Are eye creams worth the money? Should you choose an eye balm or eye cream? Lucky for you, I’m obsessed with eye creams – here’s my review of what’s on the market.
It’s no secret, I’m a skin care junkie. My bathroom cabinet is filled with rows and rows of serums, creams, crèmes, balms and more. I consider an eye cream one of the most essential parts of my skin care routine. By keeping the delicate skin around my eyes hydrated and protected, I’m preventing fine lines from forming and helping my makeup go on more evenly.
In my search for the perfect beauty cream, I tried 10 different eye creams currently on the market. Here are my honest reviews of each meticulously tested product…
P.S. – If you enjoy my photography style, check out my Instagram account!
Tata Harper Illuminating Eye Creme Review
Tata Harper’s bright green bottles are instantly recognizable, and her cheek balms have developed a cult following. Could her Illuminating Eye Crème live up? The cream is 100% natural and nontoxic, a huge plus. It gets its pleasant smell from floral essential oils, not artificial perfumes. With diamond radiance? Yes as the label promises, it contains actual diamond dust that gives your skin a natural glow without turning you into a disco ball. At $95 for 0.5 fluid ounces, this is the price you pay to rub real diamonds onto your skin. Using it made me feel fresh and look more awake than I typically feel. If dark circles are your number one skin worry, this is a great product. In fact, the glow is so lovely it makes me want to skip concealer altogether! I also love that it comes with a pump. Super easy for on the go and it makes sure you don’t use too much.
Price: 0.5 fluid ounces // $95
Verdict: Not cheap, but you’ll get hooked on the dewy glow of real diamonds.
Lancôme Visionnaire Yeux Eye On Correction Advanced Multi-Correcting Eye Balm Review
As with most of their products, Lancôme Visionnaire Yeux Eye On Correction Advanced Multi-Correcting Eye Cream wins in the longest and hardest to pronounce categories. They promise that the balm formula will instantly “blur fine lines around the eyes”. It seems to work too. As soon as I put it on, I notice that the fine lines around my eyes are less pronounced. Even better the effects improve over time with improved dark circles and fine lines after just 4 weeks of use. The pump applicator dispenses the perfect amount meaning you won’t waste any product and it will overall last longer. It also has a hint of sparkle giving you a natural glow that decreases the appearance of imperfections. It’s also one of the thickest products I’ve tried.
Price: 0.5 fluid ounces // $65
Verdict: Great for fine lines and extra moisturizing.
Verso Super Eye Serum Review
I love that this serum contains retinol, which is great at decreasing fine lines around the eyes. I’ve never heard of Retinol 8, but Verso Super Eye Serum claims it is eight times more effective than standard retinol. It’s also free of the junk – parabens, sulfates and phthalates.
Can we also talk about their minimalist black and white branding? – on point! I also love that it was rigorously tested at a University in Stockholm with a double-blind trial, with overwhelmingly positive results (86% saw improvement in eye wrinkles). The one caveat is that this is a serum not a moisturizer and retinols can be drying, so you will definitely want to follow this up with a true eye cream. A reminder too that all retinol -containing products should be avoided in pregnancy and can make you more sensitive to sun exposure.
Price: 0.1 fluid ounce // $80
The Verdict: One of the best anti-aging eye serums, but not moisturizing enough to be used alone.
P.S. – Gorgeous book in this photo is Why LA? Pourquoi Paris? by Diane Ratican and beautifully illustrated by Eric Giriat and Nick Lu
Clinique All About Eyes Rich Review
It may not come with all the bells and whistles, but for skincare on a budget it doesn’t get better than Clinique All About Eyes Rich. $32 for 0.5 fluid ounces. It’s the first eye cream I ever use and it remains one of my favorites. 94% off almost 800 reviewers on Clinique.com would recommend the product to a friend.
Price: 0.5 fluid ounces // $32
The Verdict: Killer performer for the price point. Super moisturizing.
MD Sun Med Complex Eye Cream Review
Despite the space age delivery system, the MD Sun Med Complex Eye Cream is just as thick as its pot bound brethren. Science doesn’t come cheap though – at $210 for 0.5 fluid ounces, it’s the priciest cream on the list. This is the only product I tried that contains actual stem cells – fibroblast conditioned media and human adipose stem cells. This is truly cutting edge skin treatment and I was completely hooked after only a few days of using it. If you have the budget, this is an incredible eye cream. It’s said to increase blood flow to the delicate skin around your eyes and deeply hydrate. Indeed, this was the thickest and longest lasting cream that I tried.
