Beauty

3 X Smoothing, Refreshing & Firming Eye Products

Beauty | 22.11.2014 | Katja Kokko

Sorry for the radio silence! I’ve been suffering from a combination of acute lack of inspiration and nearly chronic fatigue these past weeks. This has of course lead to self-criticism and inferiority complexes (“my blog is crap, my photos awful, my texts repetitive”). The stars are currently aligned to make the lives of most people a bit challenging, anyway, so at least we’re in the same boat! Still, I’ve begun to see the light at the end of the tunnel; with ideas percolating and the twinkle firmly back in my eye, I think it’s safe to expect more regular updates from now on.

Speaking of twinkling eyes, I couldn’t have timed this post better if I’d tried. You see, I was having a few sophisticated glasses of Madeira wine, champagne, and homemade GTs with a few friends last night. Consequently, I spent this morning hugging the toilet with a passion to rival the worst traveler’s tummy. I was in need of some eye-refreshment after that; so this afternoon, I had a nap with these magic pads slapped under my eyes. I was still queasy upon awakening, but the shopping bags under my eyes had vanished into thin air!

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You might recall my recent post about newly-discovered wrinkles; I am currently conducting a very interesting empirical study on anti-wrinkle creams with my own skin acting as test subject. But before I make a report on my discoveries, I would like to share my current top three eye potions.

The first is the Eyes Wide Open serum from Anne Kukkohovi’s brand Supermood. The name tells you all you need to know. The sensation is a bit like wrapping saran wrap over your eyes. I love thin and gel-like eye products with plenty of hydration – the consistency of Eyes Wide Open is just that. There is a tightening sensation as the product begins to absorb into the skin, at which point I use my ring fingers to softly pull up the skin around my eyes – it really does make the eyes wide open. (It’s best to use one’s ring fingers to do this, as they are the weakest and therefore the gentlest of your fingers.)

Eyes Wide Open contains Finnish birch sap, chaga mushroom extract, and hyaluronic acid, which makes it very rich in antioxidants and therefore perfect for repairing free-radical damage. Hyualuronic acid also has amazing moisture binding properties.

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During the winter months, the skin around my eyes often needs extra nourishment, but as it is not actually dry, I try to stick to fairly thin products. Juice Beauty’s Stem Cellular eye cream is perfect for just this purpose. I love that the product comes with an applicator, if you don’t want to use your fingers. I felt a slight burning sensation around my eyes when I first began using the cream – likely due to the apple, grape, and lemon juices it contains – but after a few weeks my skin seems to have adapted to it and no longer burns.

The secret to the Stem Cellular products are fruit stem cells, which are especially rich in antioxidants and therefore excellent in renewing the skin. The cream also contains vitamin C, an important ingredient in the production of collagen. Nurturing evening primrose oil, flaxseed oil, and borage seed oil help reduce puffiness. The product also contains a bit of shea butter, jojoba oil and sunflower seed oil, which makes it richer than Supermood’s serum, but still very light. Love it!

Magic potion number three is Juice Beauty’s Stem Cellular eye mask set. Being a bit on the pricier side, I was curious as to what special powers it had. The package contains six algae based eye mask pads, and six activation fluids into which the pads are dipped; the next step is to lay back for the next ten minutes, and let the pads work their magic.

The activation fluid contains aloe vera, apple, grape, and lemon stem cells, hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, cucumber extract, white tea extract, as well as chamomile, marigold, arnica, and lavender extracts. The ultimate cocktail for moisturizing, boosting collagen production, smoothing the skin, and getting rid of those under-eye bags. “And is it worth €139?” you might ask. The answer is yes As far as I’m concerned, it is the queen of eye products.

Make sure to use the code KATJA15 to get 15% off any product at Naturelle. Valid until the end of November!

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Products provided for testing by importer and manufacturer

Photos Katja Kokko

Translation Katja Nikula

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