Are Eye Creams Really Necessary?

We all know how important it is to apply a moisturizer to our face daily, regardless of our skin type. Moisturizers literally help lock water in and protect skin from free radicals, which are extremely damaging to our cells.

Years ago, during a trip to Saks 5th Avenue in NYC, a Lancôme sales associate approached me (at Saks, they can be just as harassing as those mall kiosk crazy ladies) and asked me what kind of eye cream I used in my skincare routine. Mind you, I was only 19 years old, so I innocently said "whatever moisturizer I use on my face, why?". She replied with a big, wide-eyed "Oh... OH! OH Nooooooo!". Sacrilege? Oops.

I was learning for the first time that, as it turns out, the skin around our eye area is more sensitive and thin than the rest of our face, therefore needs extra special attention. I instantly felt guilty for apparently neglecting that part of my body for so long.

Ironically enough - and I wonder why - very few eye cream products contain SPF protection, something which is very crucial to me. Most eye creams set their targets towards either fighting undereye puffs and dark circles or wrinkle damage and prevention. If the skin under our eyes is so sensitive and delicate (and it really is), how come they are not packing those creams with heavy duty sunscreen? That never made sense to me.

Eye Cream Guinea Pig
Traumatized by my Saks 5th Avenue lecture, I've tried a lot of eye creams since then and I confess I've yet to find the perfect one. I usually get a lot of samples from Sephora's Beauty Insider program or those gifts-with-purchase from the department stores, but I've also invested on a few "surefire creams" that didn't do much for me, as far as I could tell. Clinique All About Eyes is a classic, but was no different than a plain ol' face moisturizer. I really wanted Benefit's EyeCon to work, but my eye circles stayed right there where they were. Neutrogena Radiance Boost actually irritated my skin a little.

My biggest concern when it comes to my eye area is dark circles, something that even 8 hours or more of sleep can't fix. So whatever claims to help fight that raccoon look, I'm trying, but I'm very skeptical if not reluctant.

So do they work or they don't?
If you don't have wrinkles yet, I would say don't worry so much about a specific cream just for your eyes. If you have puffiness (whether it's chronic or you cried yourself to sleep the night before), however, you might want to try one of those rollerball gel thingies (more info below) that contain caffeine. Caffeine helps with blood circulation and is also anti-inflammatory, which is why most anti-puff creams contain some form of this ingredient.

I don't have much puffiness going on and to combat undereye darkness, the best trick is to keep it hydrated and concealed. None of these expensive creams have worked alone for me so far, so I never skip the concealer. An illuminating concealer or some kind of illuminating powder, stick or cream also helps a good deal by reflecting light into an otherwise dark area and giving you that well-rested appearance. Just be very careful not to use a concealer that's much lighter than your skin tone or you will look very goofy.

Finding a concealer that works for you:
Makeup professionals say that if you have very dark circles and you use a yellow-toned concealer, the result will be a grayish appearance. Not good. You may want to try a peach or pink-undertoned concealer (that matches your shade). The best way is to test it out on yourself and take a picture. Use flash light and then natural light as well. That will tell you the truth far better than any best friend.

As far as maintenance goes, until I find the most amazing, life-changing eye cream, I will continue to apply face moisturizer to my eye region. I'm currently using Lancôme Absolue Premium Bx, which I got as a sample. The sample size is 0.5oz (pretty much the average volume for a full-size eye cream) and it's been lasting me a while. It's a great moisturizer, feels good on my skin, dries fast, doesn't cause irritation and it contains SPF 15.  They make an eye version of this cream but if the regular-size face version is $125, I don't want to know how much the eye cream costs. Besides, eye version has no SPF! This little pattern puzzles me to no end. When I run out of this one, I will just have to hope for more samples.

Out of all the samples I've tried, the best one so far has been Dior Hydra Life Pro-Youth Protective Creme SPF 15. Yes, they have the eye version, no, it doesn't contain SPF either so yes, I was using the face cream on my eyes. It was really fantastic. It absorbed quickly, it offered great moisture without feeling sticky and worked great under makeup. This is actually a moisturizer I would buy the full-size version.

So here's a quick tip list for common undereye issues and easy (even if temporary) solutions:

• Puffiness, bags, redness and swelling: 

          Try this: Slices of cucumbers (make sure they're cold) or cotton pads soaked in cold chamomile or green tea. Squeeze excess liquid and let it rest on your eyes for 15 minutes. Follow with a moisturizer.
          Also try: An anti-puff rollerball gel like Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Puff Eye Roller or Clinique All About Eyes Serum De-Puffing Eye Massage). The rollerball gets the blood circulating and caffeine helps de-puff.

• Undereye darkness and circles:

A highlighter in reverse C shape
on the upper cheek bones
fakes an 8-hour sleep

          Try this: A good concealer. Start with a moisturizer for sensitive skin. Pat gently with your ring finger, don't rub. Let it dry. Apply concealer that doesn't make you look like you went tanning with your sunglasses on, making sure skin looks even on entire face. Use a luminizing concealer, lotion or stick (like YSL Touche Éclat or Nars The Multiple in Copacabana) just below the undereye area, on the upper cheek bones, in a reverse C shape that goes from outer corners of eyes, inwards.

