Beauty Bible Beauty Clinic

Welcome to our new weekly column on the YOU magazine website, www.you.co.uk  Below you will find the current question and our advice, with a list of where to source the products mentioned.  To look at past columns, click here. And for lots more solutions to your beauty dilemmas, visit Q&A, just click here.

November 1st, 2009:  Products for under-eye lines

Q I'm 48 years old and wonder if there is anything that would possibly help the lines under my eyes to become less noticeable, rather then going under the knife. Some products give me eczema so I have to be careful.

A To be honest, going under the knife wont help lines.  Lasering might – but since you prefer to try a product first (which we entirely agree with), here are some suggestions.

Since you have sensitive skin, the fewer ingredients the better.  On the whole, natural ingredients are less likely to irritate (though some, just like synthetic chemicals, can still provoke a reaction – it’s very individual).  So here are some of the natural Eye Creams, which scored highly with our ten women panels of testers for the latest round of consumer surveys published in our book The Green Beauty Bible, now in paperback.

The top scorer with an impressive 8.35/10 was A’kin Ginkgo & Chamomile Revitalising Night Eye Crème, at an affordable £17.61 for 15 ml.  Our testers got fantastic results from this fusion of cornflower, alpha-lipoic acid, omega-3, 06 and 09 essential fatty acids and ginkgo.  Testers said: ‘I loved everything about this – lovely to use’ • ‘sank in easily – fine lines less noticeable’ • ‘didn’t irritate my sensitive eyes’ • ‘reduction in puffiness and fine lines smoothed’.

In second place, with a very creditable 7.7/10, was Trilogy Eye Contour Cream, £22.46 for 20ml.  This fragrance-free formula rose well to the challenges of an anti-ageing eye product, with its cocktail of soothing aloe vera gel, rosehip, carrot, evening primrose, almond and vitamin E oils.  Testers commented: ‘fine lines are less visible and weeks of stress at work with a couple of late nights haven’t taken their usual toll’ • ‘doesn’t irritate my sensitive skin’ • ‘lids are smoother – noticeably easier to apply eyeshadow’.

Just a tad lower, with 7.78/10, was Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare Daily Eye Repair, £12.50 for 10ml. This intensive cream contains concentrated botanicals including echinacea and vitamin E, and also light-reflective pigments to brighten the under eye area (like Touche Eclat!).  One tester was ‘amazed to see a visible difference: fine lines reduced on the eye I used this one’.  Another said ‘this instantly blurred lines, worked very well on puffiness and camouflaged dark circles’.

We . . . Perfect Hands gift set from This Works, £30, from Victoria Health. The perfect, gorgeously packaged present for special girlfriends, family and colleagues.  The hydrating hand cream with rose, mimosa and musk mallow will keep paws soft, smooth and luscious, and even help with brown spots.  And hands will be cosy on even the chilliest days in the superchic,  elbow-length, greige-coloured cashmere blend mitts, while keeping fingers free to do whatever! 

Where to find products:

A’kin Ginkgo & Chamomile Revitalising Night Eye Crème, £17.61 for 20 ml, is available from www.victoriahealth.com. Don’t forget your exclusive 5% discount with all online orders.

Trilogy Eye Contour Cream, £22.46 for 20ml, is available from www.victoriahealth.com. Don’t forget your exclusive 5% discount with all online orders.

Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare Daily Eye Repair, £12.50 for 10ml, is available from www.uk.lizearle.com.

Perfect Hands gift set from This Works, £30 for hand cream and cashmere blend long mitts, from www.victoriahealth.com. Don’t forget your exclusive 5% discount with all online orders.

Beauty Bible Beauty Clinic Archive

October 25th, 2009 - Facial Cleansers
October 18th, 2009 - Winter Colours
October 11th, 2009 - Omega-3 and probiotic supplements
October 4th, 2009 - Winter Skincare
September 27th, 2009 - Jawline
September 13th, 2009 - Thread Veins
September 6th, 2009 - Thread Veins
August 30th, 2009 - Vitamin C and Skincare
August 23rd, 2009 - Beat Stings and Itches
August 15th, 2009 - Sunscreens
August 9th, 2009 - Good Skin Care
August 2nd, 2009 - Lash Conditioners
July 26th, 2009 - Spa Treatments
July 19th, 2009 - Organic Tinted Moisturiser
July 12th, 2009 - Hair Protection
July 5th, 2009 - Cellulite
June 28th, 2009 - Sexy Summer Scents
June 21st, 2009 - Eyeliner Tricks
June 14th, 2009 - Natural Suncare
June 7th, 2009 - Anti Ageing Skin Care
May 31st, 2009 - Natural Nail Polishes
May 24th, 2009 - Body Polishing
May 17th, 2009 - Rosacea
May 10th, 2009 - Manky Feet
May 3rd, 2009 - Makeup Makeover
April 26th, 2009 - Facial Hair Removal
April 19th, 2009 - Teen Skin
April 12th, 2009 - Swimmers Hair
April 5th, 2009 - Make-up For Damaged Skin
March 29th, 2009 - Are Sunbeds Safe?
March 22nd, 2009 - Weak, Flaking Nails
March 15th, 2009 - Puffy Eyes
March 8th, 2009 - Camouflaging Red Cheeks
March 1st, 2009 - Hair Colouring in Pregnancy
February 22nd, 2009 - Thinning Eyebrows
February 15th, 2009 - Acne