Are You Applying Your Eye Cream Properly?
It might seem like a simple question but do you really know how to apply your eye cream? Because if you get it wrong, you could be doing more harm than good.
When it comes to an effective skincare routine, eye cream sits firmly in the same camp as facial toner – you either do… or you don’t. Those that do apply their eye cream morning and night would never have a bad word said against them (hear hear!). And those that don’t have probably read or heard somewhere that eye creams are a bit, well, pointless; that, truthfully, they’re no different to regular moisturizers.
Oh how wrong they are.
Eye creams are actually quite different to regular face creams. This is because they’re specifically formulated to treat the thin, dry, delicate skin around your eyes which, consequently, can be the first area of your skin to age. Sure, eye creams are moisturizing, but they need to be way gentler than regular face creams while also working hard to target eye-related issues like dark circles, dryness, fine lines, dehydration and puffiness. On that note they're often chock full of moisturizing botanical oils like evening primrose and sweet almond oils, but are balanced with fewer active ingredients or, at least, lower concentrations of active ingredients as well as minimal irritants like preservatives and synthetic fragrance.
We're big fans of eye creams here at TruSkin and count them as integral players in the quest for awesome skin. However, it’s important to know what you’re doing when you apply this delicate little flower, because slathering yours on with zero effs given can result in some seriously bad times for your skin.
How To Apply Your Eye Cream: The 5 Golden Rules
Read on for five lessons to remember if you want to get the best results from your eye cream.
1. Always Apply Eye Cream To Cleansed, Toned Skin
Fresh, clean skin is important when applying any kind of skincare product. If you don’t clean your skin first dirt, oil, makeup and bacteria can build up on the surface, blocking pores and encouraging breakouts. Not only that, but if your skin has a layer of unwashed debris on the top, how’s any kind of product supposed to penetrate your skin and take care of business? Well, it won’t.
Wash your hands first, then cleanse your entire face and eye area, using a gentle formulation like Soothing Cleansing Milk. Follow with toner and your favorite face serum, then it’s time for your eye cream – after serum and before moisturizing. Applying your eye cream first helps keep any ingredients in your face cream away from the delicate skin around your eyes. And that's important if there’s something hiding in there that this area of your skin might not be cool with.
2. Don’t Use Too Much
You know those words that are often written (but ignored!) on the back of your skincare product? Yeah those. Well, they’re there for a reason; to help you get the best from your product. So read them and follow the advice, OK?
When it comes to eye cream one of the most common mistakes is using too much product. Why is this such a big deal? Well, overloading this delicate area can be too much of a burden on your skin, leaving the area feeling super greasy. It can also exacerbate puffiness, which is not the look we imagine you were going for.
Eye creams always come in small packages so take that as a not-so-subtle hint that less is, without fail, always more. Approximately a pea-sized amount of eye cream should be the sweet spot for the upper and lower eyelids of both eyes, but read the instructions and do as you’re told. Lecture over.
3. Gently Does It
Some skincare products are made to be massaged into the skin. Not eye cream. The area around your eyes is extremely fragile (did we mention that already? Sorry, not sorry!) so you have to treat it with much respect. We recommend using your ring fingers – or even your pinkies – because this instantly reduces pressure and friction on your skin without you even thinking about it.
Also, always pat rather than rub the product around the eye area. Heavy-handedly rubbing or massaging eye cream into your skin can quickly make your skin sore or inflamed.
4. Give Your Lashes Some Distance
While it goes without saying that you should never apply eye cream to your actual eyes, you should also take care not to go too close to your lashline. Most eye cream formulations contain oils which can creep into your eyes when your body temperature increases, causing irritation, redness and weepy eyes if applied too closely. Stick to the orbital bone area only.
5. Allow Eye Cream A Good Minute To Absorb
While we would never expect you to spend hours on your skincare routine every morning and night – because, you know, life – whizzing through your regime can do your skin a real disservice in both the short- and long-term. It’s much more prudent to give products time to settle and absorb into the skin before moving on to the next one.
And eye cream is no exception. After you’ve patted your product all around the eye area, give it a minute or two before moving on to your moisturizer, sunscreen and makeup. This will give it time to seep in and will also help avoid your makeup from pilling.
Finally, as with all skincare products, consistency is everything so apply your eye cream regularly – morning and night – for the best results. And be patient. Rome wasn’t built in a day, yes?
You May Also Like
View More-
![Let’s Be Honest, Are Eye Creams Really Necessary?]()
Are eye creams an important part of an effective skincare routine? Or are they just fancy moisturizers in smaller packages? Read on for everything we know about the skin around your eyes and why an eye cream can actually be a very smart choice.
Skincare companies like ours exist because we want to help you make the most of your skin. We’re not here to pull the wool over your eyes or force you to spend your $$$s on pointless lotions and potions that you don’t actually need. That’s why we think about every single product before launching, ensuring we produce only the very best formulations for your skin, with the highest quality ingredients and years of skincare intel.
