Puffy eyes aren’t a good look on anyone. They can be a tell-tale sign of being over-tired, run-down and stressed, and they can also imply hormone changes and water retention.
What's more, and we hate to be the bearer of bad news, but alcohol can also be a trigger, as can spending too much time staring at your tablet or mobile device. Sure, you may have good intentions to cut down on how much time you spend looking at your phone, but it’s easier said than done. When we stare at a tablet the rate at which we blink can drop considerably - from 30 blinks a minute to just six - and eyes can become dry and puffy as a result.
As soon as they appear, you want them gone - so here are a few products to counteract puffiness and help reduce the appearance of dark circles...
The overnight depuffer If by the end of a normal day your eyes feel tight, drawn and tired then put your faith in something that can restore and depuff them while you sleep. Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Eye, £22.05, can be dabbed around the eyes and as well as reducing the look of fine lines and wrinkles can take the ‘puff’ out of any eye bags.
Cool and calm A little bit of ‘cool’ can quickly banish any pesky luggage lingering under the eyes, but pair that with some skin-kind ingredients and you have a winning package. Peter Thomas Roth Cucumber De-tox De-Puffing Eye Cubes, £34, can be popped in the freezer overnight, and when used the mixture of cooling green tea, chamomile and aloe vera will make you look bright-eyed, not tired and drawn.
A pro-strength treatment Getting a professional treatment every time you look or feel tired sounds amazing, but it’s not entirely practical. MURAD Eye Lift Firming Treatment, £38.25, gives you a professional-strength treatment, that tightens, lifts, fills and depuffs the area, in the comfort of your own home. Simply use three pumps of serum on each pad and after 15 minutes, lift them away to reveal that has been intensively rejuvenated.
Keep bags at bay You can rely on Benefit to create products that say what they do on the tin and Benefit Puff Off Eye Gel, £22.50, is no exception. The cooling tip is actually shaped like an iron so you can literally iron away your puffiness and wrinkles, plus there’s a mix of clever peptides and light-diffusing particles that keep bags at bay and refine the look of the skin under the eye.
Bright eyes On those mornings when your face looks exactly how you feel - tired and grumpy - but you need to look bright-eyed and bushy-tailed it’s time to reach for Origins Ginzing Refreshing Eye Cream, £18. A complex of caffeine from coffee bean, ginseng and magnolia extract wake up the skin around the eye and enhance the look of the skin around the eye thanks to a blend of optic diffusers.
Tranform tired eyes You don’t want to clog up puffy eyes by adding heavy creams or thick lotions to the area. That’s why Clinique Pep Start, £22, is such a good choice as the formula is especially lightweight so it treats the area, depuffing and refining, but is absorbed so quickly you can apply make-up immediately after applying. It’s also light enough to top-up throughout the day, should you need it.
The power serum The cool tip of the Strivectin 360 Tightening Eye Serum, £52, instantly de puffs the eye area, but the mix of caffeine and peptides wakes up the eyes so they look brighter, refined and smoother looking. There’s also a patented molecule, NIA-114, that protects the delicate area from environmental aggressors, meaning the likelihood of more puffiness is decreased.
