Do you really need an eye cream? (Or will your regular moisturizer do just fine?)

Ok, so I’ve often wondered, do I really need an eye cream? I mean, what can it have that my anti-aging moisturizer doesn’t, right? Deep down, I’ve always felt that eye creams are a gimmick. A way to make you spend on an extra product.

So I did an experiment: I stopped using eye cream for 6 months and used my regular moisturizer instead. And I found out exactly why eye creams are a treat for your eyes.

Nothing happened. In the beginning.

So initially, all was well. My moisturizer worked. I was happy I didn’t need to ‘waste’ my money on yet another product. One less step in my routine…blah blah.

Sometimes my moisturizer got into my eyes and would sting.

This never happened with an eye cream. That’s because eye creams are usually fragrance-free, so they don’t sting. They are also specially formulated to not get into your eyes.

I guess I just had to be more careful while applying my moisturizer now.

My eyes seemed ‘tired’ and dull.

My eyes didn’t look as bright as they did when I used an eye cream. That’s because eye creams contain concentrated ingredients like anti-oxidants that brighten the skin. Hmmm…

My eyes got a bit puffy (if I had a late night).

Eye creams contain tightening and de-puffing ingredients like caffeine that smoothen the eye area. This is something your regular moisturizer just won’t have. Bummer!

I did start to notice a few fine lines.

Now, I don’t know if it’s just that I’m getting older or it’s because of not using an eye cream. But this one really scared me! Scared me enough to go running to get a pot of eye cream.

Apparently, eye creams are packed with skin plumping ingredients that smoothen the effect of fine lines. And I wanted that smooth crease-free effect! So I succumbed.

MY VERDICT: Eye creams won’t show an immediate effect, which is why we don’t think they work. But they do work – they just take time. The problem is we want instant gratification. Eye-cream has found its way back into my regimen. And I think it’s going to stay.

P.S.: I got myself a jar of Chanel Le Lift Eye Cream. It’s fragrance-free and glides on like a dream. My eyes feel rested and I haven’t woken up puffy in a while.