The Perfect Eye Area Skincare Routine: Cleanse, Moisturise, Brighten, Massage!

The gentle eye area needs a lot of love

The skin around the eyes is much thinner than on the rest of the face. And that’s what it’s ultimately all about. The subcutaneous fatty “filler” layer is missing, so the skin around the eyes is prone to losing its elasticity and ageing more quickly.

For this reason alone, it’s a bit of a paradox that we put off taking care of our eye area. It should become a given as soon as possible, on your 25th birthday at the latest. Because without the right treatment, “crow's feet” become deeper, sometimes also accompanied by under-eye circles and bags. 

   1. Remove makeup from the eye area as gently as possible

Gently yet thoroughly is the rule that applies here. Start with a cotton pad dipped in lukewarm water, to which you apply eye makeup remover (it creates an emulsion with the water) and first just press it onto your eyes to start “dissolving” your makeup. Then you start wiping it away using downward motions. Make sure also to pay attention to the softness of your makeup remover pads. Try reusable ones. For waterproof makeup, use specific products designed to tackle waterproof makeup.

   2. Use serums and creams or gels for the eye area

The clean skin around your eyes then needs to be moisturised and nourished to prevent wrinkles from appearing too soon. That’s why eye serums and creams and gels for the eye area contain a bunch of beneficial ingredients. Like peptides for better skin firmness and elasticity. Collagen with hyaluronic acid for hydration. Vitamin C as an antioxidant and caffeine for a brightening effect. 

And if you want to be a real pro, find yourself one eye cream for the daytime (with SPF) and a second one for the nighttime (ideally with retinol as a form of provitamin A which stimulates collagen production). Application? Pat it gently into the skin with your fingertips.

   3. Treat your eye area to a massage

If you’re tired of applying your creams by patting them in, massage them into the eye area instead, which also allows you to start with more product. How should you perform a micro-massage of this sort? Preferably using the middle finger, creating light circular movements from the inner corner, working along the lower eyelid towards the outer corner of the eye. Repeatedly, for at least two or three minutes.

You can also use special massage rollers for the eye area (made from metal or natural stones), sticks, the popular gua sha massage tool, but also devices designed specifically for massaging the eye area. Aside from helping cosmetic products to penetrate deeper into the skin for better efficacy, you’ll also help improve lymph flow, which will in turn minimise puffiness and under-eye circles.

   4. Relax with a beautifying mask

Under-eye circles and puffy eyelids are often caused by an unhealthy lifestyle, coupled with a lack of sleep and water retention. That’s where you have to start. Then you can move on to some massage (see above), without forgetting to unwind with the next amazing eye mask you find. 

The best ones are hydrogel masks, which are cooling (minimise puffiness), or eye masks containing cucumber or aloe vera extracts. Other amazing masks contain snail extract (divine smoothing effect), gold, or even diamond and pearl micro-particles (brightening effect, so they work wonders for dark under-eye circles). Green tea and caffeine (for revitalisation) are also great. 

Start taking better care of your eye area by improving your lifestyle, getting the right serum and a deeply moisturising and nourishing eye cream. If you use makeup, stock up on makeup removers specifically formulated for the eye area. And you can be sure that you’ll always look forward to a massage and eye mask. See the results with/on your own eyes!