I use eye cream sometimes.

Mostly when a new exciting one is sent to me, or I have a facial and the therapist says things like, “Are you using eye cream? You should be using eye cream. Jesus, Zoe, why won’t you use an eye cream? Why do you insist on denying me this one thing? Etc.”

Look. Generally my thinking is that if you have a pretty normal eye area (not too dark, puffy or creased) and if you’re using a good serum and good facial moisturiser, and neither irritate your eyes, then they will do the trick nicely, hydrating and protecting, and doing all the things the serum/cream does on the rest of your face. (Just don’t take them up any closer than about 1cm under your eye.)

Of course, being a dame with dry skin and fine lines round my eyes that can take a thick cream, I would say that, because the face creams I use tend to be deliciously rich, and can adequately quench the eye area. And oh, it needs quenching, the eye area. It endures the most muscle movement of the entire face (laughing is especially bad and should be ruled out completely) and with little to no oil glands around there, it’s going to be where you see your lines first.

But, if you have sensitive skin or eyes, and they tend to easily go red, teary, puffy or irritated, then you might need something specifically designed for the area: something soft, lightweight, instantly absorbed and which won’t piss your eyes off. A specific eye cream, in other words. (Which generally have less additives than face cream, due to their proximity to said eyes.)

There are plenty of great eye creams (‘eye moisturisers’) around for those wanting some hydration and some assistance battling lines. Look for words like sensitive if you know that’s what you are, and go for a gel or serum if you want it to sink in real fast and pose no sneak up risk. (The new Dermalogica UltraSmoothing Eye Serum is one such serumy product, and one I currently am trialling. All lovely and collagen-boosting, they tell me. Ideal for plumping my fine lines.)

Some options? Estee Lauder’s Advanced Night Repair Eye Serum is the latest offering from cult Estee AR range, loved the world over, and Eminence Organics Herbal Eye Contour Cream is a lovely and nourishing organic option. For a very effective anti-ageing effect, (ie: something that visibly-no shit has an effect) you’ll need something with retinol, like ROC Retinol Correxion Eye Cream, say. (Applied only at night due to UV sensitivity.)

But! There are some other reasons, aside of moisturisation, that you might like to invest in a specific eye cream. And they run parallel to why you might invest in a serum: because you have a specific issue you want to treat. In this case? Yes. They can help. Advised.

The issue might be…

Dark circles

This is a tricky one, often genetic or lifestyle-based, and I am yet to hear of a product that completely solves the issue… Many in the eye cream expert field will tell you that regardless which product you use, you still need to get the circulation moving with massage (pitter pattering up and down gently with the fingers.) My recommendation honestly? Buy a fantastic corrector such as those made by Bobbi Brown or Laura Mercier, a good concealer and a great brightener.

Products specifically for this include Clinique Even Better Dark Circle Corrector, and Dr Brandt’s Flaws No More.

(Temporary) Puffiness

Generally from lack of sleep, shitty diet, fluid retention, allergies, crying at Nicholas Spark movies and minor inflammation. Cold compresses – like teaspoons left in the freezer while you shower then held (back down) over the eyes, or cotton pads dipped in witch hazel, or a chilled, soaked green tea bag (or more specifically their tannins) in a tissue – work when used for a few minutes, shrinking everything down nicely.

The best eye cream for puffy eyes? Actually a mask in my opinion. I love the Gernetic Eye Mask for puffy eyes, five minutes of tingling and I get fresh, detoxed, unpuffed eyes.

Pigmentation

Under the eyes is a common place to get sun damage as the cheekbones are a high point on the face and ripe for it. The pill and pregnancy can also stitch you up here. Also, metal rims on sunglasses attract more sun, and therefore more sun damage, so be mindful of that, Aviator fans. (Google laser toning melasma if you want a more permanent solution.) It’s hard to remove, sorry, but Vitamin C and ‘brightening’ and ‘whitening’ eye products can reduce the appearance of the melanin and cosmetically illuminate the area.

I like both the nice-price Olay Pro-X Eye Restoration Complex, and Priori’s Idebenone Eye Serum.

Now, listen here.

If you do use eye cream, in order to avoid puffy eyes from product exposure, and to get the best results, make sure it’s applied NO HIGHER THAN THE ORBITAL BONE and UP ALMOST UNDER THE BROW BONE because man that shit moves around with body heat. Too close to the actual eye, (less than 1cm) and it’s pretty much going in there. Which sucks a doz.

Not that I generally need proof of course, I usually just roll with my opinion and say it in a convincing enough manner so that you all believe me.

HAHAHAHA! As if. I say it an aggressive manner so you’ll believe me. Different.

But seriously. This is the kind of proof I like best, because it pertains to probably my biggest and loudest piece of beauty advice I can give to any one, of any age, and is always my answer when people ask me what my number one best beauty tip is, and that is, (sing it with me now):

NEVER USE SCRUNCHIES UNLESS IN IRONY.

There is also this one:

WEAR SUNSCREEN EVERY DAY, WHETHER CLOUDY OR SUNNY, AND YOUR SKIN WILL LOOK YOUNGER, FOR LONGER.

And it’s so nice to have that yelly little sentence finally backed up in a scientific fashion.

Because oh sure, we all know the power of sunscreen when it comes to lowering the risk of cancer and sunburn, that has been proven extensively, but this, this is a purely cosmetic finding, because they* were measuring only the photo-aging of the skin, which means the visible aging of the skin in the shape of wrinkles, loss of skin firmness and of course, a shittonne worth of pigmentation or age spots.  Those in the four-year long study who had not used sunscreen regularly showed severe photo-ageing. Those who applied sunscreen most days had no detectable ageing of the skin. Simple.

Yes, the skin will age over time. This is inevitable, unless you are Kris Jenner. But we now have Real Life Lab Coat proof that it needn’t age quite so fast, and quite so visibly, with the use of daily sunscreen.

Other terrific facts to fall from this folder:

IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO START TODAY. Even those who began applying their sunscreen “most days” (Not Enough! – Zoe Foster Blake) from middle-age reaped the benefits.

MOISTURISER WITH SOME SUNSCREEN ISN’T ENOUGH. Your foundation, BB or day cream may have some sun protection, they do not typically have the same long-lasting effect as sunscreen, Dr Adele Green, who performed the study, says. In my opinion, a BB cream should be fine for a regular (in office) day with less than 10 minutes sun exposure, but any more than that and you should use a full-strength sunscreen underneath.

In fact, just dingin’ do it anyway! Do it, for God’s sake. Daily face sunscreens have come along way, and are several planets away from the gloopy, thick shit we used to get served. Ideally, choose a daily moisturiser with high broad spectrum (UVA and UVB – crucial, especially since the ageing stuff comes almsot solely from UVA) SPF 30. There are millions out there, and even the very inepensive – Neutrogena, Nivea, SunSense – do a terrific job.

I enjoy the (hydrating) Ultra Protective Daily Moisturiser SPF 30+. Feels lovely and does everything I need.

Remember: 

Sunscreen should go directly onto clean skin, not over the top of your moisturiser.

Also remember:

That thing I said about scrunchies.

*Dr. Adele Green from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research and colleagues analysed data from 903 adults younger than 55 who were followed from 1992 to 1996. Half of them were told to put sunscreen of SPF 15 or greater on their head, neck, arms and hands every morning, and to reapply when necessary. The others used sunscreen according to their own discretion.