|
|
Do You Really Need an Eye Cream?Mar 12 '01 (Updated Oct 31 '01) Write an essay on this topic.
Popular Products in Personal Care
The Bottom Line Some unscented regular moisturizers do a fine job of hydrating the eye area. But indulge in an eye cream if you must.
Eye creams and gels are part of every major cosmetic line's arsenal of 'troubleshooting' beauty boosters. These potions are now being formulated in more varieties than ever, with ingredients ranging from vitamin C to cucumber to sheep placenta! So let's talk skin, shall we? Is the skin all around the eyes really any different than the skin on the rest of your face? Well, yes, it's usually a little drier, thinner, and more fragile. And yes, it is more prone to fine lines. Creams, lotions and gels can definitely moisturize, and help 'plump up' fine lines (crow's feet), minimizing their appearance temporarily. But you may not necessarily need an 'eye' cream per se to accomplish this! Rest assured, despite the hype, there is no ingredient exclusive to eye creams alone that will work wonders for skin around the eye. There are some problems eye creams can't really cure... Dark circles, "bags" under eyes, and "puffiness" are problems that cosmetics the cosmetics industry has certainly made claims about, but... Eye creams primarily just moisturize. Don't believe it?... Apply your best eye product daily, only to your right eye, for a few weeks. On your left eye area, just use your regular moisturizer. Then, when the few weeks is up, take a good hard look at yourself in the mirror. Does the right eye area really look less puffy and have no dark circle? If it does, I'm willing to bet your imagination is a bit more active than mine. ;) So if all you're realistically expecting is just some nice moisture for the eye area, you may be able to save some money and time by simply choosing to go with an unscented facial moisturizer that can be used around the eyes. Whether or not you can get away without eye cream depends on what kind of moisturizer you use on your face, and on how you use it. That facial moisturizer may be able to double as your eye cream! However, if you use a multi-purpose moisturizer that is also meant to help absorb or control oil, you should not use it near the eyes... the eye skin needs what precious little oil content it has! So in this case you will either have to buy an eye cream, or buy another facial moisturizer for the purpose of using it in the eye area. If you have a hunch your facial moisturizer may be gentle enough for use around the eyes, most experts say it's O.K. to test a very small amount near the eye and see how it feels. If your eyes water or irritation develops, simply rinse it off. If your eyes feel great, though, you've just found yourself a new "eye treatment." If your face moisturizer feels fine near your eyes, but is not hydrating or emollient enough for that area, here's a tip: try applying it more thickly, and apply it over post-shower skin that's still moist. Do you use a heavy duty face moisturizer that would be too heavy feeling on your fragile eye skin? Try applying it with a lighter hand. If you're still not fully satisfied with your 'sans eye cream' results, you have two choices: Switch to a more versatile face moisturizer, or indulge yourself and splurge on an eye cream. Keep in mind, cosmetic companies package eye cream in TINY pots and tubes, yet charge a king's ransom. Is this because the stuff IN them is so precious and valuable? I tend to doubt it. I think it's just because we women are suckers for pretty creams in cute little jars! Something to keep in mind when shopping. Are eye creams and gels formulated with eye skin in mind? Well, sometimes yes, sometimes no! Believe it or not, some "eye" preparations DO irritate the eyes. Go figure. A GREAT eye product will not only be completely non-irritating, but will have the following features as well: It will be lightweight, so as not to weigh fragile eye skin down. It will absorb fairly rapidly, so you can apply concealor in the morning, and so it wont rub off on your pillowcase in the evening. It will be truly moisturizing and yet and it won't be greasy that it makes mess of your mascara, or creeps into contact lenses. Mostly, it should make fine lines seem less noticeable. IF you've found an eye moisturizer that's all that, it might be worth the extra bucks... if not, see if an unscented facial moisturizer won't work just as well. Lastly, if you have a honey who says your crow's feet add character to your face, you may choose to either hug him or slap him... just like whether to wear an eye product or not, that's strictly a matter of personal preference.  |
| Read all comments (4)|Write your own comment |
|
Ads by Google
|
