was still left with visible red marks from where the product had made contact! There is a tingle to the Arran Aromatics version when you apply it but nothing my eyes couldn't handle.
Best For... Dry Eyes
When my eyes are dry and dehydrated this is what I reach for. This moisturises and nourishes the skin without being too heavy a formula for the thin skin around the eyes. I also find that no matter who inflamed my eyes are I can still go in with this one and it won't just cause further irritation.
I also love the design of this bottle - it comes with a pump dispenser which I much prefer. Although the other creams in this post have all made it in they've done so based on formulas rather than packaging design - I'm not a fan of the stick your finger in a pot method! The pump dispenser means there's less product waste and it's just all much more hygienic all round.
Make no mistake though, this one hasn't made it in here because of the packaging over formula - the pump is just an added bonus to a fantastic product for anyone with sensitive, dehydrated, dry eyes!
Best All Rounder
For those of you who don't have any of these problems in a massive way this is the eye cream that does it all - it delivers hydration, deals with lines and brightens and de-puffs the area. So why have I included all the others? Well, I think this ones main focus is in anti-aging and it deals with the other issues as a by product of revitalising the whole eye are apt make it look fresher and younger. I do see results for my dark circles and hydration levels with this eye cream, but not as much as I see them with the other creams that are specifically designed to target those issues.
If anti-aging is your main concern or if you don't suffer from any of the above issues in depth then this is a fantastic eye cream to reach for that does it all. It also protects the eye area from UV damage, which as we all know is hugely important, especially now that it's coming to that time of year where we'll all be hoping to start spending some more time in the sun - whether that's through some BBQs in your own back yard or because you're jetting off to a tropical island.
I love the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Complex! I use it every night before bed, it just feel luxurious. A small amount goes a long way, so so far I have got away with using the small pots that Estee Lauder often have in the Christmas gift packs. I will have to look at the Arran Aromatics for my puffy morning eyes :).
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