The season is in full swing and everyone is trying to look their best at every age. Even Martha Stewart at 81 is on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. Ideally beauty is a sign of good health and the natural glow that comes from healthy diets with no alcohol, dairy, sugar, soy, wheat, corn, caffeine, or nitrates, with hours of meditation, pilates, low-impact cardio, and goat yoga and spare moments spent with past lives studies and learning Mandarin. But… for the rest of us we are stressed, and stressed about being stressed. We need a little help when we look in the mirror and do not see the fairest of them all reflected back.
One of the first dreaded signs on the body is the under-eye bags. And then you notice that your bags have bags. This is your nightmare version of being charged by the airline for more than your carry-on. In a cruel twist of fate when many would love to have a loss of fat, it is not the belly or thighs but the skin under the eyes which suffers this fate. Factors such as genetics, aging, allergies, sun damage, and just plain old exhaustion are culprits. Research offers many potential solutions on the spectrum from the “rational” to “are you insane” spectrum.
One remedy is placing cold cucumbers under your eyes and maybe listening to Enya. This seems like a great idea until I think the cucumbers actually would be delicious added with a little jalapeno to a great margarita. After all, I don’t compost and I feel they shouldn’t go to waste. This turns into a fantastic cocktail hour and it is only the next morning that the resulting dehydration has made the under-eye circles worse.
Caffeine is also thought to be a solution to reduce the puffiness so I choose used, chilled tea bags instead under my eyes which inspire no mixology recipes or impromptu Cindi Lauper dance parties. It doesn’t do much but reminds me I enjoy Earl Grey, and his tea.
There are some supremely bad ideas like using Preparation H. When Catherine Deneuve said at 30 you have to choose between your bottom and your face — this is not a solution. Also, Tik Tok is not exactly the best authority for pharmaceutical off label uses. I just can’t stomach the idea of eyeposuction, and paying more for eye cream per ounce than gold is not acceptable.
Given the sensitivity of the under-eye area, all products must be used carefully — something Cleopatra might have considered when using kohl as an eye liner. So here are a few I have actually found effective.
Saint Jane found at Onda Beauty has the most beautiful packaging and luxurious products. The Saint Jane Bright Repair Eye Cream with Vitamin C, CBD and green tea is a delight for the senses to brighten, calm, and restore. To protect from sun damage, try the Luxury Sun Ritual Pore Smoothing SPF 30 Sunscreen which aside from being light and invisible adds rose, hibiscus, and jasmine which is a heavenly scent (admittedly it also makes me think of a botanical cocktail).
Kiehl’s, which has worked with a leading panel to develop their Dermatologist Solutions, has their Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing & Dark Circle-Diminishing Vitamin C Eye Serum found at White’s Pharmacy. The Vitamin C combined with Tri-Peptide and Hyaluronic Acid is their formula to visibly correct under-eye dark circles.
For a quick fix (reference margarita dance party) a good tightening gel to hide sins is Peter Thomas Roth Instant FIRMx Eye found at Ulta Beauty, a temporary eye tightener. It instantly tightens and smooths under-eye puffiness. Like Martha, you will be ready for your close-up.
