This is the second installment in my quest for the perfect eye cream. For my other eye cream review (and more to come), click here.
Why I’m on an Eye Cream Quest: My eyes are extremely sensitive to changes in the weather, and if the delicate skin around my eyes is not properly moisturized, it gets scaly – literally scaly. I’ve spoken to my doctor and several cosmetics consultants who all gave me the same answer: my skin is reacting as though I was not using any moisturizer whatsoever. But I was! But I do! It turns out that the pores around your eyes are smaller than the rest of the pores on your face. Eye creams are specially formulated to be finer than regular facial moisturizers in order to be properly absorbed by that fine eye skin. However, not all eye creams are created equal! Apparently my eye pores are very, very small, and some eye cream formulas are not quite fine enough for my skin to absorb. Therefore, some eye creams sit atop my eye skin for hours, eventually evaporating into the air. Unfortunately, I cannot determine at the time whether the cream has been absorbed or evaporated, and it takes at least a week of using a product to determine whether or not it is effective. Consequently, I have tried many, many different types of eye cream and would love to share my experiences with you.
About 7 months ago, I went on an all-natural cosmetics makeover. Because I had not yet discovered the Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy by my house, I scoured the Bartell’s shelves for affordable natural products and ended up with an entire stash of Burt’s Bees facial care. I have mixed reviews about the whole experience, which I’ll likely expose to you at a later date. The Burt’s Bees Royal Jelly Eye Cream retails around $15 most places.
Things to love: This stuff is 98.75% natural and contains a laundry list of good-for-you ingredients that you can find on the Burt’s Bees website. Because it’s so natural, this product is great for people with chemical sensitivity, and I’ve read several rave reviews to the effect.
Less than perfect: The texture of this product is like a cross between Vaseline and cream; therefore, giving it a very glossy finish that looks great alone but is impossible to apply just prior to eye makeup application. It was so thick and moisturizing that I started using it only before bed. Also, after about a month of use, my eyelid scales returned! Oh no! This means that the little moisturizing particles weren’t quite small enough for all of my tiny eyelid pores, and my eyelid was thirsty even under the layer of the cream.
Final analysis: Most people don’t have my tiny eyelid pore problem, but the inability to apply it under eye makeup would have been a deal breaker for me in any case. However, if you have very sensitive skin and don’t wear eye makeup because of it, this might help you get the moisture you need without irritating you. It’s also cheaper than most natural eye creams.
Posted by: Lynnette
Stop the presses. After raving about Bee Ceuticals products (which I still love, fyi) I found a product to supplement my skin care regime: Burt’s Bees Soapbark and Chomomile Deep Cleansing Cream. While Bee Ceuticals is very gentle, and nice for daily cleansing, sometimes you need something with more oomph! I use a microdermabrasian system, but I’m talking about something that feels like it’s cleaning deep down in your pores, and this does. I have sensitive, combination skin, and this is what I think of it.
