Best Eye Creams for Your Buck

For “Stretch Your Dollar with Patricia Lopez”

Monday, April 25, 2011

 

Starring

Rachel Gower

Mod Squad

Cecelia Kerr

 

          There’s nothing quite like looking someone in the eyes with confidence, knowing that you look great. The eyes are one of the most problematic and highly visible spots on our body. There are a wide variety of cosmetics aimed at improving the precious tissue around our peepers. Rachel Gower and her squadron of beauty-philes have put numerous products through the ringer, and determined which ones deliver on their lofty promises.

 

Main Concerns About Eyes:

-         Dark Circles

-         Puffiness

-         Wrinkles

-         General signs of aging such as crow’s feet, dryness & sagging

 

Rollerballs to Combat Puffiness

 

There are three things you need to combat puffiness around the eyes:

1. Caffeine
2. Vitamin B
3. Coolness

 

Combining these three will help restrict the blood flow to the surface of your under-eye tissue, and keep your eyes looking refreshed and alert.

 

SPLURGE: Yves Saint Laurent Touche Express ($44 @ Neiman Marcus)

-         Has a rollerball applicator that easily dispenses the serum (rich in caffeine & vitamin B)

-         Leaves eye tissue refreshed and invigorated

-         Very handy, about the size of a pen

 

STEAL: Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Puff Eye Roller ($12 @ Walgreens)

-         Provides all the great benefits of the YSL product, minus the hefty price tag

-         Very cooling & hydrating

 

 

Dark Circles

Unfortunately, these babies are hereditary. If you’re born with them in your genetics, chances are they’ll just get darker with time & stress. We have yet to find an eye cream that effectively eliminates the problem of dark under eye circles. Here, you’re best served by spending less on your eye cream, and investing in a high quality concealer.

 

 

Anti-Aging Eye Creams

Retinol & Hyaluronic Acid- Power Duo

 

Probably the most promising of all eye creams combine retinol and hyaluronic acid to combat the signs of aging in the precious subcutaneous eye tissue. The retinol keeps cell turnover at a healthy rate, which will help decrease the appearance of fine lines & wrinkles. With all that cellular activity going on, you’re going to need a powerful hydrator to keep the skin moisturized, which will ensure that you don’t experience dryness & flaking. Hyaluronic Acid is a very special ingredient in cosmetic formulations, because it can hold up to 1,000 times its weight in water.

 

SPLURGE: Jan Marini Age Intervention Eye Cream ($92 @ The Upper Hand)

-         Packed with retinol & hyaluronic acid

-         Helps resurface the eye area, while keeping it moisturized & glowing

-         Sinks in easily

-         Softens & hydrates the eye area

-         A little goes a long way!

 

STEAL: Neutrogena Anti-Wrinkle Deep Wrinkle Eye Cream ($21 @ Walgreens)

-         Contains the same active ingredients as the Jan Marini, yet it’s so much easier to work into your budget!

-         Lightweight, absorbs easily

-         After a couple weeks of using, the skin around your eyes will feel noticeably softer and plumper- who doesn’t want that?

 

STEAL FOR SENSITIVE SKIN: Roc Retinol Correction Sensitive Eye Cream ($17 @ Walgreens)

-         Contains retinol and hyaluronic acid

-         Slowly releases retinol over time, which helps prevent inflammation that many can experience when using a retinoid

-         A milder formula of the widely popular Roc Eye Cream, one of the most raved about drugstore eye creams on the planet

 

 

Peptides

If you find that retinol is too harsh for your skin, then you’re going to want to look into an anti-aging eye cream that contains peptides. These are essentially shorter chains of amino acid than collagen, which is naturally occurring in youthful skin. Peptides work by signaling for your skin to produce more collagen, carrying copper deep into your skin (which results in skin repair), and adding back firmness to sagging skin.

 

SPLURGE: Chanel Ultra Correction Lift Eye Cream ($100 @ Neiman Marcus)

-         Contains an ingredient called Elemi PFA, which restores tensin, a protein that is naturally occurring in skin that anchors cells and controls how they connect

-         Helps tighten & reinforce the skin

-         Very hydrating

 

STEAL: Roc Multi-Correxion Lift Anti-Gravity Eye Cream ($21 @ Walgreens)

-         According to the manufacturer, works around the clock to “fight the multiple signs of aging caused by the downward pull of gravity.”

-         Contains a proprietary “Protient Plus” blend of peptides to firm & tone the eye area

-         Has shea butter to aid in hydrating the eye area, which needs more hydration than the rest of your face