40 Year Old Adventure in Aging: Eye Creams/Serums and Suncreen.

Sep 26, 2014

Shelley W.

Ahhh...on my last post I mentioned eye creams/serums and sunscreens for next lil installment. The eye area is the most neglected area of the face. Often times its due to the fact that many of us become so discouraged when we don't see immediate results so we kind of slack off in the application department ( I'm guilty of that as well).

The eye area is very delicate and thin so its important to not use harsh products in this zone. As you age it certainly loses elasticity, increased hollowness or puffiness, dreaded dark circles and vibrancy. I'm not just talking about the under eye area...the eyelids are included as well.

For myself for example, I'm facing a loss of fat under my eye area which magnifies my hereditary dark circles even more (thank goodness for Bobbi Brown corrector and concealer). So to take care of two issues with one stone I've been using an eye serum from ReVive and topping it off with Mario Badsecu Hyaluronic Eye Cream ($18.00). For nighttime I will lightly apply my retinol cream under my eye area extending out to just past my where my brow line stops. Don't get too close to the lash line unless you enjoy waking up with irritated eyes. And then I wait 30 minutes before applying the Mario Badsecu Hyaluronic Eye Cream.

Best Application Method to Applying Eye Serum/Cream:

With your ring finger apply small dots around the eye (I actually like using a Q-tip as to not contaminate my jar) and above the eye getting just up to the brow bone and then gently tap the cream into your skin. Its very important to not pull or stretch this area (its not like applying body lotion to your legs...soft and gentle is vital). Tap until it feels absorbed into the skin (you will see a slight sheen and that is fine).

I personally love using the serum/cream approach because used together definitely amps up the benefits for me and I figure why not if I'm doing the same for the rest of my face.

You can find eye serums at every price point and they are all not created equally. I have yet to personally try any drugstore eye serums but the lines that do carry them are RoC, Olay and Loreal that I know off the top of my head. Some key ingredients to be on the look out for are Peptides, caffeine (which helps in reducing puffiness) and for those wanting to reduce the dark circles retinol is a great as well. I would suggest getting a powerhouse of a serum and then using as something as basic as a hyaluronic eye cream to lock in all that goodness. It will also help keep the cost of investment on the doable side.

To further protect your eye area and to keep the positive effects of using a daily eye serum and cream its absolutely vital to use a sunscreen made exclusively for the eye area. For several years now I've been using a mineral based version from Colorscience and while it has been great for me I always like trying something new. Earlier this year SkinCeuticals came out with Physical Eye UV Defense SPF 50($30.00). Its a non-mgrating protective SPF that also doubles as an eye brightener. I live in Florida and I was very skeptical about it being non-migrating but when our temps hit 100 with high humidity the stuff did not budge and travel to my eyes to sting the mess outta me. I usually wait about 10 minutes after applying eye serum/cream before applying under my eyes and on lids. My eye make-up sits just fine over it and as I mentioned no stinging!!

If budget is tight I would definitely go with an eye cream and a protective SPF for the eye area. Serums are definitely great and can really amp results but its better to start out with something rather than nothing.

The products that I list below are some that I myself have used personally or that my husband has tried himself.

Eye Serums:

*Elizabeth Arden Prevage Intensive Repair Eye Serum ($130.00) This stuff is pricey but it has tightened the crazy deep (my husband calls them his craters) crows feet on my husband's eyes making it worth it.

*Algenist Firming & Lifting Eye Gel ($68.00). Algenist is such an underrated brand in my opinion and just kinda floats around under the radar. It contains peptides and alguronic acid which together helps strengthen the skin's structure (aka tighten her up) and with the caffeine and chamomile to reduce the dreaded puffiness and soothe the skin this makes for a great introduction into eye serums.

*Perricone MD Vitamin C Ester Eye Serum ($55.00). If vitamin c can brighten our face it can certainly do the same for our eyes as as well. This acts as a brightener/firming with its antioxidants so if reducing your under eye circles is a major priority then giving this a try would be worth it. Its suggested to pair this up with another Perricone product (HP Eye Lift) but I never tried that one so its something that I can't personally vouch for but if you are a Perricone fan its definitely worth a try.

