Oh K!

Ms. New Beauty is getting grown. She didn't quite realize it at first, but she is surely a grown woman. It just happened one day, she was driving in her car and the "old school" lunch mix came on. And, to her dismay, all of the songs were ones that she used to party to in high school. Apparently, the late 90's is now considered old school. Biggie Smalls, SWV, Next, and Xscape have gone the way of Kurtis Blow when it comes to radio play. But don't get confused, MNB is still as young and fresh as she wants to be. In a hoodie and some doorknockers (don't act like you don't know those big hoop earrings you can fit a fist through), she can pass for a teenager. Yet, she still has to confront one of the most vexing signs of aging, dark circles. Now, Ms. New Beauty didn't claim to have dark circles, just an area beneath her eye that's a deeper hue than the rest of her face. That's how she described it, and yes, she was quite comfortable in denial. She set up a nice little apartment in denial and had the mail forwarded there. Oh, but MNB just got back from U-haul with a bunch of boxes because she's moving out and back into the real world, where she doesn't have to worry about dark circles any more.

Peter Thomas Roth Power K Eye Rescue

I have been trying to find a solution to my aforementioned problems for months. I posted before about a total waste of money that is still taking up space in my medicine cabinet. Since then, I tried two more creams and serums that promised to visibly reduce the appearance of dark circles. Neither delivered, explanations below. I was ready to give up on my search until I remembered an eye cream that was recommended on the Dark Circles Blog. This one.


This cream is the only thing that has made a difference on my dark circles. After just a few days, I noticed a difference and I have not been happier. Packed with vitamins, anti-oxidants, and even caviar, this cream helps to relieve puffiness and relieve dark circles, fine lines, and even bruising caused from rubbing your eyes to vigorously (something I am guilty of when I'm sleepy, like now). But, the key ingredient in this cream is Vitamin K. This ingredient has been shown to relieve discoloration and help even out skin tone. I truly believe that this is the only thing that made a difference for me. PTR also makes a Power K face lotion designed to even out complexions. My fav saleslady at Sephora told me that lots of women rave about it, especially women of color. This eye cream isn't cheap, but it was well worth it.

$100, available at Sephora

And now onto the creams that were not worth it.

Hylexin

You know how they say, "you get what you pay for" right? Well, in this case, it's not true. I paid $95 for this eye cream and delicately patted in on with my ring finger twice a day for months. Nothing. Not one difference. Dark circles can be caused by two things - hyperpigmentation or leaky capillaries. Capillaries are the tiniest of the tiniest veins in our bodies and in very sensitive areas like the eyes, those capillaries can rupture and leak blood. That blood pools under the eyes and darkens causing those dark circles. Hylexin claims to reduce the appearance of that darkened blood and to strengthen your capillaries so that they don't leak as easily.

All that science and it did nothing for me. It's likely that the darkening around my eyes is attributable to just general darkening and not leaky capillaries. But I don't know for sure. What I do know is that I'm glad I decided to try this one out at Sephora, who has a very liberal return policy. I exchanged the half used cream for the Power K and I couldn't be happier. Not quite bad enough to qualify for Money Saver status because it just might not be designed for me, but make sure you get this one from a place that accepts returns.

$95

DDF Erase Eye Gel

And now we come to the worst of the worst. First, this eye cream smells like buttercream frosting. Now, I'm not a fan of the foody scents, but at least I can understand the appeal of a body butter or lotion that smells sweet like frosting. But an eye cream? Who in the world wants their eyes to smell like frosting? Smells aside, this thin serum was not easy to apply. One pump of the bottle dispenses way more product than you will actually need, unless your eyes are the size of baseballs. And, it's runny texture made the cream get into and subsequently burn my eyes. Every day, no matter how carefully I applied, my eyes were stinging and burning for five minutes after application.

Yet, despite the smell, the messiness and the burning, I forged ahead and continued to use this for almost a month. No change, no improvement at all. I can look past a lot when I get results. But there's no way I'm putting up with messy, smelly, stinging products that do nothing. This one is definitely a Money Saver.

$45.


Lighten up around the eyes, and stay as young as you can pass for, just don't forget that Ms. New Beauty told you!