As is often the case with physical “flaws,” I first learned about my dark, puffy under-eyes from direct, if not tactless, high school classmates. Whether I got one hour of sleep or ten, my classmates often posed this dreaded (and backhanded) question: “oh my gosh, you look exhausted! Are you okay?”
…Yep, I always was—besides a little bruise on the ol’ ego. My dark circles and puffiness weren’t just from lack of sleep or water. They run in my family. As I age, I see these features set and deepen the same way I saw them do so in my great uncles and aunts.
And while eye makeup has been a helpful temporary fix for me, I wanted to start treating the actual problem, not just cover it up. So, I started looking for solutions that went beyond skin deep.
In my search, I found the aptly named beauty brand Glow Recipe.
Finding A Way To Restore My Glow
Glow Recipe creates antioxidant-rich, fruit-forward formulas that offer clinically proven results (without all the harsh chemicals). Its Guava Vitamin C Bright-Eye Serum is certainly no exception, so that’s where I started.
The Guava Gel Cream claims to be a “potent yet gentle brightening eye cream to visibly reduce dark circles, hydrate, and depuff the entire eye area.” It contains encapsulated 10% vitamin C, 3% niacinamide blend, peptides, green caffeine, and guava seed oil.
Perhaps even more important is what the cream doesn’t have. Glow Recipe’s eye cream is vegan and free of parabens, silicones, phthalates, drying alcohols, synthetic dyes, essential oils, and fragrances. The gentle formula and hundreds of soaring reviews convinced me to try it out.
First Impressions Of Glow’s Guava Gel
Using this gel is simple. I pumped a pea-sized amount of product onto my finger, then dabbed it along my under-eye area, eyelids, and around the sides of my eyes. I’m not a huge fan of the way fragrance-free products smell, but the lack of eye irritation made it worth it, in my opinion.
The product absorbed into my skin quickly and smoothly, leaving a supple finish. As I wait for the long-term results to kick in, I’ll still use a few dabs of concealer on my eyes to make me look bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. I was pleased to find the gel helped my concealer glide on smoothly and evenly.
While I haven’t noticed massive strides in the pigmentation department (yet), I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the reduction in puffiness. The outline of my under-eye bags has softened, and I feel like my eye area looks brighter and less dull in general.
Additionally, I haven’t noticed the delicate skin around my eyes dry out as they have with products in the past. As the weather gets colder and my skin starts to dry out, I’m excited to see whether this product will help prevent the discomfort and flaking I often experience around my eyes in the winter.
Considering the results I’ve seen after just a couple of weeks, I’m confident I’ll be even more pleased with this product after prolonged use. The sooner you try it out, the sooner you’ll start to enjoy these same benefits, too.