Whether it’s work stress, jet lag, or the result of a busy social life, tired eyes can be the ultimate giveaway that you haven’t had quite enough sleep.
Some of us (our beauty editor included!) are just unlucky, and have a tendency for tell-tale dark circles even if we’ve had our full eight hours. This is where a really good eye cream comes in.
From brightening dark circles to smoothing away crinkles and lines, these are the CF team’s tried-and-tested recommendations for the best eye creams for tired eyes, including best-selling favourites from Naturium and Medik8.
Packed with peptides, this refreshing cream instantly hydrates and then gets to work smoothing fine lines and dullness around your eyes. In fact, the hero ingredient is Matrixyl 3000 – one of the most proven ‘acts like Botox’ peptides on the market. It won’t make your eyes look ten years younger (sorry – no cream can) but it is one of our beauty editor’s favourites.
Designed especially for sensitive eyes – which can also annoyingly be the most prone to dryness and dullness, La Roche-Posay’s dark circle corrector contains two dullness-busting hero ingredients: niacinamide and caffeine. It also comes complete with a cooling applicator for depuffing, which makes it great for using when you fly.
In our beauty editor’s opinion, Medik8 are the queen of non-prescription-strength retinoids (she’d recommend the full face serums too). This formula utilises not only the anti-ageing hero ingredient; in the mix are also moisturising ceramides to lock-in hydration while smoothing away crepey skin around your delicate eye area.
Aiming to reduce under-eye dullness in just a week (which is seriously impressive) this sensitive-skin friendly formula sets about that mission in two key ways. First, it focuses on hydration – using glycogen to instantly perk up your sleepy eye area. And secondly, it protects your skin against pollution throughout the day, due to the inclusion of antioxidant-rich elderberry flower extract. That's a win-win.
One of the newest brightening eye creams on the block, Soho Skin made the CF office (and our now very happy eyes) sit up and take note with this formula. The main highlight: it’s so very hydrating – with hyaluronic acid and squalene – but doesn’t feel heavy or sticky on your skin, so it works really well under makeup. A work makeup bag essential.
Drunk Elephant is known for its potent formulas and this brightening eye cream is no different. A treat for tired eyes, it contains a whole array of active ingredients, including eight different peptides (for hydration and fine line-smoothing), as well as complex of vitamin C for concentrated brightening too. Consider the statement tube your 'early-morning wake up call' in skincare form.
If applying eye cream has always felt like a bit of a faff, may we introduce you to the product we think will change your mind. The beautifully silky-smooth texture of this Caudalie cream makes you actually want to apply it and that's even before you see the results. The combination of niacinamide, caffeine and vine sap to tackle discolouration will add radiance back to tired eyes before you know it.
As nourishing as it is brightening and tightening, this creamy formula tackles both puffiness and crepey, dull skin and is a beauty editor favourite. With an instantly glowy skin finish, perfect for when you are running late in the morning, it includes caffeine and ginseng root to depuff, while watermelon extract and various butters lock-in moisture, helping soothe sleepy, fatigued eyes.
Lead image credit: Medik8
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