All things under eyes

As the saying goes, the eyes are the window to your soul, so why not make sure the windowsill is just as inviting and intensifies the soul beauty of your eyes?

Like your skin, your eyes need special care of their own, to prevent or aid in small wrinkles, dark circles, puffiness, fine lines, pigmentation, bags or hiding extreme tiredness. And no, regular moisturizers won’t cut it, as eye creams are formulated specifically for the delicate area under the eye and contain more oil and active ingredients than your regular moisturizer. Before we get to treatment, the first step is asking yourself the cause of your problem in the first place. So let's break it up into three basic eye concerns, their causes, prevention techniques, and treatments. In most cases, 2 or more of these concerns can be present and should be treated accordingly. The last note prior to jumping in would be that although skin types are usually into play, eyes can be a ball game of their own, as they also pertain to emotions presented over the years, your water intake, and environmental factors including smoking and allergies.

1. Wrinkles/fine lines: a natural and harmless part of the aging process. After years of laughter and frowns, squinting, and even blinking, small wrinkles are bound to form and there is no magical eraser for them, they are a part of your history. As people age, the skin also loses its ability to renew itself, and due to the skin around the eye area being exceptionally thin, this makes the renewal process even more difficult. So for wrinkles, the only massive prevention would be to go through a lifetime of no emotions, which is impossible. However, there are other steps to slow this process, including wearing sunscreen, avoiding getting a tan, eating a balanced diet, and quitting smoking. Luckily, treatments to reduce the appearance are readily available. The chemical compound polyphenol has been found to aid in this regard and the best part? It’s in your kitchen! Green tea and pomegranates are examples containing this ingredient. Other proven aids are retinol, SPF, antioxidants, alpha hydroxy acids, argan oil, and vitamin C cream which is found in most beauty departments. B’s recommendations include Skin Republic Collagen Hydrogel under eye patches, Elizabeth Arden Retinol Ceramide Capsules, Neutrogena Hydro Boost Eye gel Cream, Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Eye Cream, Dermalogica BioLumin-C Eye Serum, The Body Shop Drops of Youth Bouncy Eye Mask (the one I use, but I use it as a cream at night), Ponds Age Miracle Anti-aging eye cream, African Extracts Rooibos Advantage Rejuvenating eye cream

2. Dark circles: Probably the most common concern, even I tend to suffer from this one. The reason? Genetics mainly, but also exhaustion, lack of sleep, dehydration (I actually found drinking more water helped relieve this a lot), unhealthy lifestyle such as excessive alcohol intake, overexposure to the sun, allergies, eye rubbing, and the list goes on! So what actually occurs under your eyes is a thinning of the skins layer and/or constriction of the blood vessels, which in turn lead to the hyperpigmentation experienced. Of course, if you’re not used to having dark circles under your eyes and experience them all of a sudden, it’s a good idea to check in with a doctor, you might be anemic or have a thyroid condition. The best prevention techniques for this cause are getting enough sleep, lowering stress levels (I know easier said than done right), avoiding the sun, and minimizing alcohol and smoking intake. Luckily dark circles can mostly be treated at home with cucumber! Those slices they do at the spa on tv? It’s a real trick, although not as foolproof as a dermatological treatment, cucumbers still contain vitamin C and silica which helps in keeping tissue healthy. Applying a cold compress also helps in opening up the blood vessels under your eyes, so a tip: keep your eye creams and masks in the fridge! B’s recommendations are Skin Republic Brightening eye mask (this is my favourite and works immediately), The Body Shop Drops of Light Pure Healthy Brightening Cream, Sorbet Vitamin Brightening Under eye mask, Nivea Q10 Power Anti-Wrinkle & Brightening Eye cream, GlamGlow Bright eyes, CeraVe eye repair cream, Clinique even better eyes, Esteé Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Complex

3. Puffiness: Also known as bags, and no I’m not talking about the one keep your lipice and sanitizers in. Mild swelling or puffiness under your eyes usually caused by fats moving into the lower eyelids or it could simply be fluid retention. The causes? Salt intake (I know, very strange), lack of sleep, fluid retention upon waking up, smoking (again, seems smoking is a massive concern for the eye area), allergies, hereditary (thanks mom). The best prevention techniques here are again not smoking, getting enough sleep, limiting your salt intake, and reducing your allergy symptoms. The best way to reduce your swelling would be to use a cold compress or to do a gentle massage under the eyes, without tearing the skin, I would suggest using a Jade or Rose Quartz Mushroom Knob or a small face roller for this, it really does the trick. B’s recommendations include the anatomical puffy the eye bag slayer range (the gel cream and the patches), Hey Gorgeous bright eyes rejuvenating eye serum, The Body Shop Drops of Youth Eye Concentrate, Jack Black Eye Balm de-puffing and cooling gel, Bioderma Sensibo Gel Eye Contour, Clinique Anti-Gravity firming eye lift cream, Garnier SkinActive Clearly Brighter Anti-Puff eye-roller, Quret Snail Hydrogel Eye Patch, The Raw Beauty Company Peppermint tea and Aloe under eye gel

Having product recommendations are all good and well, but applying eye cream should be done with so much care as to not damage the thin and fragile skin layer. My top advice would be to always dab and NEVER rub and to use massaging tools in your favour and with a gentle approach. Other tips include staying hydrated, invest in a proper pair of sunglasses (the sun is not your friend when it comes to your eyes), get in your sleep, and limit unhealthy habits such as overly salted foods, smoking, and alcohol consumption. That’s all from me for now! Take care and always keep going, keep glowing & keep growing. You’re doing so so so so SO amazing!!!

• B x