BellaSugar

Reader Review of the Day: Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Daily Anti-Fatigue Eye Cream

BellaSugar — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 08:00:13 -0700

Finding an eye cream that helps reduce puffiness, dark circles, and has just the right texture can take a few hits or misses. Reader Stef42678 has found her match in Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Daily Anti-Fatigue Eye Cream ($13.50). She said:

I really love this Garnier formula because it works great at making my area look better and softer. It helps reduce my morning eye puffiness and adds a soft glow to the area to reduce lines. It is great for using at night and feels creamy on, not greasy.

What products have provided you with beauty successes and/or failures? Let us know about it by heading to our Product Reviews section and yours could be our featured post of the day.

Reader Review of the Day: Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment With Avocado

BellaSugar — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 11:00:26 -0700

Eye creams can get a little pricey, so they're a beauty item that you want to make sure you'll have around for awhile. Recently, reader Cmill38 reviewed Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment With Avocado ($24.50), and here's what she had to say:

I love this eye cream. It's very light and refreshing. A little goes a long, long way so it will last. I don't really feel like my face is clean at night unless I have used my avocado Kiehl's. It also creates a little glow.

Aching to tell us what you think about a beauty product? Just pop over to the Product Reviews pages and tell us what you're digging these days.

How-To: Prevent Eye Cream From Stinging

BellaSugar — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 07:00:37 -0800

A few years ago, I was convinced I had major allergies. My eyes were red and watery, and they stung like hell. My eye makeup? A smudgy disaster by end of day. This is how I solved it.

Over happy hour after work, I was telling my friend Cynthia, an esthetician, about my plight. Is it ragweed? My Marlboro-puffing neighbor? Do I need heavy medication? "It's probably just your eye cream," she said. She was right.

I wasn't actually allergic to the eye cream, I was just applying it wrong. Thinking I would get maximum benefits by thoroughly tapping it in as close as possible to my lash lines, I ended up overdoing it, and I looked like a stoned mess. Cynthia recommended that I apply the product just to my orbital bone area, noting that the heat from my body would help the product travel upwards. Ah, relief - without the drowsiness. . . or munchies.

Source

So You Want to Get Rid of Dark Circles. . .

BellaSugar — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 11:00:11 -0700

Everyone thinks they have dark circles, just like everyone wants shinier hair and stronger nails. As any makeup artist or dermatologist will tell you, we all have a certain amount of darkness under the eyes, but I still hear people insist that theirs are the worst. Here are some tips to prevent them:

Relax. Get enough sleep, drink plenty of water (and not alcohol), and visit an allergist if you suspect the problem isn't purely cosmetic. And if your under eye area is more important to you than snacks (I'm sort of on the fence about this one), try giving up salt.
Use cold cucumber slices, ice or a treatment like Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Eye Mask ($54) to bring down puffiness.
Dab a skin firming concealer under your eyes, like Clinique All About Eyes Concealer ($15.50). Beware of choosing a color that's too light, thinking it will brighten up the area. Concealer is meant to cover – match the shade to your forehead.
Curl your lashes and try a blue mascara, like Benefit Bad Gal Blue, which make the whites of the eyes appear whiter.
Draw attention away from your eyes with a sparkly lip gloss. Distraction!

Source

All About Eye Creams

BellaSugar — Wed, 28 May 2008 07:00:50 -0700

After reading this Beauty Product Junkies post and informally talking with a few friends, one thing is clear: Few people are clear on what eye creams do and whether you need them. So here are a few FAQs about eye cream. (If you have other questions, just leave a comment.)

Do I really need an eye cream?
Yes; to protect the delicate area around your eyes, you need to apply moisturizer every day.

Can't I just use my normal face cream?
Sure - it's up to you. The skin around your eyes isn't inherently different from the skin on, say, your cheeks. If you like your moisturizer, there's no reason not to use it near your eyes. Depending on your skin type, you may prefer (as I do) to use a separate eye cream. If you have oily skin, for instance, you may want a hydrating eye cream but a mattifying face lotion. But there's nothing holding you back from using the same moisturizer all over your skin.

To find out whether eye creams can eliminate your wrinkles, read more.

Eye creams can get rid of wrinkles, right?
Nope. No cream can actually eliminate existing wrinkles. If that were the case, people wouldn't try Botox, would they?

Crud. Well, what can they do, then?
A good eye cream keeps your skin moist, which minimizes the look of wrinkles and can hydrate skin - which, in turn, can reduce puffiness and prevent your skin from forming more wrinkles. An eye cream with glycolic acid can help exfoliate your skin, which will make crow's feet look less deep. Emollient creams with silicones or glycerin can create a smoother surface on the skin, which minimizes the look of wrinkles.

Also, keep an eye out for creams that brighten your skin superficially. Olay Definity Intense Hydrating Cream ($29.99) isn't just for the eyes (see? I told you!) but along with anti-aging amino acids, it contains mica particles that reflect light. It's just a cosmetic change, but it makes an immediate improvement in your appearance.

What else do I need to know?
A daytime eye cream - or any daytime facial moisturizer, for that matter - is worthless if it doesn't contain a sunscreen that blocks both UVA and UVB rays. The best way to prevent wrinkles from forming around your eyes is to wear SPF 15 or 30 day in, day out. You can pile on a $300 eye cream each night, but if you're not using sunscreen in conjunction with it, you're throwing away your money.

