Let's Talk About Eye Creams
My under eye bags are the reason that I got into skincare.
I thought using retinol serums would be the key to eviscerating my dark circles and eye bags. When that didn't work exactly how I hoped (retinol has been great for my skin’s overall appearance but, it did nothing for perceived eye bags), I shifted my focus to traditional eye creams.
Pausing real quick to address my “eye bags” – I don't actually have them. I went in for an under eye filler consultation and the injector explained that my bone structure is giving the illusion of puffy under eyes, but my under eye area is actually concave. My cheekbones need to be raised slightly higher to better support the skin under my eyes — She recommended cheek filler instead. Leaving that meeting, I came to the conclusion that I was better shifting my focusing to brightening my under eye discoloration vs. treating nonexistent puffiness.
(Circa 2023)
Over the years, I have unsuccessfully dabbled with eye creams such as Sunday Riley, Kiehl’s Eye Fuel, La Roche Posay (nothing from this brand ever really works for me), and Olehenriksen (this slightly brightened my under eye area but not much of an improvement tbh). After wasting my money running through countless products, I ultimately concluded that eye creams are a scam. My stance being that if you have a good moisturizer, you don't need eye cream.
Paula Begoun (creator of Paula’s Choice) agrees with my sentiment that eye creams are a scam. But, I have to imagine that she uncovered some research that changed her mind because Paula’s Choice sells eye creams galore now.
I’m officially here to say, eye creams are NOT (completely) a scam! I’m sorry to any of my friends who I have told over the years that they are – I was speaking from a place of inconsistency.
While I no longer think eye creams are a total waste of money, I do think people with eye bags should manage their expectations regarding outcomes. Like anything else, eye creams require longterm consistent use to achieve any results. I used to use eye creams for a week, a month, etc. and immediately expected to see bagless eyes. That just isn't realistic.
I think the ideal amount of time to use any product that you're expecting to drastically change your appearance should be 6 months to 1 year. And even then, some things take longer than a year for you to notice substantial changes. This is where I teeter on the “it’s a scam” front because, most beauty brands market their eye creams as quick fixes. I specifically have beef with Kiehl’s about this; they claimed that their Vitamin C Eye Serum would visibly reduce dark circles within a week. Well, I used it for about 6 months, I took progress photos, and my eyes looked exactly the same. I really just wasted around $250 buying and replenishing this product. I’ve had a chip on my shoulder ever since.
It wasn't until last year that I started noticing visible progress with my under eye cream usage. This is partly due to long term consistency and also the quality of the products. I used the RoC Retinol Correxion Under Eye Cream last year for 7 months and I’ll admit that I noticed a reduction in my under eye complexion and the perceived ‘puffiness’ around month 2. It did not drastically change my appearance but this experience made me look at eye creams differently and encouraged me to thoroughly research this product category.
I paused my eye cream experiment for the first half of this year (I had too much going on in my life, I couldn't prioritize it).
But, I’ve been using the Biossance eye cream twice a day since September and so far, I’m pretty satisfied with it. Since I’ve been using it, 3 people in my life have told me at separate times that I don't have eye bags – unprovoked. That was very validating and it has encouraged me to stay consistent in this experiment.
(Biossance - selfie taken Nov. 2025)
I’m almost out of my Biossance cream and will be transitioning over to the Bolden eye cream since I received 3 free tubes when I demo modeled for them. After Bolden, I plan to experiment with this Paula’s Choice eye cream, I’ve read the reviews and scrolled through countless progress photos – I’m convinced, lol.
My eye cream journey has shown me that the solution does not solely lie in the products. With everything else in skincare and wellness, I need to make some lifestyle changes. I’ve noticed that my eyes look significantly heavier on days where I’m endlessly staring at my computer screen – shoutout to blue light damage! We live in a technology era, so it’s incredibly hard to mitigate that, especially as I am currently building an app and managing this Substack – both things that require me to pull long hours of research on my laptop.
Per usual, I will be tracking my eye cream experiments in my daily skin journals, but beyond the products, here are some things that I am in the process of incorporating into my life:
Reducing my screen time
No phone at least an hour before bed – I eventually want to build up to 2-3 hours before bed but, baby steps.
I’m also working on having a hard stop at 9pm for any computer related activities.
Getting a blue light blocking screen protector (currently researching the best options)
Apple has night shift settings and my phone is always in dark mode but I feel like this isn’t enough. I’m on the hunt for a blue light screen protector that is incredibly durable since I drop my phone a million times a day.
Using a cold compress or icing my under eye area every day
I was consistently doing this for a couple of weeks over the summer and I have to admit, it definitely helped. I looked so refreshed and well rested – I just got lazy.
Please feel free to share your thoughts and experiences with eye creams! I’m open to any and all suggestions; from product recommendations, to additional lifestyle changes, and any beauty hacks that I should experiment with.
