source:flickr by:StaR_DusT

How to Prolong the Effects of Your Under Eye Cream

Have you ever discontinued the use of an eye wrinkle cream after you begin to see results? Or, do you put off purchasing more under eye cream after you’ve run out? Many eye cream users take breaks from using their eye products for one reason or another. While eye care “vacations” aren’t ideal, they’re sometimes unavoidable, especially if the cream you use is hard to find. Here’s a few tips and tricks for prolonging the effects of your anti aging eye cream during a brief hiatus from your regular eye care regimen.

Stay Hydrated
Be sure to drink plenty of water (at least 64 ounces a day), and apply a gentle skin care moisturizer to the eye area. Be sure the skin care product is safe for use in the eye area; try to find one that’s ophthalmologist-tested and hypoallergenic.

Protect Against Damage
At least 20 minutes before leaving the house, apply an SPF with antioxidants to the eye area. If you’ve already applied a skin moisturizer, chances are you’re already receiving some free radical protection, and you may even have a light layer of sun protection. Ideally, the eye area should be shielded with an SPF of at least 15 to provide the best protection against sun damage. In addition, be sure to consume many antioxidant-rich foods throughout the day for the overall health of the body and eye area.

Use a Treatment Product
While you’re taking a break from using your normal skin care eye cream, it’s the perfect time to try a more intense treatment product. Search for a repair serum or cream that works at the cellular level to reverse damage and diminish visible signs of aging. There are many fantastic eye anti aging cream treatment products from which to choose, so study up on the best ingredients, and have fun shopping for a new beauty product!

As soon as you’re able, continue the use of your daily eye cream product. While the above tips will always provide benefits to your entire body, they’ll be optimized when practiced in conjunction with a regular day and night eye cream regimen.

source: flickr by: statico

Keep it Cool

The delicate skin around the eye is more susceptible to damage than almost any other area of skin on the body. Drastic climate or temperature changes can do a number on the eye area, leaving it irritated, uncomfortable, and looking ragged. This leads some people to believe that storing under eye cream in the refrigerator will do more harm than good.

The opposite is true, however. Storing your anti wrinkle eye cream in the refrigerator is one of the best ways to de-puff swollen eyes. Plus, the cool cream can be ultra soothing during summer’s heat waves. For really puffy eyes, make sure to choose an eye cream product formulated with anti-puff ingredients, such as cucumber, witch hazel, or caffeine.

If your entire face suffers from morning puff (possibly induced by late summer nights), try storing your toner and regular skin care face cream in the fridge, too. The cold causes the same effect that an ice pack has on swelling. After application, your face will be de-puffed and ready for makeup application. For refreshing the skin throughout the day or after work, keep a hydrating spritz handy in the refrigerator door.

Short on fridge space? Keep your travel-size skin care eye cream and other skin care products in the fridge instead of your regular-size products. That way, you have the option of using cool or room temperature products, and you won’t use up so much room on your skin care items. If you don’t own travel-size products, you can purchase empty travel-size tubs or bottles at any store selling travel-size toiletries. Using a skin care spatula to avoid contaminating the formulation, scoop some of the product into the empty container. Voila! Instant miniature beauty care products.

Tips like these may seem simple, but they make a world of difference. So go ahead, pop your best under eye cream in the fridge without worrying. You’ll be thankful it’s there after your Labor Day celebration!

source:flickr by:darkmatter

Eye Cream Ingredients: Mineral Oil

Whether you know it as mineral oil, petroleum jelly, or petrolatum, it’s a skin care ingredient to avoid. Shockingly common in our everyday skin care products and eye creams, mineral oil and its derivatives can cause extreme damage to our skin and bodies. If it’s so dangerous, why is it used? The answer is sadly unsurprising; it’s incredibly cheap.

Contrary to its name, mineral oil, sometimes known as paraffin oil, is not sourced from minerals. Mineral oil is a byproduct of the distillation of gasoline from crude oil. Mineral oil is a clear, unscented liquid that will not spoil, and since it’s made in the process of distilling gasoline, it is extremely abundant. To get an idea of how cheap this beauty care ingredient is, remember this: it is more expensive to dispose of mineral oil than it is to purchase it. Mineral oil is used in many beauty and eye care products, including everything from moisturizers to eye creams to baby care products.

Petroleum jelly and petrolatum have very few differences. Both are jelly forms of mineral oil, making them better for use in things like lipstick and eye gels. They cause the skin care product to spread easily and coat the skin well, which are two very important things when it comes to skin care, especially eye wrinkle creams. However, petrolatum and petroleum jelly cause the same problems as mineral oil, making them all ingredients to avoid.

Even though there are many healthier alternatives to petroleum jelly, petrolatum and mineral oil, these ingredients are most often used because they’re cheaper for the manufacturer. In turn, the product is then cheaper for you, the customer; but at what cost to your health? Here’s a look at the dangers mineral oil and its derivatives pose to your skin and overall health:

• Clogs pores (comedogenic)
• Slows skin’s ability to eliminate toxins
• Dries the skin by stealing moisture
• Increases photo-sensitivity
• Likely to contain cancer-causing carcinogens
• Absorbs important vitamins, making them unavailable to the body
• Can cause lipid pneumonia, a potentially fatal disease

In addition, mineral oil, petroleum jelly, and petrolatum increase the likelihood of your under eye cream traveling into your eyes. Because mineral oil does not absorb into the skin, it simply sits on the top of the dermis, making it extremely easy for your eye cream product and its active ingredients to enter the eye. This can cause everything from redness and puffiness to an extreme allergic reaction, especially if any of the ingredients are found in your night eye cream.

For any or all of the reasons listed above, it would certainly be a wise move to remove from your skin care regimen any eye care product containing mineral oil or its offspring. Be sure to also check your other skin care products, as well as your child’s skin care products, for these highly dangerous poisons.

Eye Cream of the Month: PCA Skin EyeXcellence

EyeXcellence is brought to you by PCA Skin, a leading clinical skin care company that supplies chirally correct products. PCA Skin claims to be the first cosmeceutical company to create scientifically researched daily skin care products, and is recognized in medical textbooks as the company behind blended chemical peel treatments. PCA Skin’s entire range is free of synthetic fragrances, alcohols, comedogenic oils, color additives and other sensitizers, allowing them to be used by all skin types. In addition, PCA products are available only through licensed medical professionals, making them an exclusive and trusted brand.

PCA’s EyeXcellence under eye cream is designed to treat the three most common eye area concerns: puffiness, dark circles, and wrinkles. Formulated with three peptides (Dipeptide-2, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-3, and Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-3/Matrixyl®), EyeXcellence is able to increase collagen production, circulation and capillary function. These three actions encourage a smooth skin texture, an even skin tone, and a youthful brightness.

In addition to these peptides, EyeXcellence uses grape seed extract, aloe and vitamin E to deeply moisturize and nourish the eye area while supplying exceptional antioxidant protection against free radicals. By using antioxidants to protect the delicate eye area, signs of damage such as wrinkles and discoloration are less likely to occur. Finally, ingredients like licorice root extract and panax ginseng extract work overtime to diminish puffiness and dark circles, restoring a healthy and young-looking vibrancy to the entire eye area.

This truly excellent skin care eye cream may be used twice daily without increased risk of irritation or adverse effects. Customer reviews state that a little bit of this product goes a long way, which maximizes the life of your tube. Customers also say that EyeXcellence is the best eye cream for those who enjoy a rich yet light texture that absorbs quickly and completely, leaving a reside-free finish that feels fresh and soft.