Eye Creams:

*Mario Badsecu Hyaluronic Eye Cream ($18.00). I absolutely LOVE,LOVE,LOVE this eye cream! Sometimes you just can't go wrong with a super basic eye cream. Hyaluronic acid locks in the moisture which in effect fills out those fine lines giving the eye area a smooth look. It is also great at controlling puffiness ( something I deal with on my lids after a long night of studying ). It does not compete with my serum and or contain any fragrance.

*Clinique Repairwear Laser FocusWrinkle Correcting Eye Cream ($45.00). If you can only afford an eye cream and just getting started in the prevention department this one is a worthy contestant. It reduces fine lines while calming and deputing the eye area. My husband used this during our arctic winter here in FL and it kept his peepers well moisturized and comfortable.He has very sensitive skin overall and it did not cause chaos for him at all.

SkinCeuticals Eye Balm ($81.00). The balm is a more advanced product geared towards correcting versus preventing. So this is prefect if you are facing moisture loss, sagging and free-radical damage (aka..sun damage). Its formulated for mature/dry skin so this is a bit rich for younger skin. I'm thinking of revisiting this balm soon as we head into winter and my under eye area is the first to go sahara desert on me.

First Aid Beauty 5 in 1 Eye Cream ($30.00) FAB is an awesome line overall and this eye cream is no exception. It makes for great starter eye cream if working with a tight budget. It hits upon the starting signs of aging. It acts as a brightener/firming/smoothing/firming.

Eye Suncreens:

*Skinceuticals Physical Eye UV Defense SPF50 ($30.00). I've tried cream based eye SPF's in the past and they all traveled to my eyes causing crazy stinging. Not this stuff. Cover my entire eye area with it and I'm good to go. No issues and it plays well with all foundations and concealers/correctors.

*Colorescience Sunforgettable Loose Mineral Eyescreen SPF30 ($25.00). This doubles as an eye brightener as well and does a decent job at diffusing any eye discoloration. They had another formula with an higher SPF but when I looked on their website I saw that it was unavailable.

*Shiseido Sun Protection Eye Cream SPF 34 ($35.50). Hmmm...I have a love/hate relationship with this one because I found it great for winter time use but not for summer. I applied this over my top lid and nearly ran into a ditch once it started stinging my eyes. On darker skin tones leaves a crazy cast to the skin but if applying makeup over it its no big deal.

As with any skincare product its super vital that you stick with daily application if you expect to see some results. Its also worth noting that depending how advance your issues are it may require a much stronger product especially when it comes to correcting damage. If needing something stronger investing in medical based skincare would be your next step but I only suggest that if you have tried the more mainstream lines available at ULTA and Sephora because when you head into that territory not only are the ingredients more intense but so is the price-point. I also must stress that what might work for one might not work for another so its definitely going to be all about trial and error so be sure to buy from places with great return policies and hold on to those receipts.

I also wanted to cover facial SPF's but I'm getting called into a meeting so I can't dive into that today but I hope that this was of some help for you and I look forward to my next installment...facial SPF's and lip treatments for aging skin. xxxx

Sep 26, 2014

Traci P.

Shelley you're the best. I can't thank you enough for writing this series out for us! I have never thought about needing a sunscreen meant for the eye area, I will be investing in one very soon. I am almost 30 and the fine lines are starting to multiply so I'm also going to look into that Mario Badsecu eye cream and a serum with some retinol in it to try and freeze time. I have always felt a little lost and overwhelmed whenever I go looking at all the anti aging serums and creams at the store, so it is great to have certain products pointed out to me.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Hope all is going well with you and yours!

Sep 26, 2014

Nikelle B.

Great thread!
Thank you so much for share this info. I love reading all of the advice and experiences you share

Sep 26, 2014

Shelley W.

You're so welcome. Glad its been of some assistance. ;)

Sep 27, 2014

Traci L.

Great information , I got Mario B hyaluronic eye cream as a sample and love it also I'm going to buy the full size,

Sep 27, 2014

Tina K.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Sep 28, 2014

Joana P.

Awsome info Shelley! I had posted this question on your wall a couple days ago. Question, so the eye spf will be applied as a 3rd product on the eye in the a.m? Serum, cream and spf?

Sep 28, 2014

Shelley W.

Yes Yanin. Or you can go with just the serum and eye spf. Or eye cream and spf. Just make sure you give plenty of time before application of next product to allow it to settle into the skin.

Sep 28, 2014

Joana P.

Sounds great! Thank you Shelly for clarifying :)