If you’re asking the question, the answer is probably “now.”
There are a few skincare products, such as retinoids and heavy chemical exfoliants, that can work against the skin when applied prematurely. Eye creams are not one of those products.
Eye creams, like all products that are designed to be really restorative (as opposed to resurfacing or anything that strips the skin), can be worked into any skin routine. I was lazy with eye creams for years, but I was finding that eye-cream-specific questions were swiftly becoming some of my most-asked. I’ve recently worked the Paula’s Choice RESIST Anti-Ageing Eye Gel into my routine and I can say, in all sincerity, that it is doing its job. For me, targeted eye area skincare products are less about anti-ageing and more about anti-fatigue.
The thing about fine lines, creases and dark circles around the eyes is that they aren’t all that dependant on age. When our skin is well hydrated, it appears plumper and juicier, so those lines are filled out and any darkness will appear brighter. The older we get, the less moisture our skin retains, which is why fine lines appear all the more pronounced. Those lines can take shape on young, dehydrated skin too, so an eye cream will hydrate the delicate skin around the eyes and fill out those creases.
The skin around the eyes is 10 times thinner than the skin on the rest of the face, and it doesn’t contain any oil glands to self-regulate moisture. Our eyes, and the skin around them, are moving all day every day, so they’re the first place to show any signs of ageing. For these reasons, they need a little extra TLC.
For context, I’m about to hit 25 so anti-ageing isn’t a priority for me. My skin has always erred towards dry, and I’ve noticed recently due to both dehydration and environmental stressors that directly beneath my lower lash line my skin is starting to crease ever so slightly. When I apply this Paula’s Choice Eye Gel, I truly find that they’ve disappeared by the next morning, as though they’ve been plumped up from the inside out. The effect may not be this instantly noticeable if your creases are quite deep, but as my skin concerns are really quite surface level at this stage this is the perfect product for me (I’ve not tried it, but I know that Paula’s Choice also have an eye CREAM as opposed to the GEL that I use- it’s a bit richer and quite possibly more effective for more mature skin types). The gel contains Hyaluronic Acid, which I’ve mentioned arguably too many times across my blog and Instagram as it’s my favourite ingredient- it holds onto up to 1000 times its own weight in water, so there really is nothing more hydrating.
Puffiness is another issue that I am plagued with of a morning, which is a real pain when I need to do a full face of makeup and don’t have time to just ride out the puffiness. One of my favourite things about this particular eye gel is that it has a metal applicator which has a really cooling effect on the skin- cold is the enemy of puffiness, thus it is my ally. I’ve never seen an applicator like this before. The product is squeezed out into the centre of what almost looks like a metallic plate, the curves of which fits perfectly into the eye contour and disperses the product evenly. The biggest mistake people make is to apply their eye products roughly, pulling and tugging at the delicate under-eye skin which can cause premature ageing around the area. This applicator completely erases that risk.
If you’re unsure about whether or not you should be using an eye cream, think of it this way- you won’t lose anything or harm your skin by using it. So many people tell me that their mother/aunt/grandmother has perfect skin and they’ve only ever moisturised their whole life without using a specific eye product, but none of us have a crystal ball to show us if our skin will be the same. Sure, genetics can play a part in how our skin ages, but so can environmental stressors- and the environment we’re living in now is a world away from how your perfect-skinned-grandmother grew up. Invest in your skin now to set yourself up with the best possible skin in future.
This post is sponsored by Paula’s Choice Australia however all views are, as always, my own.
