Men’s Grooming: Eye Care

Introduction

Even if you have an immaculate hair cut, the closest of close shaves and more style credentials than you can shake a stick at, your eyes can always give the game away. One of the most important aspects of maintaining a fresh-faced, youthful appearance is taking care of the skin around our eyes. It tells the story of a late night or an all day drinking session more that we realise – so it’s a wonder we don’t pay more attention to this area.
Sometimes guys can have a ‘take it or leave it’ attitude to certain grooming products. Your fake tans, tinted moisturisers, concealers, body scrubs and the like are popular with some, but seen as unnecessary to others. However, increasingly hectic lifestyles mean eye care products are becoming a necessity in the quest for a fresh-faced look.
So why do we need specific eye creams, and what are the best products in terms of convenience and performance? In order to find out, I’ve gone back to basics to deliver an eye care guide that means you’ll be relying less and less on your sunglasses to cover your sins!

What Causes Tired Looking Eyes?

It can be any one of a number of factors that cause problems with the skin around your eyes, and they’re normally associated with external aspects like diet, climate, lifestyle and the stresses we put on our skin – while fine lines and crows feet can hint at skin ageing.
The main issue is that the skin around the eye area is the thinnest on the face, meaning that it is by far the most vulnerable area of the complexion. Whenever you’re tired, stressed or dehydrated it shows here first. Coupled with that is the fact that there are no oil or sebaceous glands to naturally hydrate the delicate skin in this area, so your eyes can often appear puffy, dehydrated and with nasty looking dark circles.

What Can You Do About It?

The obvious way to avoid any sign of tiredness or discolouration in the eye area is to get a good nights sleep, drink lots of water, eat plenty of fruit and veg, avoid pollution, sun damage, alcohol and cigarette smoke. So in other words… pretty much not leaving your house, well, ever.
Quite obviously, that isn’t going to happen, so it’s important to use high performance skincare products to help you prevent and recover from any eye care problems you experience.

Puffy Eyes & Dark Circles

Panda eyes, rings, bags or dark circles – whatever you call them they’re a skin care problem that has a big impact on your look. Many experts believe that the issue of puffy eyes and dark circles is caused by blood retention brought on by fatigue, lack of sleep or stress – something you may already know or have experienced.
Another factor concerns dehydration, with veins and capillaries starting to show through because the skin is so thin and lacking in moisture. It’s clear then that in order to tackle these problems we need products that have a cooling, hydrating and invigorating effect. Luckily for us, there are a number of great products on the market designed exactly for this purpose.
Tasked with reducing and preventing the symptoms of tired looking eyes, the top products on the market use ingredients like caffeine (for obvious reasons), ginseng and Coenzyme Q10 to deliver proven results. But the secret to their success doesn’t just lie in their formulas; it’s also in the application.
Many of the eye care products from the top men’s grooming brands are designed with a convenient roller ball applicator, making them easy to use wherever you are. Perfect if you’re a creature of convenience like me. Pop them in your man bag, your desk draw or your glove box – anywhere that will be close at hand when fatigue comes calling:

• Loréal Men Expert Hydra Energetic Cooling Eye Roll-on 10ml
• Clinique Anti-fatigue Cooling Eye Gel 15ml
• Nivea For Men Q10 Revitalising Eye Roll-on 15ml
• Biotherm High Recharge Eye Serum 10ml

Covering Up

If your dark circle or under eye bag problem is particularly severe, then you may want to consider using a small amount of concealer to cover your sins *controversial topic alert*.
Don’t be put off by the fact that this product is essentially make up, because the benefits far outweigh the stigma. Not only are these products designed to discreetly cover up your eye care problems, but fantastic products like the Murad Eye Lift Perfector actually contain ingredients similar to many skincare products to correct imperfections while it covers them!

• Murad Eye Lift Perfector 1.8ml
• Guyliner Disguys Concealer – Medium
• Yves Saint Laurent for Men Touche Eclat

Wrinkles & Crows Feet

Your eyes are one of the first places to show signs of ageing, so it’s vitally important to take preventative measures before it’s too late. When it comes to fine lines, crow’s feet, wrinkles and dark spots it’s important to avoid sun damage (sunglasses are a must) and take good care of your skin from your early 20s. Starting early and using the correct products mean that you’ll reap the benefits well into your 50s.
In a similar way to preventing dark circles and puffy eyes, combating ageing skin involves keeping the skin in the eye area hydrated, as dry skin is much more likely to age quickly. Along with that, ingredients such as anti-oxidant vitamins A and E and Liquorice Root Extract work to tighten, reduce lines and brighten the skin to prevent wrinkles from developing.
Here are some of my favourites from the top men’s brands that are proven to help you get results:

• Ole Henriksen Fresh Start Eye Creme 28g
• Lab Series Skincare For Men Max Ls Instant Eye Lift 15ml
• Kyoku For Men Eye Fuel 20ml
• Clarinsmen Line-control Eye Balm 20ml

How To Apply

All of your hard work and financial investment will be fruitless if you don’t apply your eye care products properly. So to prevent falling at the final hurdle, make sure you follow these simple application tips:

• Always apply with minimal pressure. As guys we have a tendency to go flying in at 100mph whatever we’re doing, but with eye care it’s vitally important to apply your chosen product with very minimal pressure. As I previously mentioned, the skin around your eye is extremely delicate, so if you’re too rough you’ll only do more damage.
• Apply product using the tip of your ring finger. Unless you’re using a roller ball applicator (which minimises your heavy handed potential) then always apply your product using your ring finger. It’s the finger that has the least pressure potential, which means you’re less likely to apply with any force.
• Apply from the inside out. Start by applying small dots of cream along the line of your cheek bone and work your way along your bottom lid using a gentle patting motion. Repeat along the upper lid, just above the eye brow, until all the product is absorbed.
• Keep your product in the fridge. For an extra cooling effect pop your product in the fridge to help banish puffiness. Just make sure when you open the fridge door in the morning you pick up your eye cream and not the chili sauce by mistake.

Conclusion

So there you have it, a guide to helping your eye area look its very best.