Get eyes looking amazing with stellar skincare and treatment options that promise to keep puffiness and dark circles at bay. Then, enhance peepers with makeup marvels and look forward to brighter days.
Eye care is indeed a crucial part of caring for our appearance. Aside from being one of our most beautiful features, our eyes are also one of the most expressive ones. With a graceful flutter, a playful wink, or an intense stare, we can convey a world of emotion.
Naturally, we’d want to keep the delicate skin around our eyes looking its best. For this, a gentle approach is key, especially when applying makeup or skincare. Since the skin in this area is thinner, it’s likewise one of the first areas to show signs of aging like fine lines, puffiness or crow’s feet. Nonetheless, while these are a natural part of life, there’s also no harm in trying to address them. By adapting good practices, especially early on, there are many things that can help us look well-rested and refreshed.
To get the lowdown on some of top treatments, we talk to dermatologist and DermHQ founder, Dr. Gaile Robredo-Vitas. Makeup artist Nica Reyes, on the other hand, shares her tips on doing makeup on the eye area, as well as some of her favorite products.
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Moisture Matters
Proper care for the eye area is much similar to what we already know is good for our skin. Sun protection is key, as is getting an adequate amount of beauty sleep to minimize puffiness and dark circles. Dr. Robredo-Vitas shares that it’s also important to keep the area moisturized, as dry skin can make fine lines and wrinkles more pronounced. Moisturizing, she says, will also help in giving support and making the thin skin in this area more resilient.
Thankfully, there is a cornucopia of eye creams one can choose from, and many hope to address a variety of concerns. One stellar example is Clé de Peau Beauté’s Eye Contour Cream Supreme. Focused on strengthening the pillars of our epidermal cells known as actin fibers, the cream helps in getting skin to look youthful and firm. Furthermore, potent plant extracts help brighten and improve its texture.
One can also try Shiseido’s Power Infusing Eye Concentrate, which has been blended with active ingredients to support the natural cycle of our skin’s turnover. The luxurious cream also helps strengthen the skin’s barrier, and promotes collagen production to target issues such as dullness, dark circles, wrinkles or sagging skin.
Dior’s Le Micro-Sérum de Rose Yeux Advanced is another marvel. The potent serum helps make eyes appear more luminous by keeping puffiness and dark circles at bay, while also lifting the eye area. It’s star ingredient is the Rose de Granville, a rose specially cultivated by Dior for skincare as it is packed with micro-nutrients and omegas to help regenerate the skin.
Another plant-based skincare innovation is Guerlain’s Molecular Concentrate Eye Cream. The luxe cream harnesses the powers of orchid roots, which was discovered as the key to the plant’s longevity. By energizing the skin, it tones and lifts the eye area, making it appear more youthful.
She also reminds us to be gentle to this area, and to avoid harsh products, like those with a high concentration of active ingredients. Being consistent with one’s skincare routine is also a must.
Skincare Savvy
Dr. Robredo-Vitas also shares that products with a low concentration of retinoids can also help smooth fine lines and improve texture. Retinoids are of course derivatives of Vitamin A, like retinol or retinoic acid, that help encourage cellular turnover of the skin and boost collagen synthesis. Nevertheless, although they have are quite effective, they can also be a bit irritating, especially in the beginning as the skin is getting used to the product. As such, they should be used with a dose of care.
Elizabeth Arden’s Retinol Ceramide Line Erasing Eye Cream is one such example, blended to help smooth, brighten and de-puff eyes. Aside from retinol, it also contains a peptide blend to work with collagen and elastin, thus improving skin tone. Moreover, the niacinamide aids in diminishing the appearance of dark circles.
Makeup artist Nica Reyes, on the other hand, loves the Drunk Elephant A-Shaba Complex Eye Serum, which she recommends for retinol or advanced skincare users. “It offers a gentle 0.1% vegan retinol, 3% caffeine, and copper peptides to address puffiness and fine lines,” Nica says.
Another way to address the concerns of maturing skin according to Dr. Robredo-Vitas is through antioxidants which help in protection and repair of the skin. “Vitamin C and pro-collagen improves pigmentation and reduces oxidative stress. Niacinamide improves barrier function, and brightens skin and helps even out skin tone,” she continues.