This leads us neatly to a slightly contentious skincare topic: eye cream. Cynics might believe these are just industry hype, but they’re so much more than luxurious items that do very little. In fact, an eye cream can really take your skincare routine to the next level – especially if you have specific concerns about the skin around your eyes.
Of course, if you’re young and haven’t yet had the pleasure of welcoming things like dark circles, crow’s feet, puffiness and sagging skin to the eye party, you’re probably OK living without an eye cream. For now, anyway. However, if you’re long past those glory days of youth, this small but unassuming skincare great can be a powerful weapon against the visible signs of aging around the eyes.
What’s The Deal With The Skin Around Your Eyes?
Skin is skin, right? Wrong. Sure, the general structure of your skin is similar all over your body, but it’s not the same.
The skin around your eyes, for example, is way thinner than the rest of your face. This means its barrier function is similarly thin and collagen is less readily available. This small area of your face also contains very few sebaceous glands which, as you know, are important for producing sebum and helping to keep the skin soft, supple and moisturized. Couple all this with the fact the skin around your eyes also lacks muscle and fatty tissue and it’s no wonder that it ages up much quicker than the rest of your face. It can be drier and more sensitive. Underlying veins and vessels can also be more visible, and the skin under your eyes, in particular, is prone to becoming loose and lax lightning fast.
So there you go. The skin around your eyes is very different from the rest of your face. And it consequently has quite different skincare needs.
Is This Why Eye Cream Is Important?
In a word, yes. Eye creams are quite different to regular face creams because they’re built to tackle a different kind of skin with a whole bunch of unique issues. For starters, sure, most eye treatments contain those all-important moisturizing ingredients but, in general, eye formulations are way gentler than classic face moisturizers which can easily overload the skin around your eyes.
Another way eye creams and face creams differ? Their level of potent, active ingredients. Things like retinol and exfoliating acids, for example, are a great way to tackle the signs of aging on your face and neck, but the concentrations used for your face can often be too powerful and irritating for your eyes. It’s also wise to avoid strong alcohols, synthetic fragrances and harsh preservative around your eyes. But, tbh, we also like to avoid them on our entire faces and bodies. Just saying!
Then there’s all the stuff that eye creams do contain – intentionally put there to deal with eye-specific concerns like dark circles, puffiness, sagging, volume loss and fine lines. You’ll often find ingredients like caffeine, licorice and kojic acid in eye products which work hard to treat under-eye bags. But do you really need those in your regular face cream? Probably not.
And that’s the honest truth about eye creams. Sure, a gentle face cream is fine if you simply want to keep the skin around your eyes moisturized. But if you want to target deeper issues than pure moisture, then a treatment tailored for this specific area is priceless.
3 Of The Best Eye Creams To Try Now
With all that in mind, we couldn’t leave without a nod to our awesome line-up of eye-loving skin treatments…
1. Depuffing Longevity Eye Cream
Part of our new Longevity range which launched last year this healthy aging eye cream is already proving to be a huge hit. The secret to its success comes from bakuchiol, an ingredient that’s still fairly new to skincare but has been quite rightly deemed nature’s answer to retinol. And that, dear friends, is no mean feat.
Studies show that bakuchiol offers all of the skin-regenerating benefits of retinol – improving cellular turnover and accelerating collagen synthesis – but is way kinder to your skin, making it absolutely perfect for the delicate skin around your eyes. This lightweight eye cream combines bakuchiol with coffeeberry extract and lingonberry stem cells to not only strengthen the skin but to help improve the appearance of dark circles and puffy eye bags at the same time. We call this one of our ‘must-try’ products.
Say hello to our creamiest, dreamiest and most hydrating eye treatment that steadily and effectively promotes firmer, brighter skin around your eyes without overloading it with heavy ingredients. Because that is so not want you want in an eye cream.
Hyaluronic acid is the name of the game here, which visibly plumps the skin by drawing moisture to the surface and bidding farewell to unwanted dehydration. But that’s not all this weightless treatment has to offer. Oh no. It also contains vitamins E and B5 to offer antioxidant protection while soothing, nurturing and empowering your barrier function to keep up the hard work of keeping moisture in, and the bad guys out. Add in a little glycolic acid and vitamin C for their awesome brightening powers and you’ve got yourself a pretty fabulous all-round powerhouse for tired eyes.
Powered by peptides and with a feather-light gel formulation, this daily treatment is your go-to for tackling fine lines, battling eye bags, sorting out dark circles and basically dealing with pretty much any eye concern you throw at it.
Peptides are known for helping to support collagen and elastin so we harnessed this knowledge and teamed a special peptide complex with plant stem cells, licorice extract (a whizz for reducing puffiness) and hyaluronic acid to offer the skin around your eyes everything it deserves in an eye treatment. We’re talking antioxidant protection, awesome hydration, anti-inflammatory care and gentle, plant-powered potency. Skin aging, beware, this eye gel is truly a force to be reckoned with.
Let’s Be Honest, Are Eye Creams Really Necessary?
read more