Price: 0.5 fluid ounces // $210
The Verdict: Space age technology and package delivery at a premium price.
Grown Alchemist Hydra-Repair Eye Balm Review
Australian-based company Grown Alchemist is new on my radar. Their Hydra-Repair Eye Balm is packed with natural alternatives to the carcinogens and strange chemicals that many beauty products contain. No parabens, synthetic colors, artificial fragrances or petrochemicals to be found. Instead they use things found in nature, like helianthus seed extract, to hydrate skin. The tocopherols help to protect skin and reduce fine lines. Being a balm, it’s thick and comes in a pot which makes me happy!
Price: 0.5 fluid ounces // $99
The Verdict: A premium all-natural option that is super moisturizing.
P.S. – Gorgeous book in this photo is Why LA? Pourquoi Paris? by Diane Ratican and beautifully illustrated by Eric Giriat and Nick Lu
CocoKind Firming Eye Oil Review
CocoKind Firming Eye Oil might be the most natural eye product on the list. It’s basically just a blend of three oils – grapeseed, avocado and coconut. I had high hopes that the oil would be extra moisturizing, but unfortunately it didn’t absorb well and made it hard to put on eye makeup in the morning.
Price: 1.0 fluid ounces // $13.99
The Verdict: The ultimate in natural beauty but not very absorbent.
Dermalogica Stress Positive Eye Lift
There are so many Dermalogica products that have a permanent place on my MVP list, but unfortunately their new Stress Positive Eye Lift won’t join them. I really liked their suggestion of putting it in the fridge so when you apply it helps to de-puff those bags under my eyes, but overall the consistency was too thin for me.
Cost: 0.85 fluid ounces // $65
The Verdict: Refreshing and great for puffy eye bags, but not very moisturizing.
Vi Aesthetics Vi Derm Revitalizing Eye Cream Review
Vi Aesthetic’s Vi Derm Revitalizing Eye Cream contains one of my favorite ingredients – hyaluronic acid. This compound binds moisture making skin look plumper and retaining moisture. The consistency is thinner than I prefer but it feels nice going on and it is paraben and sulfate free. The tube container also makes it easy to apply.
Price: 0.88 fluid ounces // $50
The Verdict: Thin but still effective in making skin look youthful due to hyaluronic acid.
Tula Multi Spectrum Eye Renewal Serum Review
I wanted to love this product as I’m a huge fan of Tula products, especially their super thick face creams. They are all probiotic-based and I love how my skin feels when I use their creams. Unfortunately their Multi Spectrum Eye Renewal Serum made the sensitive skin under my eyes sting. Such a bummer! Tula also makes an eye cream that comes in a pot, which I still want to try.
Price: 0.5 fluid ounces // $68
The Verdict: Not a good fit for my sensitive skin.
Summary of My Eye Cream Reviews
The takeaways: The number one thing I’m looking for in an eye cream is hydration. Companies are getting creative with eye cream delivery systems, but my favorite is still a good old-fashioned pot. Thickness is everything for me – the thicker the better. There are also a lot of great natural options that are starting to hit the market.
In order to get both anti-aging and moisturizing, you may end up layering two creams, or a cream and a serum. In general, eye creams come with a premium price tag but you only need to use a tiny amount every time so they should last months.
Want to see how an eye cream will change YOUR skin? Shop the products in this post!
Thanks so much for reading! For more Sweet in your life, you can find me on Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube, or subscribe to receive a weekly email with new posts and musings from me.
P.S. – Looking for more beauty product reviews? Check out my Seven Essential Ingredients For You Skincare Routine:
I have been on the hunt for an eye cream that really shines. I’ve been using Rodan and Fields and am wondering how long and how consistent I need to be for noticeable results. I’m finding that my patience is not my strongest quality 🙂
xx Katie
katiekubitz.com
I find the best results when it’s thick – that way I notice the difference right away with my makeup going on smoother! I think you just have to find one that has a delivery method and consistency that you like and everything else is secondary.
I firmly believe that application of product matters. I didn’t see any positive result under my eye for initial days of using Rodan + Fields. Because I was not applying it the way it was directed. It killed my patience.
I started looking for effective ways of ‘Rodan + Fields Eye Complex application’ online. I must say just after few days of the proper application, I noticed the difference. I am hoping for the 100% result now 🙂