How to Get The Most Out Of Your Eye Cream

Just when you thought simply patting your cream below your eyes was enough … Here are five ways to make more of your eye cream.

1. Mix and match your eye buys, depending on your needs. Don’t be afraid to use two or three types of eye cream at once. Some creams claim to do everything, but I personally have found it most effective to use formulations that are specifically targeted to a particular eye contour issue, be that puffiness, dark circles or lines. If I have two or, ahem, all of these issues, I simply dab on multiple products at once, targeting them to the relevant areas.

2. Go north. These days, most creams can be safely applied to the skin above the eye, which is especially receptive to anti-ageing formulations – after all, the skin creases and sags here, too. On that note, the skin to the side of eyes is also pucker-prone, so consider taking your anti-ageing cream right out to the temples.

3. Exfoliate (ultra-gently). As with skin anywhere, regular exfoliation is the best way to ensure that treatments and creams really penetrate and do what they’re meant to. Just keep in mind that the skin around the eyes is fragile so you must go gently-does-it. You could simply take a soft, clean wash cloth and lightly slough skin, or invest in a specific scrub, like Eminence Eye Exfoliant, $107, a hydroxy acid-infused gel-cream that you wash off after five minutes.

4. Smile when slathering. Smile crinkles are originally ‘dynamic’ lines – that is, they stop once the expression stops. After time, however, they move into the ‘static’ camp – in other words, these lines are there to stay (or until a needle filled with Botox comes along). So, if you smile you can see exactly where your problem lines are, and you can target your anti-ageing cream most effectively, helping to push back the onset of static lines.

5. Just add sunnies. Just like any skin treatment, there’s little point spending the money or effort if you’re not going to add in a follow-up step of sun protection – exposure to UV rays will simply undo all of your good anti-ageing skincare work. Big black sunglasses are the most effective (and certainly the most chic) way to defend your eye area from such environmentally induced ageing. They can also help curb pigmentation in the skin here, which can contribute to a dark-circled effect.