Anti-ageing the eyes

Stone age ... the eyes get old long before the rest of you, even in Hollywood.

Legs may be the last to go but eyes are the first. The first lines usually appear in the thin, delicate undereye area and the first anti-ageing product we buy is usually an eye cream. In fact, many of us have a weakness for an effective and innovative eye care product and I have found half a dozen that should make you look twice.

You're high maintenance if you use O Cosmedics Instant Eye Lift ($89) but once it's mastered, you will never look back. It's an instant fix. A very small amount of the serum must be well rubbed in, in circular motions, into eye wrinkles and folds - the catch is that you cannot move the area for three minutes until it is set. Very old Hollywood.

New Hollywood loves Rodial Snake Serum and Hollywood usually knows what works. It's not real venom (no, it's not) but ''venom-like'' peptides that inhibit facial contractions. Glamoxy Snake Serum Pen ($95 from Myer), the latest addition to the range, can be used around the forehead and mouth as well as the eyes and can be reapplied throughout the day if you think the wrinkles might be papped. It's the celeb's rollerball pen of choice.

Roll-on eye serums were quite the thing when they were launched; now they have become the energy drink of the cosmetics world, available caffeinated on every supemarket shelf. The new Trilogy Age Proof CoQ10 Eye Recovery Concentrate ($36.95) is a superior version, comprising antioxidant-rich natural ingredients (including caffeine ''from green coffee'') and a nice brown glass tube. A suitably ''invigorating'' men's rollerball eye gel worth looking out for is L'Occitane Instant Energy Eye Gel ($24.95; launching August 15). The first-ever contoured ceramic-tipped eye pen is being launched by Estee Lauder in Australia next week. New Idealist Cooling Eye Illuminator ($95) is both skincare and cosmetic and can be used alone or under concealer. The applicator is indeed cooling, reducing puffiness,  while the whipped-textured cream, available in two shades, lightens and brightens. You need to be careful how you squeeze the tube: only a dot-sized amount is needed.

Benefit Ooh La Lift ($38) has been around for a while but it's a bit of a legend that deserves a mention. It's a very light concealer with a stick applicator that gives an instant younger, brighter look. Just dot and blend. Sometimes it's the first thing I do in the morning. Sometimes it's the only thing I do all day.

And you? What eye products do you use? What works on bags and circles, puffiness and deep-set wrinkles? (All from smiling of course.)


Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/beauty/blogs/beauty-beat/antiageing-the-eyes-20110713-1hdor.html#ixzz1S3dhH9vb