More About Eye Creams - Clarins Extra-Firming Eye Wrinkle Smoothing Cream

I have previously reviewed my daytime eye cream, the Innisfree Orchid Eye Cream, which is a great, light-weight product that focuses on moisturizing and brightening, however as I am in my thirties and starting to get fine lines around my eyes, I also wanted to incorporate an eye cream that focuses on fighting wrinkles and the signs of aging.  Thus, over the past two to three months, I have been using the Clarins Extra-Firming Eye Wrinkle Smoothing Cream before bed.

What does this eye cream claim to do?  Clarins states that this eye cream "visibly firms and reduces the look of fine lines, wrinkles, and fatigue."  It's featured ingredient is shea butter, along with Damascus rose, blackcurrant bud extract, and vitamin E (tocopherol).  Shea butter is made from the nuts of the karite tree in Africa and is a rich moisturizer as it contains a lot of fatty acids that are very beneficial for the skin around the eye, which has decreased amounts of moisture-producing glands.  While very moisturizing, shea butter is also non-comedogenic, which means that it will not clog your pores.

This eye cream absorbs very, very well - it seems to literally melt into the delicate skin area as you apply it.  It is very hydrating and is definitely helping to reduce the appearance of the fine lines around my eyes.  Despite its light-to-medium consistency,  it is very effective and a little goes a long way!  In comparison to the Innisfree Orchid Eye Cream, I use much less of this Clarins product with each application - one jar of this product will last a long time.  This eye cream has not caused any milia development or eye irritation for me (milia is a common problem that I have encountered with many eye creams).  This has quickly become one of my favorite eye creams and I will definitely continue to use this!  This eye cream is available at Nordstrom, Macys, and Sephora for $64 for 0.5 oz.

You may be asking - do I really need a special product just for the eye area?  From my research, I have found that this is actually a very controversial question in the skin care and dermatology world.  Eye creams are formulated specifically for the skin around the eye and tend to contain more oil and have a slightly different consistency than facial moisturizers, however this does not mean that all facial moisturizers are not appropriate for use on the eye area.  Many facial moisturizers can be very effective when applied to the eye area, however there are a few things to consider.  If your daily facial moisturizer contains ingredients such as antioxidants, ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and peptides, and has not caused you to have any facial skin irritation, it is likely that it will continue to work well on your eye area.  Consider utilizing an eye cream in these situations:
~ If like me, you have a sensitive eye area then you may want to invest in an eye cream to prevent irritation from arising.  Also, if you are looking to utilize Vitamin C or retinol on your eye area, eye creams often contain specially stabilized versions of these ingredients that are less likely to cause irritation to the delicate skin area.
~ If you are looking to target specific issues such as under-eye puffiness, then you may want to look for an eye cream that specifically contains caffeine, which results in a temporary decrease in puffiness as it constricts the blood vessels in the eye area.
~ If you have oily or acne-prone skin and are using a very light-weight, oil-free facial moisturizer, then you may want to utilize an eye cream that will provide extra moisture just to your eye area.

Let me know what your favorite eye products are!