How to: Look Bright Eyed and Bushy Tailed

Bright Eyed!

So this is my blog in devotion to eye care. Eyes being the windows to the soul and all, it is important to look after them. They are also the first thing to show signs of aging. Also the first thing to show when you are looking as sub-par as I currently do getting over a winter cold. So here are my tips to make it look like you have actually slept and looked after yourself (not that it is any substitution for that right?)

Eye Cream

Use of eye cream is important contrary to popular belief. Yes, you can get away with applying your moisturiser around your eyes too but eye creams are specialized. If your facial care has any strong actives in it like salicylic acid, or glycolic acid; with the exception of retinol, are not great to put around your eyes. You can also get away with a more moisturising eye cream than your face care because the skin around your eyes doesn't have as many oil glands as the rest of your face and you are not going to break out, rather you are helping to protect from ageing. Use my post How to: Choose a Moisturiser- An Ingredients Breakdown, the same logic applies for choosing an eye cream. You could also look for eye creams with added caffeine which helps with circulation. I use this eye cream from NUXE, another natural brand for those looking:

NUXE Nirvaneaque Contour des Yeux
(thats eye contour for the non-French)

Apply it Properly!

 Don’t just lightly pat it on, or (heaven forbid) rub it in (it causes wrinkles!). You want to press it in. This is the cheese-ball application video from the Clarins school. I don’t use any other application methods from them but this one works. They said in the school to apply five pound of pressure to each point (so a lot harder than it looks like she is pressing in the video). Use can actually feel the snot draining from behind your eyes (ewww) and it certainly helps with the puffiness. You can use it with any eye cream. Sometimes I even use it without eye cream for a mid-day pick me up.

Concealer

 So after you have done that you might still want concealer. Don’t use a heavy one in a pot! I will crease up and any wrinkles you do have will look 800 times worse. It may seem counter intuitive, but putting on a lighter concealer will cover better throughout the day (save your pots for honkin’ zits). If wrinkles are your concern use a light reflective one, which is more fluid that will stay in place while deflecting from your under-eye:

Clarins Instant Light Brush-On Perfector

If dark circles are the major issue (me, all over) then use one that is light, possibly slightly more yellow tinged, and high pigmented. Here is another favorite from Shiseido:

Shiseido Natural Finish Cream Concealer

Highlighter

Some people say highlighting around the eye area is outdated. I say not, if it is subtle; we don’t want a sparkly white stripe under the brow. It is still the best way to open up the eye area. I often use my face highlighter as double duty (as mentioned in this post) for a subtle glow, or a cream-coloured shadow. Apply under the brow and on the inner corner of the eye. If you are really tired, you can also take a smudge brush and run a bit over the lower lash line.

This is a Sephora one, but just because it was the best picture I could find.
Any smudge brush that looks like this will do

Brows

Fill them in for God sakes! Nothing makes you look more alert than a good brow. I will eventually write a post devoted to brows but for now, know that everyone can use a good brow shaping and fill in. Use wax and powder, pencil, gel whatever; just give those brows some attention. 
Oh, now I have done a brow post!

SEE NEW BRIGHT EYED AND BUSHY TAILED PART 2

So, do you use a separate eye cream?

How do you apply it?

Do you look after your brows?

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