1. Get a good eight hours sleep every night. Puffiness and dark circles are just not a good look.
2. From the age of twenty-one everybody should use a good eye cream / gel. Use both morning and night. Some eye care products have a build in SPF. This is excellent for during the day, but use one without an SPF for nigh time.
3. Shape your brows. Always keep your eyebrows defined by having them waxed / tweezed regularly.
4. Eyebrow tinting can make a dramatic difference to your eye area. As well as trimming the brows, tinting provides us with a well-defined brow, thus improving the eye area.
5. A little concealer under the eye area can go a long way. Apply over your eye care. Remember, less is more!  Foundation is not always necessary. Often concealer on blemishes, under eye area etc and a little dust down with powder can be enough to even out your skin tone.
6. When applying eye shadow, be careful. Colours such as red, maroon etc can often make you look tired or even sick. It’s always great to experiment with colours, but if you want to play it safe go with neutral, beige, light brown, sandy colours. Anybody can wear these colours and can’t go wrong.
7. Eyelash tinting is an excellent way to emphasise the eye area. Never have an eyelash tint without having a patch test at least 24 hours prior to treatment.
8. For a dramatic look, build up you mascara in layers. Be careful not to clump it. Never “pump” your mascara as this clogs the brush and will clump on the lashes.
9. Eyeliner can be fun to experiment with, but be careful not to close your eyes in by coating the entire eye area with pencil. Perhaps try white eyeliner. It’s a great look especially in the summer.
10. Reduce puffiness and tired eyes but applying two dampened tea bags to the eye area and leave while you relax for approximately 10 minutes. The same can be achieved by putting two teaspoons in the fridge to cool, apply to the eye area and relax for approximately ten minutes. AH!

As you stand there trying them all on the back of your hand, you feel more and more confused.

There are so many brands, types, consistency, texture…. Agh! 
Relax, it’s easy. First thing is to ask yourself what your main concern is. Is it fine lines and wrinkles or puffiness and dark circles?

If it is the latter, opt for a gel.

As it is a gel, it is automatically firming, and works on reducing that unwanted Gothic effect. Dark circles are actually oxidation of the blood in the capillary matrix of the peri-orbital eye area. The capillaries leak blood that begins to oxidise. It is the blood which turns to a deep purple colour, resulting in tired looking eyes. 
Eye gel should be applied with the ring finger with inward circular motions in a c-shape around the eye area.

Do this twice daily. 

Eye creams are of a thicker creamier consistency. They are generally associated with more mature, dry skin. A nourishing eye cream targets the delicate skin around the eye area, alleviating dryness, helping to minimise fine lines and wrinkles and maintaining a protective moisture balance around the eye area.

 As eye creams are more nourishing than eye gels, you should only apply your eye cream below the eyes. Avoid bringing it to the eyelids.

Always remember to only use the ring finger with gentle inward strokes, as it is such a delicate area with very thin skin.



You may combine an eye gel with an eye cream to combat fine lines and wrinkles as well as puffiness and dark circles. Do this by first applying the eye gel, as previously directed, allow to dry to a tacky feel. Then apply the cream as directed. You may only wish to apply both at night time.

Read more: Eye cream or eye gel?