Some people like to keep their eye creams in the refrigerator for added boost. Like a nice cold water rinse in the morning, the temperature really helps waken skin up and get the blood circulation going. Leaving your cream in the fridge can do you no harm.

Skip the expensive eye cream, not the SPF!
Eye creams may be an unnecessary extravagance, but a good facial moisturizer never is. Look for one that is sensitive-skin friendly since the skin around our eyes is indeed very delicate. Some ingredients, such as salicylic acid, are great for the face but a no-go for eyes.  Focus on these 3 letters: S-P-F. No matter what age you are or skin color, your face cannot afford to live without SPF. Sun damage is a fact and it's a fast-pass to early aging. Prevention pays off.

Fall Beauty Cravings

Reading Temptalia's blog is extremely dangerous for my pocket. I discover new makeup stuff that I absolutely must purchase asap or my life will never be the same. My latest obsession is eyeshadow. I've been having an eyeshadow year, or perhaps an eyeliner year... Mascara... An all-things eye-related year.

Check out this palette from Urban Decay and tell me if you, like myself, are not tempted to go to Sephora's website right this freaking second, ignore the price tag and just go ahead and hit the purchase button. Add to the temptation factor the little footer note on the product that says it's extremely high demand, selling out fast, limited edition yadda yadda. Oh Sephora, why do you do this to me?

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Now, I've never been a MAC girl. It's a great brand, don't get me wrong, but I like to use my Beauty Insider points at Sephora and they don't have MAC at Sephora, so in order for me to get something at MAC it must be somewhat irreplaceable, like their waterproof mascara. But oh holy crap, check this thing out! Tartan: awesome. Eyeshadows: awesome. Professional makeup brushes: awesome. All combined: you cruel bastards! It won't be released until the holiday season, so Santa, if you're reading this, insert this item on my wishlist. I have been kinda nice.

Yay! My local Sephora finally has the travel-size Oscar Blandi Pronto Volumizing Shampoo Spray available. It's only $11 and although I'm not a fan of their regular dry shampoo spray (as discussed in my review), I've heard great things about this version, saying it's totally innovative and effective. So guess where I'm heading tomorrow? :)

And Fall is here, for us Northern Hemisphere folks! My favorite season! It's still hot as balls here in South Florida but who cares, I'm gonna start rocking my wellies even if I look delirious doing so and wearing gray nail polish like nobody's business. Gray has been a hot color for nails in Europe and in Brazil (not random, that's where I'm from) for a minute but for some odd reason never made a hit here in the States. Not until now! Chanel (Les Khakis, Paradoxal), Essie and even L'Oreal are coming out with some great shades for Fall. At last!

...And I still wonder where my paycheck disappears to every month...

2010 Emmy's - Favorite Makeup Looks

I'm gonna keep this post semi-short and focusing on my favorite looks from last night's Emmy Awards. Also, some trend spotting on the red carpet and some real-life interpretation and how-to's. :)

Let's start with Claire Danes:

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Notice the Summer glow going on here!

Claire Danes is usually very pale, but opted for a natural-looking end-of-summer glow. I'm kind of digging it and wondering what bottle it came from. The color on her hair may be washing her out a bit and contrasting in the wrong way, but overall, I think this is one of her best looks to date.

The eye makeup she's sporting was also a common trend on the red carpet last night: a combination of bronze, golden and reddish browns. Those are shades that flatter pretty much any eye color, yet looking more natural than the classic smoky look that goes better in the colder seasons.

To achieve this look, start with a shimmery beige or gold all over lids and under the brow bones for highlight. Focus the darker colors on the outer corner of upper lids and lighter in the inner corner. For dramatic effect, you may apply black or brown eyeliner in the waterline and plenty of mascara.

On her cheeks, we see a soft rose blush, probably creamy or solid stick, to achieve a more natural glow that "comes from within". Try Nars - The Multiple in Orgasm , applying the color with your fingertips. To make the look even more natural and seemingly effortless, apply blush under foundation and finish with a highlighter.

Sweet Surprise: Kim Kardashian

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I'm flabbergasted by Kim's perfect, flawless skin. You can tell she's wearing (a lot of) foundation, but man, that is one fantastic airbrush job right there. She's naturally tan and one common mistake people sometimes make on the red carpet or otherwise is mismatch the shade of their foundation with the rest of their bodies. Not her case over here. Her makeup looks like a million bucks and it probably is.

The most interesting thing about her look besides her irritatingly perfect skin was her nude lips (a recurring trend), which can be achieved in the real world with Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss in Peach Petal (#150).

Also notice the white in her waterline. That was achieved with white eyeliner right in the inner rim of her lower lashes. That's a little technique I've been using ever since high school (with the good ol' Wet N' Wild white eyeliner pencil), in order to fake an 8 hour sleep. It pops open your eyes, giving a fresh yet dramatic effect.

