How to Use Eye Cream: Common Mistakes to Avoid
Our eyes are the most important feature of our face, by far. They are the focal point of attention for anyone who is looking at us, talking to us, or even glancing at us when passing on the street. That’s also why it’s distressing that most of the problems we experience with our face happen around our eyes. Dry skin, fine lines, puffiness, dark circles… that’s why a good eye cream is crucial. But could you be making some mistakes with your eye cream that result in not getting the most from it?
The Wait Mistake: Use Eye Cream Before signs of aging appear
The best time to begin using an eye cream, as well as other moisturizers, on your face is before you are old enough to begin to see fine lines and dark circles or bags. Preventative maintenance means a lot, and beginning to care for the most delicate skin on your face well before your thirties is recommended by dermatologists as the best way to prolong the look of healthy, youthful skin.
Out of Order: Should you use eye cream before or after moisturizer?
A commonly made mistake is applying your nighttime products in the wrong order. For some of us, beauty and skincare routines require several steps, and it’s easy to make a mistake in the order that we apply them. Read the instructions on your eye cream and they may tell you whether you should use it before or after moisturizer, but the general rule is lighter products go on first, and then heavier products go on top. Eye cream is usually heavier, and therefore you should apply your moisturizer first, and then apply your eye cream.
Don’t Apply Dry: Use eye cream on still-moist skin
In order to get the most out of both moisturizer and eye cream, you should apply it while your face is still damp from washing or showering. Many people keep eye cream on their nightstand and apply it before bed, which is fine if you bathe right before bedtime, but for most people eye cream is better applied in the bathroom immediately after bathing. When you apply eye cream on damp skin it helps to lock in hydration for the most effectiveness.
why Less is More with eye cream
It’s not necessary to lavishly layer on your eye cream. A pea-sized amount is all that’s needed for your eye cream application. It’s formulated in such a way that only a small amount is required.
There is also some evidence that overwhelming your under-eye area with too heavy a layer of eye cream can actually cause puffiness from over-hydration of the fragile skin. And puffiness is certainly NOT what we want out of our eye cream. Eye cream is also one of the more expensive skincare products, so your wallet will benefit as well as your face by using less.
Pat Don’t Rub when putting on eye cream
It can do more harm than good to vigorously rub your eye cream into the very delicate, sensitive skin in your under-eye area. It’s better to dot on a small amount and lightly use your ring finger to tap it gently onto your eye area and then lightly blend upward and outward.
Twice as Nice: Why to use eye cream more than once a day
Many people only apply eye cream at night and that’s a mistake. Most eye creams are formulated to be used twice a day, morning and night. While it’s important to apply it at night time so your skin can spend the night absorbing its benefits, you should also apply it in the morning. A morning application can help rid your eyes of overnight puffiness and protect them from the cosmetic products you apply in the morning.
Another helpful tip is to keep a metal spoon in your freezer and use the back of the cold spoon in the morning to apply your eye cream. The cream combined with the cold spoon will instantly relieve puffiness and help you to look (and feel) more awake.
Eye Cream is Not One Size Fits All: How to pick the best product
Be sure to read your product labels and purchase an eye cream that suits your specific needs. There are eye creams that are formulated specifically for correcting fine lines. There are some that prevent puffiness. Some creams are designed to prevent or correct dark circles or under-eye bags. Make sure that you are purchasing the product that best suits your needs.
Resources— Loreal Paris, GoodHousekeeping, IntoTheGloss
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