Question: Now that we are all masked up, which part of the face do we look at the most? Answer: The eyes. Ever since face masks have become our essential accessory, our eyes have truly become the windows to our souls, expressing how we feel inside and out, to family, mates and strangers alike. Problem is, our eyes could look the worse for wear now. With all the dining at and working from home, we are now constantly glued to the screens of our digital devices for both work and entertainment. Couple that with how wearing face masks might irritate the skin below our precious orbs, or send our hot, stinky breath upwards and towards to sting them, it is no wonder we might just end up with tired-looking eyes, with the thin skin underneath looking more stretched out and rubbed out, wrinkly, dry, puffy, inked with dark circles, weighed down by eye bags, inflamed or – horror of horrors – all of the aforementioned, all at once.
Time to invest in an eye serum for the save. This specialised eye care product can help with reducing the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles such as crow’s feet, dark circles and puffiness, and improving skin firmness, with the benefits more apparent when used over a longer period of time. And, if you prefer something that’s less rich and heavily moisturising than an eye cream (because of our muggy weather or sensitive skin) but which contains more active ingredients such as antioxidants, humectants (for hydration) and retinols (to aid in lessening fine lines and dullness), then serums are your skin health super heroes. Call upon any of these 5 so that you can look bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, to face any villain (of yours and your skin’s) or just plain anyone, any day.
Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG, $15 (30ml), The Ordinary
Instead of drinking your caffeine drink to wake you up, why not drip it onto your under-eye skin to wake your eyes up? Hear us out: Despite the unsexy name (both the brand and the product), this light-textured formula contains a high 5% concentration of caffeine and a highly-purified polyphenol that’s found in green tea called Epigallocatechin Gallatyl Glucoside (EGCG), ingredients that purportedly help to reduce puffiness and dark circle pigmentation in the eye contour. Well, if it comes from a brand under the DECIEM umbrella of beauty names including NIOD and Hylamide that’s marketed as “clinical formulations with integrity”, it definitely deserves a “buy and try” for being a superb value-for-money science- and tech-based skincare item.
Available at VIIMART.
BONUS: SAFRA members receive $10 off with minimum $60 spend (for new VIIMART customers) and 10% off with no minimum spend (for existing VIIMART customers). Click here for more information.
Shaba Complex Eye Serum, $86 (15ml), Drunk Elephant
The brand’s been on the up-and-up ever since it was bought by Japanese beauty giant Shisedo Co. in 2019 – little wonder since it was one of the buzziest “clean” beauty brands that advocated for ingredient transparency and does not use certain ones such as drying alcohols, silicones and sodium lauryl sulfates that might not be all that good for the skin. And for the thin skin below our eyes, less of such stuff, the better. Instead, this vegan and cruelty-free serum contains black tea ferment, niacinamide, copper peptides and edelweiss stem cells to (as its product description says) “tackle the issues, not cover them up”. Which means, you can apply this satiny serum to show off your peepers even as you deal with signs of aging, fine lines and sun damage.
Available at Sephora, multiple locations, sephora.sg
Elderflower Unperfumed Eye Gel, $20 (15ml), The Body Shop
Okay, this is an eye gel and not an actual serum, but it is perfect for those who are afraid of spending a bomb on an ingredient-filled powerhouse that you aren’t sure of or might be way too rich for your delicate under-eye skin. This affordable and vegan option does a basic job, but does it well; it cools and refreshes dehydrated skin around the eyes with Hamemelis Virginiana Water and Sambucus Nigra Flower Water, which is especially great in sunny SG. Tip: Keep this in the fridge and take it out to smooth around the eye area before your nth Zoom meeting of the day for that extra-chilled perk-me-up.
Available at The Body Shop, multiple locations, www.thebodyshop.com/en-sg
Black Tea Youth Enhancing Eye Serum, $41 (15ml), innisfree
A serum that’s meant to combat under-eye skin-related “evidence” of fatigue from “binge-watching a TV series overnight, working out, working overtime, late-night gatherings, a variety of daily stress and lack of sleep”? Consider us sold! Sounding like it’s tailor made for urbanites living the city life (a.k.a most of us here in SG), this night care solution’s secret power is its special Reset Concentrate made from 80% fermented black tea that’s extracted in 80°C mineral water for 12 hours. What this Korean brand’s mild and lightweight formulation does: It glides on like a gel without leaving any stickiness, only a “bouncy” and comfy feeling, helping you look rested and more refreshed during the day while erasing traces of your Netflix nights.
Available at innisfree stores, multiple locations, www.innisfree.com/sg
Intense Anti Wrinkle Eye Serum, $37.80 (20ml), Privia
If dryness and wrinkles are your main concerns for the dermal area around your eyes, then this made-in-Korea product might just be the one to help alleviate these issues for you. How so? The hyaluronic acid and Trehalose+ (a sugar-based formulation used for moisturising) within aid in enhancing the skin’s moisture barrier and maintaining optimal hydration levels, while the licorice powder and niacinamide help with lessening the appearance of wrinkles and improving general skin health. Just drop some drips, dab and tap them in, and you’re done.
Available at VIIMART.
BONUS: SAFRA members receive $10 off with minimum $60 spend (for new VIIMART customers) and 10% off with no minimum spend (for existing VIIMART customers). Click here for more information.
Featured image: Shutterstock
