All About Eyes
ALL ABOUT EYES: HOW TO AVOID SKINCARE & MAKEUP MISTAKES
THAT CAN ACCIDENTALLY AGE YOU
They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul, but in terms of skincare, our eye contour area can give much more away about our energy levels and age. In fact, some studies have shown that the biological age of the skin around our eyes can actually be significantly older than the skin of other areas of the face.
WHY CAN THIS HAPPEN?
1. The skin around the eyes is thinner.
It’s a known fact that the skin around the eyes is thinner than that of the rest of the face, leading it to be more susceptible to aggressions that can damage the cells and accelerate signs of aging. The skin of the eye contour is about 3 layers thick, compared to other areas of the body and face, which can be more than 15 layers thick.
2. Our skin’s natural ability to recover and repair itself decreases with age.
After around the age of 25, our skin starts to decrease its production of healthy collagen and elastin, making its reparative processes slower, and signs of aging like fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging more visible. This can also make features underneath the skin more visible, like dark circles.
3. We express a lot with our eyes.
As we go about our day and interact with others, we convey our emotions and animate our expressions a lot with our eyes. This can lead to repetitive movements that can gradually create expression lines over time.
4. Our lifestyle can affect our skin's quality.
Just like the rest of our body, lifestyle habits and choices can affect how our skin functions. Not getting enough sleep, poor diet, smoking, dehydration, sun exposure, and other lifestyle factors can influence how energized our eyes and eye contours appear.
HOW CAN YOU COMBAT EYE CONTOUR FATIGUE & SIGNS OF AGING?
There are several ways to address your concerns over your eye contour appearance. Starting with skincare and moving into different makeup techniques, you can achieve a brighter, tighter and more youthful look around the eyes with just a few steps.
1. Start with your skincare.
The first step to addressing your skincare concerns is to look at treating the skin itself. What are your specific issues? Are you struggling with dark circles, crow’s feet, puffiness, sagging, or a combination of these? Once you identify your eye contour goals, you can tailor your eye contour care based on targeted ingredients.
Here are some common eye care ingredients and their uses:
Niacinamide:
Also known as Vitamin B3, this ingredient is excellent for the eye contour, thanks to its antioxidant, hydrating and protective properties. Niacinamide has been shown to have multiple benefits when used around the eyes, including brightening dark circles, plumping the skin, and reinforcing its protective barrier against aggressors.
Vitamin C:
This vitamin is a favorite in skincare formulas, thanks to its multi-active properties. It intervenes in the formation of melanin, making it a great option for dark spots, freckles or dark circles around the eyes. It also evens and illuminates while stimulating the production of collagen and protecting against oxidative stress, making it an all-around good ingredient for a variety of under eye concerns.
Retinol:
Another popular skincare and eye contour care ingredient derived from Vitamin A, Retinol is a good option to increase cell turnover, helping to firm, smooth and brighten the under eyes. Some users might find it irritating, however, so it’s important to perform a patch test, avoid mixing reactive ingredients, and apply sparingly (alternating days, for example) until your skin becomes more acclimated. If you’re not sure how to use Retinol, consult your dermatologist.
Caffeine:
Another powerful ingredient popular in many eye contour care formulas, Caffeine helps to constrict the blood vessels, lessening the appearance of dark circles and gradually brightening the targeted area with continued use.
2. Be delicate & effective when applying your eye contour cares.
As previously mentioned, the skin is much thinner around the eyes, so it’s important to be gentle when applying your eye contour care products. Not sure how to apply them? Follow these simple tips:
- Start off with clean skin.
- Take a rice grain-sized amount of your product—if you are using concentrate, start with that and then follow with your eye cream—and gently tap it along the orbital bone, moving from the bottom inner corner, to the outside and underneath the brow going inwards.
- Don't apply too much product, as it's more likely to come in contact with the eye and cause irritation.
- Avoid rubbing or tugging the skin, as this can lead to more lines later on.
- Allow your eye contour products to fully absorb before moving on to the next steps of your skincare routine.
2. Use the right makeup techniques and formulas.
With so much information and so many makeup trends out there circulating on the internet these days, it can be confusing to find what works for you. Again, since the skin around the eyes is thinner, when it comes to eye makeup, usually less is more as we age.
Additionally, our eyes and the skin around them moves a lot as we go about our day and express our emotions, so if too much product is applied, this can lead to unsightly creasing, smudging and an overall cakey, dry look.
Not sure where to start? Try out these eye contour makeup tips for creating a soft focus look to brighten dark circles and smooth fine lines, wrinkles and puffiness.
- Make sure your eye contours are cleansed and well-hydrated before applying any makeup. If you start out your makeup look with oily skin or skin that’s too dry, the finished look will reflect that.
- Avoid applying foundation on the eye contour area. If you typically wear foundation, applying it on this delicate, thin skin can add an unnecessary layer of product, which is more likely to get into lines to create creasing and enhance unwanted textures.
- Opt for a lightweight, hydrating concealer with a slightly peachy undertone, instead of a very bright or heavy concealer. The art of achieving a skin-like, natural-looking result starts with the right products. Contrary to popular belief, choosing a concealer that’s too white or too heavy can lead to a more chalk-like finish that sits on top of the skin and looks ashy, rather than melding and blending with it.
- When applying concealer, only put small amounts on your targeted areas, like the inner and outer corners, instead of creating a “V” shape that covers the whole under eye. A few years ago, it was common practice to use the “V” technique to apply concealer, which can create a more filtered and brightened appearance for photos and videos. However, in real life as we move our face and come in and out of natural light, this technique can look rather harsh and also lead to excess product getting into the nooks and crannies of our eye contour, further emphasizing the very things we are trying to conceal.
- Don’t apply your concealer too close to the lash line. As we age, more lines tend to appear closer to the lash line. When we apply concealer to this area, it creates an unnatural, harsh line between our eye and our skin, and it also gets into the lines to further emphasize them.
- Blend lightly with your finger or stipple with a soft brush or sponge. To create that soft focus effect, use light movements to blend out your concealer into the rest of the complexion. Never pull or tug the delicate eye contour skin.
- Set with a setting spray spritzed on to your brush or applicator and gently tap it in. This helps to avoid creasing while adding an extra protective and hydrating layer to keep your makeup in place all day long.
- Don’t use colors that are too dark. Using makeup shades that are very dark around the eyes tends to obscure their features and make the eyes look heavy. If you like lining and shadowing your eyes, go for lighter shades of brown or neutrals.
- Avoid lining the lower lash line. Lining the lower lashes can make our eyes look smaller, and this also goes for applying liner in the water line. Stick to following the natural upper lash line and inner upper corner to create a winged, uplifted look.
- Lift your lashes up and extend them outward with mascara, avoiding too much volume at the roots. Creating too much volume with your mascara at the root can make lashes droopy, leading to smaller looking eyes, not to mention clumps. Keep everything lifted by working the mascara wand upward and out.
Having an awakened eye look can make us look more energized and better reflects the way we feel inside, boosting our self-confidence. With a few simple switches and tips, you can help to smooth away wrinkles, brighten dark circles, decrease puffiness, and reveal your best radiance day after day!