Source

Product Review: La Mer The Eye Balm

BellaSugar — Fri, 02 May 2008 07:00:32 -0700

I've already tried the La Mer Eye Concentrate, but a few weeks ago, I learned about The Eye Balm ($130) and decided to test it out. What I really liked is that it is especially suited for younger skin. It's not nearly as heavy or greasy, it spreads easily and it absorbs almost immediately.

Also, it feels slightly cooling and it has a lighter, almost cleaner version of that well known La Mer smell, which I find interesting since it actually contains triple the concentration of their famous miracle broth.

After using for about a week, I've noticed that the skin around my eyes is softer, and less red. This is because it contains Brazilian Malachite, which not only makes your eyes brighter (it has an illuminating quality), but it also has a light green tint to help dilute the redness - genius! I realize that it's going to take longer than a week to see any dramatic results, but so far, I like what I see. If only we could do something to adjust the cost.

Product Review: Kiehl's Abyssine Eye Cream+

BellaSugar — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:00:46 -0700

Back in January I told you about Kiehl's Abyssine+ line, an upgrade to its Abyssine antiaging line. About a month ago I picked up a little jar of the Abyssine Eye Cream+ ($32) to see if it lived up to the hype.

The Abyssine+ line is packed with antioxidants to fight early signs of aging, and it's still light enough in texture to use on combination skin. It's a no-frills product - creamy, yet light, and 100-percent fragrance-free. It goes on easily and is absorbed into skin quickly enough that I can put eye makeup over it about two minutes after application. If I go without makeup, my eye area looks dewy and fresh. I like it a lot, and a little goes a long way. I've been using for over a month now and there is hardly a noticeable dent in the product. Thumbs up from me.

See reader reviews of this product and add your own here!

Fantastic Firming Creams, Part III: Eyes

BellaSugar — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:00:15 -0800

Eyes are the windows to your soul, and they are also the first tell-tale sign of your age. Firming eye products are believed to tighten the skin around your orbital area to help smooth away the appearance of fine lines. They are generally light in texture and should be applied by tapping your ring finger in a figure-eight pattern. Here are three irritant-free firming eye products for sensitive eyes.

June Jacobs Firming Eye Repair ($64) is suitable for all skin types. It lifts, tightens, moisturizes reduces puffiness and minimizes the look of crow's feet. You'll instantly feel a cool and invigorating rush - and it happens to smell really good because it's made from a mixture of botanicals, and fruit and flower extracts.

For two more fab firming eye products, read more.

Korres Eyebright Firming Eye Cream ($38.50) is a delicate Grecian eye cream made with wheat proteins to firm the skin. It also contains argan oil to hydrate skin while reducing puffiness. All you need is a tiny bit of cream (it's made with oils so it spreads easily) and within two weeks you'll start to see results.

I received a sample of this DermaNew Firming Eye Cream ($30) after a facial a few months ago. It's especially great for sensitive and dry skin. It has more of a clinical smell than a botanical-spa-product scent, but it's nothing bad or off-putting. Not only does it firm the skin around your eyes, but it also helps to reduce dark circles (not so much de-puff, FYI). It also claims that it is clinically proven to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines by up to 68 percent.

Good Skin Brings Us a Really Good Eye Care Regimen

BellaSugar — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 09:00:00 -0800

When I first saw the packaging on Eyliplex-2 ($39.50) I thought it was a giant contact lens travel case, but as it turns out, it is a dual sided container that houses a fast acting eye day gel on one side and an eye night balm on the other. Eye care has never looked so cute!

The concept behind this creation is to deliver an around the clock system for eye care in one product. Not only does this make packing easier, but it also helps you stick to your regimen. The Day Treatment is a gel that instantly (tingles and) firms the skin around your eyes - they call this effect the "lift." The Night Treatment is a balm that contains Haloxyl PFE which helps reduce dark circles and Mala-Plump which restores firmness to the skin thus decreasing the look of fine lines and wrinkles.

To use, make sure your skin is clean and dry. Pat the products around your orbital area with your ring finger starting from just under the eye to the brow. I think it's also important to note that if you get involved with this product, you're signing up for the long haul. The evidence in the public relations research shows that you'll start seeing significant results after using it day and night for eight weeks. I've only been using it for two days and I can certainly feel the tingling part but I don't really notice anything firming up yet. So stick around, and in two months you can rest assured that I'll be reporting my findings.

New Product Alert: Immortelle Very Precious Eye Serum

BellaSugar — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 09:00:43 -0800

L'Occitane recently launched a new line called Immortelle and the star product is the Immortelle Very Precious Eye Serum ($50). For those of you who have never heard of immortelle, it's an evergreen shrub with small flowers that grows in warm, sunny climates. All immortelle in the L'Occitane products come from Corsica, an island off the coast of Italy.

Its flowers contain helichrysum italicum, a fruity and honey-scented essential oil that promotes new cell growth. It also has antiallergenic, antiinflammatory, and astringent properties. Immortelle is also commonly known as "an everlasting flower" since it holds its shape and color when it dries.

The serum contains a concentration of immortelle oil and other nourishing ingredients believed to prevent wrinkles, reduce dark circles, depuff and tone the delicate skin around the eyes. To use, simply pump once onto your fingertips and gently tap the serum around your orbital bone. The formula absorbs quickly and has a velvety texture that will work its magic way into the wee hours of the night! Now that you know all about immortelle, do you think this range of products is something you'd be interested in trying?