Eyes are the windows to the soul. The eyes have it. Say it with your eyes.
If clichés have taught us anything, it is that people really care about eyes and how they look. Your eyes are likely the first to expose the effects of too many late nights, glasses of plonk, and the Atonement-related salty tears from the evening before.
A lot of people wonder why an eye cream is even necessary in the first place. After all, can’t you use your regular moisturiser around your eyes? You can, but eye creams are specially formulated to tend to the skin around your eyes, for these very reasons:
The skin around your eyes is ten times thinner than your face.
The under-eye area is one of the thinner, most sensitive areas and is easily neglected in basic skincare. Chances of wrinkles, dark circles and fine lines are very high after exposure to sun and dry conditions over time.
Eye cream therefore comes to the rescue, helping to nourish the skin, keeping it moisturised, and preventing dullness. Depending on the actives within, they help fight puffiness and brighten eyes. They also soften fine lines and make the skin under your eyes look youthful.
Due to the lack of pores, skin around your eye area does not enjoy as much natural moisture from sebum.
Sebum secretion, even though it is often seen as a bad thing for those who struggle with constant blemishes, is one of your skin’s best anti-ageing features since it keeps your skin healthy and smooth. Your eye area doesn’t have pores, so it’s up to you to provide enough moisture.
Since the eye area is so fragile, it is typically the first area that loses elasticity over time.
As we get older and all the wiser, skin in general starts weakening in structure. It loses elasticity (the quality that makes youthful skin “bouncy”) and collagen begins to slowly break down, which causes sagging and wrinkles. Not only does this come naturally with age, but both internal and external factors like hormones, weather/climate, pollution, smoking, poor diet and sun damage expedite these changes. All of these changes show on your eyes first.
Your eye area is in constant motion and endures a lot of strain every day.
Think about how often your eyes move throughout the day. You blink around 10,000 times each day, and when you smile, frown, cry or squint the skin around eyes get “tugged” around. Let’s not forget all the times you rub your eyes, put on and remove makeup and insert contact lenses. Compare that to, say, your forehead, which pretty much get left alone all day as long as you’re not touching them. All these movements may contribute to the development of crow’s feet around the eyes.
If you’re new to eye creams or don’t have any specific concerns you’re looking to tackle, hydration is a great place to start. Hydrated skin is less prone to wrinkles and signs of fatigue, and also makes your concealer application way smoother.
How to get the best out of an amazing little pot of cream, you ask?
Upon cleansing before bed and when you wake up each morning, apply eye cream using the fourth finger on each hand (it exerts the least amount of pressure), and lightly pat on to the delicate under eye area and around eye sockets until the cream is absorbed.
Avoid alcohol and forget fragrance: Alcohol can sting and dry out skin, while fragrance is an irritant and can make allergies flare up. We recommend staying away from both, especially when it comes to eye cream ingredients.
Use black or green tea bags to further brighten dark circles: Apply cool tea bags over closed eyes and relax for 5 minutes. Don’t use herbal tea bags because most aren’t as effective as the black tea bags. Black and green teas contain antioxidants called flavonoids and tannins that have an anti-inflammatory effect, and caffeine further constricts the blood vessels to further reduce swelling and discolouration. Upon removing the tea bags after a relaxing session, apply eye cream and then SPF if you are heading back out during the day.
Use cucumbers or potatoes to de-puff eye bags: These items from your pantry work wonders for tired eyes, as the enzymes and the astringent properties in these vegetables help reduce inflammation and help tighten the skin. Place two slices over your eyes and rest for a while. They not only have cooling properties but also help lighten dark circles and reduce wrinkles. Again, apply eye cream after use.
Always wear protective eyewear: Oversized sunglasses aren’t just for hiding from the paparazzi; they’ll keep the skin around your eyes protected from harmful UV rays, fine lines, crows feet, and skin cancer, too. Be sure to apply an SPF that is suitable for sensitive skin and is non-comedogenic to the under-eye area.
Start young: It is always better to prevent than to treat. If using this little pot of gold daily from your twenties onward, your skincare regime can go a long way in helping wrinkles stay at bay.
At Lissom Spa & Beauty, the most frequently encountered skin concerns are puffy eyes, dry skin, dark under eye circles, and eye irritation. We formulated the Avocado Smash Brightening Eye Cream with peptides specifically to tackle these issues, and added in a silver wand for cooling and ease of application.
Voted as one of the "The Best Eye Creams" by BeautyEQ, Lissom's Avocado Smash Brightening Eye Cream is a fragrance-free, vitamin-rich eye cream which targets fine lines and wrinkles and reduces the look of dark circles. Avocado, kiwiseed and peptides nourish the eye area and visibly brighten and target dry skin prone to developing fine lines. Oligopeptide-68 is clinically proven to brighten skin by reducing melanin production, progressively lightening hyper-pigmented spots and darkened areas. Use day and night with the silver wand applicator that comes with the eye cream to keep the eye area looking refreshed.
Image credit: Emma Jade @emmajdde
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