Quest for the perfect eye cream

Hey Everyone,

For the longest time I have had a tumultuous relationship with eye-creams. I thought I'd share my experience with these products and let you know the ones that have worked out the best for me.

L-->R Nivea Aqua Sensation Anti-Shadow Eye Cream, Tebe Gentle Eye Cream, Origins Eye Doctor, Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Eye Concentrate, Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado.

My first ever eye cream at age 16 was the the Nivea Aqua Sensation Anti-Shadow. It was perfect for my main concern at the time which was dark shadow's under my eyes. It worked well to improve these and I continued to use it until my university years when I found it was discontinued in NZ. I was devastated (maybe an exaggeration) but this meant I had to find an alternative. I tried the Clinique All About Eyes which worked okay for a month until I began to get severe eye lid eczema and this seemed to only worsen it (so much for an "allergy tested" brand). After that I used the very gentle Tebe Eye Cream which didn't do much more than provide my under eye area with some moisture. After that it was the Origins Eye Doctor. This like the Clinique worked okay until once again i developed under eye eczema. This finally led me to my two favourite eye creams to date, both by Kiehl's

Here's what I think of the Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado (CETWA):

This is a superb moisturising eye cream. It comes out of the tub like any other cream (except it's avocado green);  it then emulsifies into a silky gel that in combination with warmth from the skin glides on incredibly smooth. It keeps my under eye's moisturised well overnight and throughout the day. It can be greasy if you over-apply and you only need a tiny amount. It does prevent dark circles and puffiness but it will not get rid of them. The best part about this eye cream is it wont migrate into your eye and cause irritation.



 Here's what I think of the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Eye Concentrate (MREC):

After using the Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado I was well impressed. About 4 months ago I started doing a Surgical Rotation which meant I was constantly sleep deprived and as a result had horrendous puffiness and dark circles under my eyes. So in my hunt for a de-puffing and anti-circle eye cream I came across reviews for the Midnight Recovery Eye. Having used the serum in this brand, (see this post: beautydoctor25.blogspot.co.nz/2012/07/kiehls-midnight-recovery-concentrate.html) I had high expectations. They were all met. This is a very smooth soft cream that somehow manages to reduce puffiness and dark circles almost overnight. Like the serum, you wake up looking like you've had a restful sleep, even if you haven't! It does have a slight scent of lavender but hardly noticed once its blended into the skin.
On a side note I was reading Cosmopolitan Magazine the other day and found that this concentrate won the 2012 Cosmopolitan Beauty Award for Best Eye Cream. So clearly I'm not the only one in love.

I alternate use of the two Kiehl's eye cream at the moment. If I know I wont be getting a decent sleep, MREC comes in handy. If I'm having a sleep-in the next morning I got with the CETWA. I cant recommend Kiehl's products enough (and I promise I'm not paid to say this either)!

Fine lines are not yet a concern for me so I cannot comment on these cream's as anti-wrinkle agents; but I do think that starting use of an Eye Cream at a young age works in preventing wrinkles years later. As we know prevention is far better than cure.

Let me know what your favourite eye creams are!

xo
Beauty Doc

The Cinnamon Room in Parnell

Hey Everyone,

This is entirely a non-beauty related post. I just had to address the fact that I have found the most amazing Indian Cuisine in all of New Zealand. The Cinnamon Room only recently opened but I already anticipate the hype that there will be for this place.

Stand out dish was the entree the "Bullets" as pictured below. They are a unique and delicious deep fried vegetable finger food served with a spicy vinaigrette that I have never seen at any other Indian restaurant. What I love is the authenticity this place has, having eaten Indian food in India, I can safely say this food is LEGIT!

The location, service, presentation and quality of food is, in my view unsurpassed by any other Indian food restaurant in Auckland. Highly recommended. 

Check it out at www.thecinnamonroom.co.nz

xo

Beauty Doc

Barbie nails - OPI Shorts Story

Hey everyone,

I am not going to lie, I was a barbie fan as a little girl and so clearly barbie-pink was my favourite colour during these years.

