Eyes are the one feature in our faces that show our age the most. I’m quite happy with the state of my skin (sunscreen pays off!) and people routinely think I’m younger than I am. But on bad days after a wild night (think Netflix binge with a glass of wine or two) I resemble a grumpy angora bunny – all red eyes and willing to bite someone’s finger off. For those cases, here’s my first aid kit how to get youthful eyes, a wide-awake look.
De-puff
If you woke up with puffy eyes, the easiest quick fix is a cool Jade-roller. I don’t buy into crystals and stuff, but a jade roller (or quartz, or any cooling material) can distribute lymphatic fluid that has been building up during the night and promote blood flow. (That’s also great because a sluggish blood flow in small veins directly under the skin make them appear darker.)
But first, coffee.
A caffeine serum will do a similar thing. Caffeine might do some de-puffing (the studies are a bit iffy on that) and anti-oxidants, plus a dollop of niacinamides will do some anti-aging and brightening. I use The Ordinary’s Caffeine Serum and enjoy using it under my regular skincare. The only fault I can find is the annoying dropper bottle – anti-oxidants don’t fare that well when exposed to oxygen on a regular basis, and you can’t help that when using a dropper!
Care
Now that you’re de-puffed, it’s time for some TLC. A good eye cream will smooth and care for the ultra-thin skin that surrounds your eyes. I like eye creams (more here) that include niacinamides and hyaluronic acid for brightening, peptides and anti-oxidants for anti-aging. If you use actives like retinol – don’t forget your sunscreen! (If you can find a good eye cream that includes a decent SPF, I’m all ears!)
Don’t forget the SPF!
In lieu of that, I try to apply my regular sunscreen as close as possible to my eyeballs. With the ISDIN Paediatrics (review), that works astonishingly well. Retinol will make your skin thicker and more resilient, and works against fine lines and dark circles this way (thicker skin – no more visible/darkening veins!). Vitamin C may work if the skin under your eyes is actually discoloured.
Eye patches ftw!
If the skin around your eyes needs more, I can recommend some eye patches: those little buggers give some serious smoothing and plumping action by adding a lot of hydration and often some hyaluronic acid right where it’s needed. I used to use Estée Lauder’s Stress Relief Eye Mask, but nowadays I like hydrogel patches a lot more for environmental and price reasons: I use Shangpree’s Gold Hydrogel Eye Mask. (Not often enough.)
Smooth
Your skin at this point should be hydrated and smooth as it can be, but I know that one of the biggest changes in my eye makeup routine was adding a specific undereye primer to my regime. It doesn’t only smooth that area, but also makes a world of difference at the point when you apply concealer.
Dark circles: Colour Correct
Dark circles appear when thin blood vessels under your skin are visible, or if your skin is actually discoloured. Retinol or Vitamin C might help with that, and, of course, colour correction. There’re other options to combat dark circles: obvious ones like get enough sleep, eat healthy, drink enough water etc. and invasive procedures. Those (most likely injections with fillers like hyaluronic acid) will only work if you’ve deeply sunken eyes, where the sunken area will create shadows on your skin. Actual discolorations can be treated with laser.
Concealer application tricks
I HAVE dark circles that look like bruises more often than not (I don’t have dark circles but reddish ones), so not using concealer was never really an option.
But concealer used to pool in my fine lines, and generally look bad after a few hours – all things primer and a changed application technique would change. Btw, peachy toned concealers will work well if your dark circles are blue tinged, choose a yellow one if your circles look purplish!
Think thin
I apply primer (Smashbox Hydrating Under-Eye Primer), and then dab a thin (!) concealer (I like Nars or Maybelline) over that with a damp beauty blender mini. Choose a fluid texture over a rather thick and opaque one: you’ll never get a thick textured one not to crease. What you’ll gain with opacity you’ll loose with texture. I let that set for a while, and then smooth out everything (it will have pooled in fine lines after a few minutes) with said beauty blender. AFTER that, I set it with a whisper of transparent powder. Done.
Eye bags: there’s not much you can do (sorry)
The fatty tissue under your eyes will get more pronounced as you age, due to a loss of skin elasticity. Again, you can try fillers, but no amount of rolling your jade roller or cooling eye patches will ever dissolve them. They’re genetic.
Lashes/Brows
If you’ve got very tired-looking eyes or red irises, eyedrops might help. Rohto brightening eyedrops are a bit of a hit, but I’ve never dared to use them! I do swear on two different, easy little touches to achieve a more youthful look though: Longer lashes and groomed eyebrows.
Our hair grows sparser as we age, so full hair is usually a signifier for youthfulness. I find full lashes frame my eyes and make them look younger (I use a growth serum for my lashes), and never forget to at least brush my eyebrows. It truly does make a difference!
What are your tips and tricks to get youthful looking eyes? Any products you can recommend?
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