For her lashes, oh boy, they better be falsies. The rest of us mortals can attempt that effect by curling the living crap out of our lashes with a good eyelash curler and amazing mascara. I swear by MAC Splashproof Mascara (thank you @Lietchka!). Makes your lashes seem impossibly long and voluminous. Like, tranny long.

Kim's makeup artist also used a highlighter shade in the inner corner of her eyes, making her "well-rested" glow even more enviable. To achieve that, choose a pearly eyeshadow or highlighter (not a bronzer) at least one tone lighter than your skin color. Don't be afraid, it's supposed to accentuate.

Now onto Mrs. Seal:

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Do I love that hair? Probably not. But moving on:

Heidi followed pretty much the same guidelines as Kim Kardashian. Flawless, even foundation application, nude lips (lighter than your natural lip color), white in the waterline, highlighted inner corner of upper lids and gallons of mascara.

REAL WORLD HOW-TO:

She completed the look with black eyeliner on the upper lids. This dramatic effect can be achieved by using both liquid and kohl eyeliner. I love combining Make Up Forever Aqua Eyes in Mat Black with Revlon Colorstay Liquid Eye Pen in Black (gives you perfect precision and easy to draw). Aqua Eyes is creamy and easy to blend or smudge, not to mention it's waterproof*. After applying the eyeshadow that will highlight entire lid area, use the kohl pencil along lash line, thinner on the inner corner and thicker on the outer. Smudge slightly and on the very outer corner, draw the smudger (or q-tip) upwards. Once that's done, you can apply a taupe shadow over that black, so the smoky effect is not dramatic but just a touch of mystery. Finish off with the liquid eyeliner for definition. Liquid eyeliners are especially great for the cat eye effect.

To achieve Heidi's highlighted cheek bones, use something like Nars The Multiple in Copacabana or even E.LF All Over Stick (which I own and it's really good and it's $1!). Using your finger tips, blend color starting just below outer corner of eyes, drawing a "C" inwards above cheekbones. This is a technique I learned from Lauren Luke in this video.

*For night time events, I always recommend waterproof makeup in the eyes. You don't have to worry about sweating, reapplying, smudging or even the walk of shame the next morning!

Gorgeous Emily Deschanel:

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Everything about this look is fabulosity! From the beautiful jewel toned purple gown - a color I'm kind of obsessed about - to her hair and makeup, the girl was dazzling.

Emily kept it simple, her complexion was even (notice the pattern!) and her lips, very natural. According to Temptalia, she might have used a plum liner on the lower lash line. And oh, how I love to hear that! For that effect, I would use ELF Eyeliner in Plum, which is light and discreet. You can smudge it for a more toned-down effect while still playing with color. She also lined her waterline with black and I notice a bit of smoke on the outer corners of her upper lash line.

To achieve this, try L'Oreal HIP Shadow Duo in Sculpted. The darker color will give you a smoky touch that's not quite purple, not quite black, but something in between. She used a very light pearly-peachy-cream color on her inner corners. Try Buxom Stay-There Shadow in Mutt or Poodle.

For the lips, I recommend starting with plain ol' cherry Chapstick - it gives you a very light hint of color while smoothing out surface of lips. Skip the lipstick and go for a lip gloss. I like Sephora Collection Super Shimmer Lip Gloss in Rusted Rose (a rose-tan-nude). Use your fingertips to blend and keep it from looking too glassy.

Overall Makeup Roundup:

Bronze, taupe, champagne and reddish browns ruled the red carpet for this year's Emmy Awards. I spot a trend I've been observing for a while, and a color that hits that nail in the head is Nars Eyeshadow in Lola Lola. Do I want to spend $23 on a single eye shadow? No. Will I probably do it anyway? Yes. In the meantime, I've adapted my budget restrictions to ELF Custom Eyes in Mocha (it's ONE freaking Dollar!) for the same effect. Worth the money: Urban Decay in Sin (an amazing all-over color!). Probably worth the money: Buxom Stay-There Shadow in Mutt.

Pair up with black eyeliner and plenty of mascara. Favorites are Diorshow Mascara, MAC Splashproof Mascara and Maybelline's The Falsies.

Naturally glowing cheeks. Nars Orgasm is always a winner, or Bare Escentuals All-Over Face Color in Faux Tan or in Bare Radiance (or both paired up). Just go with an all-over, even glow (streaks and obvious blushes are so not the way to go), perhaps a discreet little tan-in-a-bottle (not you, Nancy Juvonen) and some nice cheek highlighters.

Nude and rusty-rosy lips are the perfect complement. I did spot some coral and red (Maria Menounos, Jewel, Christina Hendricks) but my favorites were the nudes. Dianna Agron's look summarizes the idea.

Kudos to the purples worn by Jane Lynch, Emily Deschanel and Kyra Sedwick. January Jones was almost there: loved her dress (guilty pleasure!), but the hair was a walk-of-shame hot mess and makeup did not do the look justice. So close.

For the fashion hits and misses on the Emmy's red carpet, visit the Trend Menu blog, written by my dear friends @Querouaquino and @Lietchka.