OPI's Shorts Story is essentially the barbie-pink that i adore. Its not warm or cold, its a "neutral" pink, if that makes any sense. One coat is more than opaque and as OPI nail-polishes usually do, it lasts a number of days with no chipping.

As you can see it also matches my phone case which is no coincidence!

Will be posting about eye-creams very soon, stay tuned!

xo

Beauty Doc

Origins A Perfect World Antioxidant Moisturizer Review

Hi Everyone,

I know I haven't been posting very regularly lately but consider the next few posts an apology.
This review is on a product that I have been using for the last 6 months and that I hope to be using for the next 10 years.  It is the Origins A Perfect World Antioxidant Moisturizer with White Tea.

New pot on the left, used pot on the right!

So a little background on my skin type and previous experience with moisturisers first. For about 10 years I used one moisturiser only, that was the Nivea Face Hand and Body Creme. Occasionally I would change things up and try other drug store brands but I would always return to Nivea. The Nivea creme had served me well through high school and university keeping my skin well hydrated and plump.

However about 6 months ago I was having a particularly bad time with dry patches of skin on my cheeks as it was starting to transition into winter, so I did a little bit of research online. I found a number of positive reviews on the Perfect World White Tea Moisturizer for people with dry to combination skin. As I had previously tried an Origins eye cream I knew they were a trusted and (mostly) natural brand. So I popped into Mecca Cosmetica in New Market and bought the cream.

When I initially saw the product I thought it was odd that it wasn't white like all the other moisturisers I had used before. But I disregarded this quickly and applied it. It went on smoothly and while initially leaving a dewey tinge to the skin, within a few minutes had completely sunk into my skin. It smelt amazing on application, but not so strong that the scent lingered.

Here's how I rate it:

• Packaging - It comes in a light green glass pot with a plastic screw on lid. Its basic and I really do  like this. I guess the only negative some people might have to say is that since its not in a squeezy tube, its not the most hygienic way of dispensing a moisturiser. I counter this by only ever using it with cleanly washed hands. Also department stores do carry small disposable plastic spatula's (very La Mer esque) that you can use if desired.
• Smell and consistency - To me this moisturiser has a very distinct citrusy smell to it; I am told that its the white tea. Either way I like it. Its a fairly thick light peach (not white) cream that sinks into skin easily.
• Performance - I cannot say enough good things about this moisturiser. After using it for about 2 weeks I noticed a definite improvement in the tone and texture of my skin. The dry patches are no longer a problem, the redness around my cheeks has improved and the most amazing thing about this moisturiser is that in 6 months, I have not had a single significant zit or breakout. The years that I had been using my Nivea creme I could almost guarantee a zit every month (around that time) but since using this cream, I haven't had any such thing. It may be that my hormones have sorted them selves out coincidentally at the same time I start using the new moisturiser, but regardless, I'm sold on this creams efficacy. Its selling point is as an antioxidant (which in the cosmetic industry, is synonymous with anti-ageing properties). I obviously can't comment on this as have only used it for 6 months, but I know that my skin has never looked younger than it does these days. I did notice while I was in Thailand and using a different moisturiser (the Vitamin E Moisturiser by The Body Shop) my skin was definitely not looking or feeling the best it could have. On return home I switched back to the Perfect World Moisturizer and there was a silent sigh of relief from my skin.
• Price - I bought mine from Mecca Cosmetica (New Market) however I believe you can order it online at www.meccacosmetica.co.nz or even nz.strawberrynet.com (when they have it in stock). It cost $NZD 77 which I think for a face cream, that does so much, is a bargain. I like to think of my skin care products as an investment towards my future skin (which is the largest organ in the body). 

Overall I rate this moisturiser a 9/10

I have always been hesitant to try new skin care products on my face due to how sensitive my skin can be (particularly with fragranced products). However this moisturiser has become my holy grail. If I were on a deserted Island and told i could only bring one product, this would be it. 

Hope this gave you some info on, in my opinion, a relatively under hyped product. let me know if you have any questions that I may not have answered. 

xo

Beauty Doc