I spy with my little eye cream, something that is...

Smooth!   Bright!  Refreshed!

I get so many questions on eye creams…when to start using them, how to use them, and which ones to use.  So let me try to break it down for all of my favorite beautistas:

When should I start using eye cream? 

Ummm…yesterday.  No really, not even kidding.  If you have not yet put an eye cream into your daily skincare regimen, now is the time to start.  The most important thing to do when you are in your 20's and 30's (and let’s be honest, 40's, 50's, and 100's) is moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!  Moisturize the face and neck 2 times a day, and add in an eye cream to treat the sensitive areas around your eyes. You can start with using eye cream at night before you go to bed, but ramp it up to twice a day (morning and night) if you feel that you need it.  The quick way to remember to use eye cream is to place it on your night stand and put it on before you rest your pretty head for some beauty sleep! 

How should I apply eye cream?

Ever tried to use eye cream and felt it burn??? That's because you probably weren't putting it on right! There is a specific technique for applying eye cream, and its really quite simple once you get a the hang of it.  To correctly apply eye cream, scoop a very small amount using your ring finger.  The ring finger is the only finger on your hand that provides the least amount of pressure and most control for this sensitive area.   Then, gently tap the eye cream around your orbital bone.  People usually think that you need to slather this on your eye and eye lid…but this is not the right way to use eye cream.  If you gently tap all around your orbital bone, the heat from your eye will draw the product into all the right places.   Where is your orbital bone? Place your finger on your eye (sure go ahead…do it right now!) and feel around the bone that your eye socket sits in.  This is your orbital bone!

Which eye cream should I buy?

This is the tough one…there are so many products out there that claim to do so many different things!  I have tried tons of eye creams over the years and below are my favorite 3 at multiple price points.  Please keep in mind these are based on my experiences…each person has different needs so you may need an eye cream tailored to your specific needs.  For example, are you trying to reduce puffiness? Prevent wrinkles?  Minimize the look of fine lines?  Refresh tired eyes? Make sure you know what you are looking for before picking an eye cream! Most brands will allow you to take a sample and try eye creams, so take advantage of that! My picks are below:

1. Burt's Bees Radiance Eye Cream (~$25): This can be found in any drug store and is a great product for the price point.  This natural eye cream has a royal jelly base (apparently from the bees…) made of nectar, pollen, vitamins, minerals, flower parts, bee hormones (???) and other natural ingredients.  This special royal jelly contains 7 Amino Acids, Vitamins B1, B2, B5, B6, C and E, along with Biotin, Niacin and Folic Acid.  It has a beautiful milk & honey scent, and it does a great job softening the delicate skin around the eyes.  I find that it makes the eyes look more radiant and bright, and reduces the look of fine lines. 

2. Clinique - All About Eyes (~$37): My general face care regimen is Clinique based so I love this eye cream.  This is a gentle gel that is non irritating, and it reduces the look of bags and dark circles.  It is a great product for preventative care so it's a good eye cream to start with if you are just starting to add eye treatment to your skin care regimen.  It's also great for puffiness and it leaves the skin around the eyes feeling rejuvenated and brighter.  This also works great as a primer under eye makeup - it gives a smooth base for concealer.  Overall love this product!

3. La Mer - The Eye Concentrate (~$250) I started using this product about 1.5 years ago, and I absolutely love it. Would I recommend it for the steep price tag? Probably not, because I feel like any of the above creams will do the job.  But there is just something about this eye cream that I love - it is very moisturizing and de puffs, minimizes lines, awakens, and sooths.  Love the scent, very refreshing. It comes with a metal applicator that you can use to apply the product that adds to the La Mer "experience".   It claims to dissolve the appearance of dark circles - but not sure how accurate this claim is.  All in all, amazing product but very high price point.  I would recommend going to your nearest Holt to get a sample of this to see if you like it and if it is worth investing in!

Now before you run to the nearest store to pick up some eye cream, one last piece of advice.  The MOST important thing about finding the right eye cream is to remember that the little crinkles around your eyes add character...so don’t try to moisturize away the laugh lines around your eyes!  In One Direction's words…that's what makes you beautiful! Yes, I just quoted One Direction - this eye cream is really doing wonders to regress my skin back to what it looked like at 16. ;)