The eyes have it

I've been using eye cream since my late 20s, and much more regularly since hitting my 30s when fine lines and dark circles seemed to appear overnight! Now I always apply eye cream morning and night - and although I the fine lines don't seem to be disappearing, my skin in that area does feel comfortable, moisturised and doesn't look too terrible - no crows feet as yet. As I've been through a few different eye treatments in the past couple of years, from drugstore to super expensive (yes Sisley I'm talking about you!) I thought it might be useful to do a review of each to help anyone who's looking for a new treatment. Would love to hear what creams have worked for any other 30-something ladies out there too.

1. The cult one
Garnier Caffeine Eye Roll-On

Although I don't have problems with puffiness my eyes do tend to look quite tired - I rarely wear dark liner for this reason (well not first thing in the morning!) as I feel it accentuates this. I really like this roll-on treatment for how awake and refreshed it makes my eyes feel, and I think there's a visible difference too in that the area seems to look tighter and more toned. I also think (not sure here) that it makes my fine lines slightly less obvious. The only reason I don't use it more is that it is not a great base for under eye concealer which I wear most days - it is basically quite wet in consistency and does sit on the skin; you can pat it in quite easily however it leaves a slightly sticky residue which doesn't work well with the undereye highlighting pens I use.

Overall though I think this is a great product and I'm interested in trying the new one which contains a concealer (and may just solve the above problem!). I'd definitely repurchase this for when I need a quick fix (and don't plan on wearing much make up!)

Rating: 4/5
£9.99 for 15ml at Boots but can be picked up cheaper online, also frequently on special offer


2. The natural one
Liz Earle Daily Eye Repair SPF 10

I really like this cream and it's the only eye treatment I've ever repurchased. It goes on smoothly, brightens the eye area and is a good base for concealer, plus has the added bonus of an SPF 10. This was the first eye cream I tried and after this I found I was unable to go without something on the eye area. This represents fantastic value for money too. I'm not a massive fan of all Liz's products (I don't think I like the Smoothing Line Serum that this is often sold with)  but I do love this.

Rating: 4.5/5
£12.75 for 10ml at lizearle.com


3. The night-time one
Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Recovery Complex

I received a sample pot of this when I purchased the Night Repair for the face. I do use it at night but I'm a bit 'meh' about it. I don't really like the consistency - it's kind of a mix between a serum and a cream - and feel it sits on my skin a bit. Don't hate it, don't love it - wouldn't repurchase but if I received another free pot I'd use it!

The Boots website states that this cream is intended to reduce fine lines, dryness, puffiness and dark circles around the eye area.

Rating: 3/5
£33.50 for 15ml at Boots


4. The super expensive one!
Sisleya Eye and Lip Contour Cream

I absolutely loved using this cream, it was a dream to apply, so thick and luxurious but still feeling light on the skin and very easily absorbed, however I felt that this cream is perhaps not quite right for my 30-something skin. Although it moisturised the eye and lip area, I felt that this is perhaps more suited to those with older, dryer skin - I didn't feel like it made much difference to my fine lines or shadows which are my main problems. Is a great base for undereye concealer though and did add a fairly youthful sheen to that area.

NB The Sisley website www.sisley-cosmetics.com claims that this cream produces a 23% reduction in lines and wrinkles in six weeks...!

I paid £80 for a 15ml tub of this about a year ago in House of Fraser but I'm shocked to see it's retailing at £110 on Strawberry.net. Not sure how much this now costs at a Sisley counter.

Rating 3.5 / 5 (But I would definitely return to this cream in about 5-10 years time, for the sheer luxury factor if nothing else!)


5. The wild card
Kiehl's Abyssine Eye Cream

This is my current eye cream - my boyfriend bought me some for my birthday last summer and I've barely dented the surface - a little really does go a long way. So far, I do like this cream - it's light and refreshing and applies easily, and it's also a good concealer base - I'm just not sure whether it's actually doing anything for my skin!

The Kiehl's website describes Abysinne as a 'survival molecule' which thrives in ocean thermal vents (?!) and says this cream helps soothe skin, reduce appearance of lines and wrinkles (I don't really feel it has done this) and protect against free radical damage. Perhaps this one is a skin investment cream rather than an instant results treatment such as the Garnier. Overall I'd say that this is a good all rounder and I like the idea that it could be protecting against damage. I might just give this another whirl if and when I ever run out!

Rating: 3.5/5
£29.50 for 15ml at kiehls.co.uk

All in all I've liked all of the cream's I've tried. It's actually very difficult to review eye creams (and skincare in general) as the effects are often so subtle - not like trying a new lipstick for example - and it's almost impossible to ascertain scientifically whether they've had any beneficial effect. However I do think a good eye cream should be an essential part of everyone's beauty routine. I'd say the Liz Earle is my current favourite and a great price. I think I'm going to try Origins Ginzing next though as I keep hearing great things about this, so if anyone's tried it let me know!

Hope this is useful and I'll be doing a similar post on face creams soon.

PS I really do believe though that getting enough sleep and drinking lots of water is much more beneficial for the eye area than any cream - unfortunately I never seem to get enough of either!