Sometimes the key to looking our best and brightest lies in an often overlooked part of our skin care routine: eye care. And while most of us focus on lengthening lashes and concealing dark circles to mask fatigue, creating a skin care regimen tailored to the delicate eye area can help brighten the area from within.

Donna Paty, Kiehl’s national education manager, shares her expert skin care tips on how to select the right eye care products to keep you looking wide-eyed and ever youthful.

Why the TLC for your eyes?
For starters, the skin surrounding yours eyes is the thinnest, most delicate area, so it requires its own skin care routine to tend to it. “It’s two-thirds thinner than the rest of the face,” says Paty. “[Its] thinner moisture barrier makes it more vulnerable to dryness and environmental damage.” Age, plus continuous movement and facial expressions eventually cause weakened muscles and expression lines. “All of this can lead to early wrinkles, dark circles, puffiness which can be increased with stress and tiredness,” she explains.

How to detox your SKIN CARE ROUTINE 

How to treat the eye area
Choose a product suited to your specific skin care concerns (puffiness, dark circles) and formulations (cream, gel, etc). Paty recommends Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado in the morning to soothe and hydrate and Midnight Recovery Eye, to repair the area while you sleep and wake up looking bright-eyed. And make sure to use a gentle eye makeup remover before heading to bed—no exceptions on this one.

“Apply eye cream to the orbital bone in a tapping action, which will assist in stimulating circulation,” says Paty. “You may also apply cream to the entire under-eye area, avoiding going too close to the rim of the eye.”

The 10 best EYE PRIMERS

More tips on how to prevent dark circles and brighten up the eye area on the next page…

Brighten up your eyes (and fake a good night’s sleep)

So you stayed up way too late (it happens) and still want to look fresh rolling into your morning meeting. There’s a fix for that. Look for eye skin care products that contain caffeine, which improves micro-circulation while reducing puffiness and even some discoloration. “Vitamin C has been proven to improve skin’s renewal, as well as
improve skin’s radiance and brightness,” says Paty.

Handle the eye area with extra care

Avoid touching your eyes throughout the day—and harshly rubbing the area at all costs. A dense network of blood capillaries in the eye area can lead to more visible darkness as eyelids thin, and you don’t want to risk damaging or rupturing them. And applying too much eye product to the area isn’t helpful either. When it comes to
cleaning out your beauty bag, keep track of the expiry dates on mascaras and eye shadows.

Use
precaution when applying sunscreen to the eyelids as well. “Sun protection is always important, especially for the delicate skin in the eye area, but it can sometimes create sensitivity,” says Paty “You can also get physical protection by applying concealer.”

Keep a younger-looking smize

To prevent crepeing of the delicate skin around the eyes with age, look for products rich in anti-aging benefits: ingredients targeted to improve skin’s renewal, elasticity and firmness, and moisture barrier. Minerals like copper and calcium help to strengthen strengthen skin’s elasticity and
diminish the appearance of wrinkles. So you can get back to fierce and healthy-looking smizing.

Read more:
Winter skin care: Your new routine
The best overnight beauty products
The 12 best makeup remover wipes
The 10 best skin brighteners