Bright Eyes
Dark circles, are of course, another common issue. According to Dr. Robredo-Vitas, the first step is determining the reason behind the issue. “Dark undereye circles can be caused by multiple factors, including genetics, lifestyle and habits, or hyperpigmentation,” she declares. Pigmentation, she explains, often runs in families or individuals with a darker skin tone. For this she recommends tyrosinase inhibitors, Vitamin C, niacinamide, retinoids, and sun protection.
Those that are vascular in origin mean that the thin skin around the eyes is allowing the underlying blood vessels to be more visible, giving it a purplish or bluish tone. For this, Vitamin K and caffeine treatments are recommended.
Farmacy’s Wake Up Honey Eye Cream is one cream that works by energizing the eye area. Made with Vitamin C, hydrating honey, caffeine and cranberry peptide, it helps with dark circles, while de-puffing and addressing fine lines. Estée Lauder’s Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Gel-Crème is another wonder, and is packed with peptides in a fast-absorbing formulation. With continued use, it helps boost skin renewal to counter eye bags and give you smoother skin.
Volume loss in the undereye area, which happens when we age, may also be the cause of dark circles. In this situation, Dr. Robredo-Vitas recommends products with retinoids and moisturizers. Of course, lifestyle factors such as lack of sleep, dehydration, stress, and allergies are also contributing factors. Thus, it is important she shares, to maintain a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet, restful sleep, and to avoid drinking and smoking.
Top Tier Treatments
When one desires more noticeable results, an in-clinic treatment administered by a board-certified dermatologist is an option. Dr. Robredo-Vitas enumerates a few that may address one’s concerns. For instance, one may inject purified collagen near the eye area to rejuvenate the skin, of which examples are Rejuran, Profhilo, Plinest, and more.
Mesotherapy is another treatment. This “involves injecting vitamins, enzymes, growth factors and non-cross-linked hyaluronic acid to hydrate and nourish of the skin. Depending on the contents of the product, it can reduce the appearance of fine lines, brighten dark spots, et cetera,” shares Dr. Robredo-Vitas. Meanwhile, injecting hyaluronic acid, she shares, can help restore hollowness and volume loss.
Lasers and energy-based devices are viable options as well. Dr. Robredo-Vitas shares that ablative fractional resurfacing helps with reducing wrinkles and skin laxity, and may at times help with pigmentation and hollowness. Laser toning, on the other hand, addresses pigmentation.
Another possible treatment she mentions is RF Microneedling, which “uses needles to deliver radiofrequency to tighten the skin, improve laxity, and stimulate collagen and elastin delivery.” Microfocused Ultrasound with Visualization (MFU-V), on the other hand, delivers ultrasound energy to stimulate collagen and elastin remodeling.
“With all of these available treatments, it is more beneficial for patients and results will be more noticeable if you combine appropriate skincare products with treatments or procedures,” declares Dr. Robredo-Vitas.
Eye Makeup Masterclass
Of course, makeup also can help in enhancing this key feature. “Prep, prime and set well,” shares Nica. “Prep by making sure that the lids are clean and oil-free. Prime with an eyeshadow primer for a smooth even base, and finish with a setting spray to lock everything in.”
To prepare, Nica likes a good hydrating eye cream. “I love using Drunk Elephant Ceramighty for a hug of moisture to tired looking eyes. Next, I use a lightweight, hydrating concealer and or a corrector with a sparse brush,” she shares. “Avoid excessive creams and excessive powders. Nars’ Light Reflecting Setting Powder is a great option. It creates a soft-focus effect by optically fading fine lines, wrinkles, and pores.”
Another product you can try is Laura Mercier’s Real Flawless Weightless Perfecting Serum Concealer. With its creamy formulation, it is a dream to apply onto the skin, while its skincare-based ingredients help improves skin texture over time.
As for primers, Nica loves that they can also extend eyeshadow wear, and prevent creasing as it balances the oil on the lids. Create a seamless canvas with the Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base from Nars, which helps color last all day and remain crease-free.
To neutralize dark circles, Nica recommends using color correctors tailored to one’s undertone. “Peach-toned correctors work for bluish or brownish discoloration, while purple ones address yellowish areas,” she shares. Try Bobbi Brown’s Skin Corrector Stick, which easily swipes onto the undereye to neutralize discoloration and give the appearance of a brighter complexion.
In terms of choosing the right color of eyeshadow, Nica recommends going by one’s skin tone. “Warm tones like peach, gold and bronze, often complement warm skin tones, while cool tones like blue, purple, and green look great on cool skin tones.
A warm color palette. Photo via Instagram @narssisit
Banner image by Wendy van Zyl via Pexels.
