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.

Today's Link Thingies

• Claire Danes was the shining surprise at the Emmys in 2010, but this is an older look from her I totally covet. Now I secretly want to convert to a blonde. 

• Let's say goodbye to this year's Emmys once and for all, but before, you can still grab some celebrity hair and makeup tutorials at Bella Sugar. Wanna go to that Labor Day pool party rocking the Mindy Kaling updo? ;)

• Love Cat Marnell's blog at Lemondrop and her latest post about her favorite drugstore brand skincare products. 

Kristen Stewart

• The side braid is very hot this summer. Can you rock the look? This video makes it seem effortless. 

Today's Link Thingies

• New and creative uses for bathroom items at Shine Yahoo!.
• While on the same topic, I must add that you can use stick deodorant on your ankles before wearing sandals or shoes to avoid blisters.
• Another use for Vaseline: just a dab can transform your powder or compact eyeshadow into a creamy one.

• What is HD makeup? Is it for us, mere mortals? Web MD has some answers.

• While doing some image research for my last post, I came across this very useful foundation application tutorial at Wellsphere.

Today's Link Thingies

• I heart NY and I'm CRAVING Urban Decay Book of Shadows Volume 3. Temptalia has a video on it.
• Beauty Junkies Unite also has the full breakdown of colors. Early Christmas wishlist alert.

• Get Jenna Fischer's easy Emmy look at Beauty Addict. So natural you can try it before your next trip to the grocery store.

• Why blueberries are the body's anti-aging best kept secret - at Daily Perricone.

• 5 Makeup Looks for Redheads in Red Dresses at Bella Sugar.

• Olivia Wilde's smoky champagne eye makeup at Cee Me.

• Also from Cee Me, a very, very useful post on face contouring. Life changing.

• Remember Clementine's hair from Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind? That and other 88 wild hair colors at Bella Sugar.

The Boyfriend Razor

Hey, you should steal your boyfriend's razor. Because Mach 3 is waaaay better than any Venus out there.

There's something about the grip in women's razors that I'm just not entirely happy about. Crazy as it may sound, they make the handles much bigger than any guy's razor. I mean, really! Google search "women's razors". That's right. WTF! It's not like guys' hands are smaller! That just always bothered me.

Schick Intuition. You're too big to fit in here.

Then one fine day I was in the shower and who knows where my Venus Vibrance was but I had to shave my legs anyway and there I saw it... Nice and silver and black and all manly looking: my then-boyfriend's Mach 3. Now that thing looks like a serious razor for some serious shaving. None of that plastic, anatomically weird and pink BS that honestly, just looks cheap imho. I don't care how many blades you put on that thing - I've seen razors with 5 blades, FIVE FREAKING BLADES! - but once you try a man's razor, you will know what I'm talking about.

Call me irrational, perhaps I'm just loving it because there's some sort of "sneaky" freudian fetish about me using a man's razor (like wearing a guy's t-shirt, perhaps? Wearing men's cologne?), but maybe I'm right and there really is scientific explanation to why Mach 3 kicks the Barbie version's ass.

The handle is heavier - and I like that! -, the grip is oh so nice and the blades... They glide so smoothly! I love how they adapt to your curves so well, sliding easily, with more precision and even the blue little lubricating strip thingy feels nicer! I also notice less irritation after shaving with Mach 3. It really is better quality overall. My favorite so far is the Mach 3 Turbo. I have felt no need to upgrade it to the newer versions.

If you think about it, men's facial hair is pretty thick, correct? So those NASA engineers or whoever designs those things must know what they're doing. They also must know nothing about women because they keep on designing crap that looks more like a sex toy than anything else and it doesn't work that great. Not even as a sex toy. Not that I have ever tried. We don't need one gazillion aloe strips or a freaking coating of solidified shaving gel. Just give us a very effing sharp set of blades (and 3 is more than enough, by the way) and a nice heavy grip and we're good! Make it pink, I don't care! But until then, I'm sticking to the Boyfriend Razor.

Boyfriend jeans may be in style (are they still? Who knows), but here's one thing you should definitely, ahem, borrow from your significant other and it's guaranteed to look good on you: his razor.

Best. Screwvenir. Ever.

Products That Changed My Life: Garnier Skin Renew The Brusher Gel-Cleanser

I've been trying different facial cleansers for as long as I can remember, constantly switching and having multiple ones at one time for different uses. In the morning, I like to use a milder kind (like Philosophy's Purity Made Simple) , just to prepare my skin for the day. At night when I come home from work, I need the heavy duty stuff (currently using this Boots Botanics one), to remove all my makeup and excess oil. In the shower, I like to use a mild scrub (Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Scrub), but nothing too harsh for daily cleansing.

Anyway... That's a lot of product clutter if you ask me, not that I ever had a problem with that. But I think I finally found a cleanser that combines all my needs in one cute little 5 Fl.Oz bottle: Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew "The Brusher Gel-Cleanser". Long name. Amaaazing product!

First of all, whoever designed this bottle is a genius. The rubber scrubber brush is super soft and easy to clean, making this cleanser versatile and hygienic - for those of you bacteria-phobic freaks. The gel per se smells really good and fruity and so far my sensitive skin is loving it.

It's easy to use - believe me: I'm very lazy. I first tried it out to remove my makeup at night (except for eye makeup, of course, but I'm assuming we have common sense here) and it worked wonders. I simply moisten my face with lukewarm water, twist the cap where brusher is located, squeeze out some of the gel, twist cap back in and start-a-scrubbin'. It's so simple (dare I say... fun?!), mess-free, and the bristles give you a nice little facial massage... I'm in love!

I noticed how clean my skin looked and felt after rinsing. It's really more powerful than cleansing your face with your bare hands and as effective as scrubbing but less harsh on skin. I wear mostly waterproof makeup and it literally removed everything.

The best part of this godsend: it's only $.599 at Tarjhay!

Conclusion: this product does exactly what it claims: deep cleans and exfoliates, smoothes skin after 1 use. All true. It also claims to have Vitamin B5, Vitamin E and Green Leaf Extract. Now, I'm no expert, but I don't take all these vitamin things into high consideration when it comes to cleanser because after a few seconds, you're literally washing all those properties down the drain. But sure, thanks for the extra boost of vitamins, Garnier. The detergent properties are mild and have not caused my skin to dry. I'm super acne-prone and so far, no new breakouts. I also noticed some pimples vanishing faster after each use.

I read a few reviews on this product, saying they recommend a makeup remover first because it doesn't provide a super deep clean. I beg to differ since I always wear moisturizer with SPF, makeup primer, waterproof makeup, endure hours of kitchen sweating and grease and this thing worked like magic. But each skin is different and I urge you to try for yourself.

I just wanna buy this product to all my girlfriends, mom, relatives and spread the love around. Thank you, to the genius team (I'm gonna assume it was a bunch of experts) who created this!