Eye Treatments on The Roll

Over the past year, I’ve been lucky enough to be given several eye treatment products from various brands for me to try. I don’t usually go out and buy different ones because A, they are mostly expensive. B, my experience in the past isn’t exactly a swell as my eyes often felt stung or got watery when I wore them. So when I found the ones that work for me, I stick to them (e.g. Sunday Riley Start Over and Kahina Eye Serum).

Thank goodness these three that I’m about to share happen to be friendly on my eyes (and skin). I have no trouble using them on a daily basis.

As always, eye treatments are always a hit and miss with people. I can’t promise you anything other than my honest opinion based on my own experience.

NUXE Crème Prodigieuse Anti-Fatigue Moisturizing Eye Cream*.

Let’s start with the most affordable one. This eye cream has a lotion texture and feels lightweight on the skin, which makes this my go-to eye cream for day time. It doesn’t disrupt my eye makeup underneath (concealer and eye shadow). It has a faint yet noticeable scent which is apparently an added fragrance somewhere in the middle on the ingredient list. It’s unnecessary in my opinion, but good thing it doesn’t linger too long or sensitize my eyes.

It gives just enough moisture on the skin without the heaviness. It’s important to moisturize the eye area and find a formula that won’t leave the skin feels greasy or tacky. This is one of them. At first, I was just OK with this. Didn’t notice anything special in a short amount of time (by “short”, I mean 3 months and over). But since I resort this to morning routine, I can see how it somewhat helps minimizing puffiness. Not much, but it’s enough to get me through the day. I use about the size of a mung bean for every use to cover my under eyes and eyelids.

I used NUXE Eye Cream every morning. Considering the pocket-friendly price, USD 25 or IDR 355.000, it’s quite a steal. It’s a good basic eye cream, in my opinion.

TATCHA Deep Hydration Firming Eye Serum*.

After the Revitalizing Eye Cream (which I never get to try due to misplacing the sample packet *sobs*), TATCHA came out with an eye serum. It falls under the Luminous line, which focuses on hydration and glow (speaking of glow, check out its Dewy Skin Mist). It comes in a tube with a cooling ceramic applicator. The texture is also a lotion, but runnier and thinner than NUXE Eye Cream which makes it fitting to be called a serum. What I like to do is dot the eye serum, dab and sweep it across the eye area first with my finger before using the applicator to do a light circular massage.

I actually really like TATCHA Eye Serum from the first night. Three days into it, I was hooked. I love the easy going texture. It absorbs into the eye area effortlessly and I can feel an instant boost of hydration on the skin. I reserve this for nighttime usually, because I like to pull out the big guns for my PM routine. After consistently using it, I love waking up with refreshed eyes. The skin has become more supple and plumper. Aside from the botanical extracts, it contains a fine dust of 23-karat gold to illuminate the eye areas. Don’t imagine something of a highlighter, I can barely see the gold. I don’t even notice them if I didn’t read the description. But the effect is there, I do find my under eyes look brighter because of the light-reflecting quality.

Considering this is an eye serum, I don’t put any other eye cream on top. It’s great on its own. But lately, I’ve been loving layering Kahina Eye Serum underneath for even better results. Victoria Tsai, the brand’s founder, recommends to store the product into the fridge for an even cooling effect to further reduce puffiness. I use it just as it is, because I’m not a fan of keeping my skincare in the fridge as I feel it can change the temperature of the products often by taking them in and out. I prefer to keep all of my skincare in a cool room temperature with no direct sunlight.

Good things aside, with the USD 95-price tag, I kind of wished this came in a thicker plastic material. After seeing the Guerlain one, I think the plastic could’ve been slightly heftier to ensure better durability. The current packaging makes it easy to squeeze out the product though. Also, I think the sealing at the end of the tube could be a little bit more.. detailed. Again, for durability purposes. That being said, I carried this during my Japan trip and it held up fine.

Guerlain Abeille Royale Gold Eyetech Eye Sculpt Serum*.

Now this is by far, the most expensive eye treatment that I’ve ever tried. USD 130, people, on my eyes. The product is housed in a tube with a luxurious 22-karat gold tipped applicator, specifically designed to mimic the natural movement of our finger. The product feels heavy due to the applicator. This thing is full of swag, y’all.

To use, I do the same thing with TATCHA Eye Serum before going in with the massage. There’s a little booklet included in the box and a graphic on how to do the massage, but you can also watch the video. The massage technique are created by Guerlain Institute’s expert to deliver the best results. The formula features pure Ouessant black bee honey and Guerlain-exclusive royal jelly to repair and firm the skin. Read this to know more about the Abeille Royale formula. And to explore the Ouessant Island where the special black bees live, check this out. I find them to be very interesting.

Honey itself is a great ingredient that can really nurture and nourish the skin (remember Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey Mask?), so I was very, very excited to try Guerlain Eye Sculpt Serum. Out of all three, to me this feels the most substantial. The gel-lotion texture melts into the skin upon application and the area becomes lush and supple without any stickiness. I actually see results better when I religiously use the eye serum combined with the massage technique. I did this for two weeks (at nighttime) and couldn’t believe my eyes (pun, anyone?). The eye areas look more lifted and more opened. It reduces the puffiness and it makes the area firmer too. By any means, don’t compare the result to an actual plastic surgery, please. The results are apparent enough for me to notice and it still surprises me.

Massaging is great for lymphatic drainage and improving the circulation to achieve better skin and in this case, reduces darkness under the eyes. I can properly massage the eye area thanks to Guerlain’s nifty applicator. The slightly pointed tip gives a more believable massaging experience on the skin. That being said, I haven’t tested the applicator alone with other eye treatment products to see if the results are mainly credited to the massage technique. I don’t want to jeopardize contaminating the original product inside. One thing for sure, once the eye serum runs out, I will keep this lavish applicator as an eye massage tool for my other products. That’s probably the best part.

Clearly, being the most expensive, I don’t use it as often as I’d like to. I don’t think I can spare that much budget to repurchase this on my own *sobs*. Maybe in the future. I’ve also been enjoying using this over Kahina Eye Serum. Doubling on the eye serum. Why not.

There you go.

A little note, I do believe taking care of the eye area is not always about using the best or most expensive products, but it’s about the commitment and the consistency, also supported by a healthy lifestyle. And that applies to taking care of the skin, obviously.

Disclosure: as mentioned above, I got these products as a PR sample. All opinions and rambles jotted down here are 100% mine, as always.