All About Eyes

I wasn't blessed with clear skin at all (Stress + Junk food = EASY BREAKOUTS) however luckily, being  young, asian and monolidded, I THINK my eyes have been able to withstand the scorching California sun for a while without crinkling at the corners... at least for now ::knock on wood:: 

This doesn't mean that I can escape from the wraths of eye maintenance however... if I don't get enough sleep for a few days.. I will easily form dark circles.  Therefore, this will be an entry.. "all about eyes"  Paradoxically, eyes are "windows to your soul" despite the fact that they age easily since since the skin around it is delicate. By no means am I an expert... but I think I'll just share some tips on what I do to maintain my eyes ... or specifically speaking, the skin around it. 

Wrinkle avoidance.

1. I avoid waterproof eyemakeup if I do wear eyemakeup... harder to take off in my opinion.
2. I avoid eyeliner... partially because it doesn't show up anyway with my eyeshape and partially because I feel that shadow is easier to wash off.. aka.. less tugging.
3. lame pencil eyeliners can be a pain to apply.. invest in a good smooth liner. Urban Decay. 24/7 (B) is an alltime favorite amongst my friends. I recently discovered  that Tarte emphasEYES (A)  is also pretty good as well.  Both have an extremely smooth formula.. and fairly water resistant, without being too difficult to move.  The downside of Tarte emphasyes is that it is a clicky twist.. so don't twist out too much or else you will end up wasting product.My best friend uses mac fluid line. Application with a angled brush is always better in terms of less tugging.  If it's drying up... DUMP IT. Although I preach, I don't necessarily practice.  Ergo...in my case... one pencil can last several years... costworthy! but yeah i know gross. :)
4. totally un-related to eyes... but many people tend to wrinkle their brows/forehead when putting on makeup. Try to train yourself not to do so.
5. Use a cleansing OIL to remove makeup. The oil is much smoother for removal, so you don't constantly stretch your eyes when tugging. I tend to stay away from cold creams because you have to tissue it off... more tugging. (More Recommendations below)
6. I try to avoid falsies because I haven't mastered taking them off without stretch. My close friends can do that well..which I envy.
7. use eyecream (?)
8. Sunglasses can be another "SPF" barrier for the skin around your eyes. In my opinion, the bigger the better :D
9. I gently pat in my eye creams if I use them instead of rubbing it in. So its like a mini massage and also prevents from tugging.

Eyemakeup remover.

I use the cheap Almay Moisturizing Eye Makeup Remover (A) which leaves an oily film even after rising.. so I finish it off with another cleanser. I wouldn't recommend it.. but it does its job. Dermalogica Soothing Eye Make Up Remover (B) is something I've tried that is amazinggg. It's on the expensive side though, but I got it in my eyes before... and it didn't hurt :D (Not thatI purposely try.) I currently use a Japanese facewash called Perfect Whip (C) for facial makeup removal. The Perfect Line (which is part of Shiseido) is amazing. All you need is a small drip/ goop, lather and it foams up for your whole face. I really want to try the Perfect Oil (D) from that line sometime... I think it will be a great remover. The only thing is that the Perfect Line dries my skin a lot after usage. I guess it also guarantees maximum makeup removal.

Eyecreams.

These are the two I use "interchangeably" in a fairly inconsistent- basis.   Honestly speaking, I'd say I use them maybe 1-2 times every 5 nights... Nevertheless I figure it's fine to start my habit slow but early... so I wouldn't start worrying when I hit middle age :P

1. 100% Pure Caffeine Eye Cream, Organic Coffee Bean:
Ingredients:

• Green and White Tea (Organic), Black Currant (Ribes Nigrum) Fruit Oil, Green Coffee (Organic), Vitamin E (A Tocopherol), Vitamin C (Ascorbyl Palmitate), Chamomilla and Lavender Wax, Pure Vanilla Absolute, Extracts of, Rosemary (Organic), Oregano (Organic), Thyme (Thymus Vulgaris) (Organic), Grapefruit Seed (Organic), Goldenseal (Organic)

What It claims: (taken from website)

• "Anti-inflammatory, caffeine rich green tea and coffee de-puffs and reduces swelling while increasing circulation to alleviate and brighten dark circles. Concentrated with potent anti-aging vitamins, antioxidants, and nourishing blackcurrant oil. For anyone looking to reduce the appearance of dark circles and puffiness."

What I think:

• This one had pretty good reviews on MUA.  I'd say the perks are the deliciously coffee scent and the 100% organic ingredients.  I don't exactly know if this is due to the organic consistancies, but I noticed the cream is EXTREMELY hard to spread around the eyes... can't really do it without minimal tugging.... which isn't the best thing you want. They say the caffeine is supposed to help with dark circles... I didn't really see any drastic effect... it's not too expensive, smells good.. and slightly moisturizes.  I bought one for my mother and grandma. I think they just use it because it smells good. Hrmm... I'd say it's not THAT useful.  3/5

2. The Body Shop Aloe Very Eye Defense.
Ingredients:

• Aloe Barbadensis Gel, Water, Cyclomethicone, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Pentylene Glycol, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide, Betaine, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Panthenol, Glycerin, Myristamidopropyl PG-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, Allantoin, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, p-Anisic Acid, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Bisabolol, Sodium Hydroxide, Polygonum Fagopyrum (Buckwheat) Seed Extract, Tocopherol, Avena Sativa (Oat) Bran Extract.

What it claims to do: (taken from website)

• "Community Trade aloe vera hydrates and calms sensitive skin, while Community Trade sesame oil helps to restore skin’s moisture barrier. Prebiotics from sugar beet helps to strengthen the skin’s natural defense system. Bisabolol from the new caledonian bush and oak extract soothe, calm and protect skin, while buckwheat wax helps to reduce puffiness."

What I think:

• I'm such a "The Body Shop" freak now. and this one was actually a gift. I really like the consistency better then the Coffee Bean eyecream.. and it is definitely more moisturizing. As far as drastic effects... didn't really see any. But maybe in the future? 4/5

Dark Circles:
1. try to sleep enough
2. water water water (for dark circles)

Depuffing:
My best friend uses a teabag method for depuffing. After a long night of watching Walk to Remember, The Notebook, Dear John... this is a must.  I spy on her :P and I noticed she takes two sparingly "used" teabags... puts them in a clean ziplock, refrigerates them, then puts them over each eye like a compress after squeezing out the excess water. Be very careful not to get tea in the eyes though.  It seems to be very useful

Health of the Eye itself.
1. NEVER SLEEP WITH CONTACTS. even during naps. I think my eyes have endured a fair amount of strain over the past decade
2. Apply rewetting eyedrops to your hearts content but try to avoid the "Redness Relief" if possible. Basically, the redness relief can shrink the blood vessels in your eyes temporarily.. but if you do it too often, I've read that your eyes get use to it.. and the "redness relief" aspect looses  its functionality.... so bascially the blood vessels wont shrink anymore.

Eye-nergy
There's two pressure points at ur temples, near your eyes.. if i'm ever tired, I press and massage the area... it hurts like heck but wakes me up.

And with that said, I'll leave yall a random pic of dark circles versus no dark-circles. LOL. I really don't know if this was a helpful entry at all... but hopefully it gave some insight.  I think I'll do one on circle lenses next. lalalalala~~ Just bought a new batch recently :)