A good skin care routine is made up of many factors – cleanser, exfoliator, toner, serum, a good moisturizing cream… and that special little jar called eye cream.

There’s a good chance that you’ve been using an eye cream for years. But, you may not really understand how it’s different from a really great anti-aging moisturizer.

Or perhaps you’re finding it hard to find the RIGHT eye cream because of all the different types that exist out there.

And by the way, did you know that there’s actually a correct place to apply that eye cream? And it’s not right there over your dark circles like you might think…

Don’t worry if you’re feeling lost in the eye cream cosmos. Let’s break it all down for you now. First…

Why Should I Use An Eye Cream?

The skin around your eyes is very thin and fragile. It has far fewer oil glands than the rest of your skin, so it can be prone to dryness. It’s also where you often see the first visible signs of wrinkles. To make things worse, this area is extremely active. It’s estimated that you blink around 28,000 times a day, and that figure doesn’t even include smiling and squinting!¹

So, understandably, your eye area needs a little bit of extra TLC.

Eye creams are specially formulated to be used around this very delicate area. They are often lighter than moisturizers. They also contain ingredients that target your eye area specifically – ingredients that moisturizers may not contain. These will usually take aim at such issues as dark circles, under-eye bags, fine lines, puffiness, and always, hydration.

When Should I Apply Eye Cream?

Applying skin care the right way matters. This is so your skin can maximize the ingredients from each product.

The correct order for your skin care should go something like this:

1. 1. Cleanser
   2. Exfoliator
   3. Toner
   4. Spot Treatment (Evening only)
   5. Serum (Evening only)
   6. Eye Cream
   7. Moisturizer
   8. Sunscreen (Day only)

So, an eye cream should come before your moisturizer, and you should use it both morning and night for maximum results.

How To Apply Eye Cream

How you apply your eye cream also matters. Because this area is so delicate, a rough hand is going to do more harm than good. In fact, your ring finger should be the only “digit” you allow near your eye area. Your ring finger has a lighter touch than your pointer finger.

Eye cream always comes in a tiny jar – because a little goes a long way. You don’t need to be heavy-handed to get effective results. Here’s how to apply eye cream the right way.

1. Pick up a small amount of eye cream on your ring finger.
2. Dot it only around your orbital bone (the hard bone under your eyes). Do not smear it onto the most delicate part of your under-eye area. It will be absorbed across from the orbital bone over time.
3. Continue to pat those dots of eye cream with your finger until they sink in a little better.
4. Finish with a final glide (gently!) along your orbital bone.
5. Don’t rub the cream in, or put any other pressure on your skin.
6. You should wait a couple of minutes before you apply your next skin care item.

Popular Eye Cream Ingredients

Now that you know how to use your eye cream properly, the hard part is deciding the best eye cream for you. Eye creams come in a variety of types, with various active ingredients. Here are a few of the key ingredients that you’ll want to look out for:

Antioxidants combat the oxidative damage caused by free radicals in our environment, which can cause premature aging, fine lines, and wrinkles. Antioxidant ingredients you’ll come across are vitamin C, vitamin E, lycopene, or niacinamide.

Hydrators and moisturizers work to deeply nourish dry skin. Key hydrators include hyaluronic acid (or sodium hyaluronate), alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs), and glycerin. Fact: Hyaluronic acid can hold up to 1000 times its weight in water, which means it can also plump up your skin.²

Peptides encourage skin elasticity and collagen production and are often recommended for those who can’t use a retinol product.³

Retinoids (vitamin A) are famed for being highly effective at evening out pigmentation, and reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.⁴

Ceramides occur naturally in the skin and create a moisture seal. Synthetic ceramides, as found in skin care products, have shown to be able to act the same way – which means plumper-looking skin!⁵

Caffeine is used in eye creams to constrict blood vessels and reduce swelling – which is perfect for those dreaded, puffy, morning eyes.⁶

Ways to Reduce the Look of Under-Eye Bags

Some mornings you wake up and out of nowhere those dreaded puffy, under-eye bags have appeared again. So, what’s the best way to tackle these effectively?

As mentioned above, one of the best ways is with an eye product containing caffeine. It’s such a fantastic ingredient to help reduce swelling under your eyes. But if you haven’t got one handy in the moment, there are also a few DIY tricks.

Under your eyes, you can place:

• A cold compress
• A little baggie filled with ice that’s wrapped in a towel (never place ice directly on the skin)
• A couple of chilled green or black tea bags
• Chilled cucumber or potato slices

Here’s Looking At You

Now you know the best eye cream for your eyes, how to apply them, and where to fit them into your skincare routine. You also know that if you really want to care for the delicate skin around your eyes well, your facial moisturizer just isn’t going to cut it.

The skin around your eyes is one of the first places people look, and so it can be the biggest giveaway of your age. It may even age you upwards! Start taking care of it now, no matter your age.

Learn More Way To Care For Your Eyes:
Puffy Eyes or Dark Circles? Here Are 6 Great Ways To Banish Them
7 Ways to Brighten Eyes (simple tricks to banish tired eyes!)
Soothe Eyelid Cysts With These At-Home Tricks

Sources
1.http://www.pnas.org/content/110/2/702
2.https://www.telegraph.co.uk/beauty/skin/what-is-hyaluronic-acid-beauty-by-the-geeks
3.https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/health-disease/skin-health/peptides
4.https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/do-retinoids-really-reduce-wrinkles
5.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12553851
6.https://www.telegraph.co.uk/beauty/skin/the-surprising-beauty-benefits-of-caffeine/