Eye Eye!

Eye cream is very important. It is the only thing I use even when I am too hung-over/unwell/exhausted to use any other beauty product. It is the thing I nag my friends and husband to use. Why I hear you cry? Well, I think that the skin around your eyes (which is very fragile and delicate) ages very badly without a little care and attention. Next time you look at someone that you think looks older than their years (there are lots of celebs out there!), try and figure out what it is that makes them look older, I guarantee than nine times out of ten you will spot crepe-y old skin around their eyes. Also, when you talk to someone you tend to look in their eye area, so it gets lots more exposure than other areas. And finally, us females tend to treat their eyes with very little respect (who hasn’t rubbed and tugged at our eyes trying to get make-up off, or giving into hay fever itches?).

So, as a die-hard eye cream aficionado, I wanted to share my thoughts on some good products to keep your eyes beautiful! Firstly, you need to use a really gentle eye make up remover. I swear by two products, which get the makeup off with no pulling or scrubbing, and keep the skin around your eyes supersoft. Lancôme Bi Facil gets great reviews year after year for a good reason. It is kind to eyes, does the job and isn’t overly greasy. I love it for everyday make up removal and always have a bottle by my sink. The other remover I rate hugely is an odd product by a company called Crowes and called Cremine. You have to buy it online, as it is a bit obscure; it is designed for removing stage makeup. But, it will get rid of the heaviest liquid eyeliner, the claggiest foundation and all manner of glitter in a jiffy. It is pretty cheap, at about £6 for a huge pot, and can be used a one of those ‘everything balms’, so you can moisturize your elbows whilst removing your makeup. It is pretty greasy, so you need to wash your face well afterwards (here a Clarisonic is just perfect for the job), but your skin will never have been so clean. My mum has used it all her life and has amazing skin, barely a wrinkle on her face, which is endorsement enough for me. And it has cool vintage packaging that I love!

Once you have your face clean and dry, it’s time to apply your favourite lotion or potion to transform your tired skin. I am currently using a pretty great eye serum by Oskia called Eye Wonder, which is light and fresh, but has improved the tone and texture of my skin. It is also paraben free which is always good, especially when you are pregnant. Generally the Oskia brand is proving to be a great source of affordable skincare that seems to do exactly what it promises, I am hoping to try their Renaissance mask next. Other high end eye creams that I have liked for various reasons are Crème de la Mer The Eye Concentrate, which was lovely but not worth the huge price tag, Zelens Triple action eye cream, which was quite light and more gel-like than some other creams I have tried and Estee Lauder Advanced Eye Repair, which at £32 is pretty good value for a great, effective product. A high street bargain that my gorgeously youthful mum likes is L’Oreal Wrinkle De-crease for Eyes, which she thinks is better than most expensive eye products that she has tried. For puffy eyes I use Estee Lauder eye masks or Bliss Triple Oxygenating eye masks (the latter are just brilliant, but don’t come cheaply!), which both cool and sooth my allergy prone eyes, and slick on Body Shop’s Cooling Elderflower eye gel for a refreshing treat, that doesn’t cost the earth!

No excuses now for not giving eye care products a go, there are great ones on the market to suit all budgets (Boots always have offers on L’Oreal, so if in doubt, give that one a go and let me know your thoughts).  

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