Review: Clinique 'All About Eyes' Eye Cream

 



Eye cream is something that I'd never expected myself to either worry or care about at least not for another 20 or so years, but recently my views on this have changed. This is mainly because I always look tired (most of the time I am tired), but it's not fun looking like a walking zombie every day of the week, even after a pint of coffee. Plus, eyes are the first part of the body to show signs of aging (along with hands), and everyone wants to maintain that image of youth for as long as possible, which is why a good quality eye cream is important and starting the younger, the better. I'd rather use preventative measures against aging now, than get to 40 and try to reverse the effects that I could have minimised when I was 20!

 

Using this eye cream has made a difference for me and my eyes and I swear I am not just saying this for the sake of it, it's the honest truth. In the past no amount of concealer would be able to disguise the state of these peepers, if the skin was puffed up and 'angry' then that's something that no amount of make-up can help you. We've all tried those Garnier eye roll ons, right? The ones that are supposed to 'wake up' the eye area and reduce the puffiness but all they really do is feel cooling and refreshing on the skin but don't change a great deal. This cream from Clinique actually hydrates the area, soothes it and brightens it. It's a lightweight gel formula that can be applied day and night and works well as a base for eye make up too. I can't comment on fine lines because I don't have any visible ones (I am only 20), and the darkness does fade slightly to create a more even colouring of the skin, but it is more the levels of puffiness that impresses me. Practically no puffiness of the eyes after continued use, even after a rough and sleepless night. All I need now is a dab of concealer to hide the darkness and I'm good to go.

 

My eyes have been opened (no pun intended) to the benefits of using a good quality eye cream on a daily basis and it's something that I'm going to continue using. Skincare is worth investing in; you'd spend money on clothes and shoes or on an expensive hair cut, but what's the point in looking and feeling good with those if your face isn't reflecting the same? It's a shame that it's so expensive (£24 for a 15ml pot) but it's worth investing in. Your face is important, and so are your eyes so look after that delicate skin around them. I'm nearly out of this small 7ml pot (5 months after getting it) and I am definitely on the hunt for something to replace it, either by playing it safe and sticking with the full size version of Clinique 'All About Eyes', or by branching out and trying Origins 'GinZing' - I'm yet to decide!

 

Do you agree that eye cream is important?

Or is it just an extra and unnecessary step in a skincare regime for you?

 

P.S. I set up a Facebook page for blog updates today, so if you're still using Facebook and would like to 'like' my page then here is the link:

Cosmetic Crave

x

Monthly Favourites | December

 

Hello lovely ladies.

I always feel like I'm jumping in early when I do 'monthly favourites' but if I don't get it done now then I never will, and I like to highlight which products have stood out to me over the past few weeks and give them the praise that they deserve. This month contains 7 items and there appears to be a bit of a theme of 'mini' products or just generally small things (with the exception of the Clynol conditioning spray). It's a bit of mixed bag this one, varying from lips balms and hair oils, to an advent calendar! Read on to find out what I've been loving and why...

 

 

Ciate Mini Mani Month Advent Calendar

This advent calendar by Ciate was a birthday gift from my mum and has been one of the most exciting gifts I have ever received (it's the little things). This advent calendar has one mini bottle of Ciate nail varnish behind each of its 24 doors and has brightened up each of my mornings ever since the first day of December! If you follow me on Instagram (hannahripley1) you will see that I've posted a daily picture of the nail varnish which is behind each door, and it ranges from bright pinks to muted nudes, to bottles of caviar pearls, all the way to exclusive glitter shades. A nail varnish lovers dream!

 

 

Clynol Moisture Dream Conditioning Spray

Again, a present from my mum (she buys me great things!), but this one was a Christmas present last year and was unfortunately lost and forgotten about amongst the vast collection of hair products that I own and was sadly neglected. I came across this again when I was packing up for uni in September and it has been my go-to product while I'm away there ever since! It does basically what it says on the bottle and infuses a penetrative moisturising and nourishing solution into the hair in a handy 'spray-in' application to bring back a healthy bounce and shine. I apply this to wet hair and leave to dry naturally and I am left with soft, tangle free and frizz free locks.

 

 

L'Occitance Hand Cream

This was a freebie from Marie Claire magazine back in October and although I thought that the scent 'date bouquet' wouldn't be to my preference (it was the last one available), I actually really love it. The product is shea butter based and I already know that I will buy a bigger tube of this soon because it is not just 'one of the best', it is 'the best' hand cream that I have ever used. I can't get enough of it. It normally only needs to be applied once a day because it's just so intense and leaves not even a trace of residue on the skin after application. I know it's pricey, but it's worth every penny and I love it.

 

 

Weleda Wild Rose Smoothing Night Cream

A sample sized product that I received in a She Said Beauty Box and has not left my bedside table ever since! I put this on every night before I go to sleep; it absorbs quick and the faint scent of rose is very calming. The cream is quite thick but it is very nourishing and I am starting to notice an overall improvement to the quality of my skin and this will be one of the products to thank for that! When I wake up my skin is a lot fresher, less dull and looks smooth and hydrated so I would highly consider purchasing the full size of this product once my sample has run out.

 

 

Clinique 'All About Eyes' Eye Cream

 I received this small pot of eye cream as part of the Clinique Bonus Time offer back in October, and although it's only a 7ml pot a little goes a long way and this is going to last me forever! It's really thick and nourishing and I apply this both night and day to help reduce puffiness and dark circles and it is one of the best eye creams that I have ever used. It instantly hydrates my under eye area and calms any puffiness of the skin and helps to fade away the purple tinge of the dark circles. It absorbs into the skin pretty quickly which makes it easy to apply concealor to the area soon after.

 

 

Macadamia Natural Healing Oil Treatment 

Being only a tiny 10ml bottle I expected this to disappear pretty quick, but it's still going strong and I'm only about 1/4 of the way through the bottle after 5 weeks of regular use. This is a lovely hair oil to use, it's quite light so I have to use a generous amount of my thick and frizz-prone hair, but it doesn't weigh it down or leave any residue, it just makes it smooth, sleek and shiny. I use it in all sorts of ways; pre-washing as a treatment, when damp and leaving to air dry, before blow drying, and a finishing product to smooth the hair after styling and it always leaves my hair in amazing condition with minimal flyaways and high shine without the grease.

 

 

Blistex Lip Massage Balm

This is something that is totally unique to me and I've never seen anything like it, and to be honest I didn't mean to pick it up, I just wanted the cheapest lip balm that was in Asda and this was only £1.19. I've not had it for long but I really enjoy using it as an alternative to regular lip balm that you just apply onto your lips, this you instead rub over your lips and the ridges on the rubber applicator massage it into your lips for extra absorption instead of it just sitting on the surface of the skin. As with all Blistex products it is really nourishing and moisturising, I just especially like this because it's something a little bit different.

 

 

So, that's what little old me has been loving this December.

 

Busy few days coming up, as is expected with the festive season, and I have a night out with the girls planned for tonight and also for tomorrow night, and then I have an anniversary night away with the boyfriend booked for the night after that, and then before we know what's hit us, it's Christmas Eve!

 

I've got one more post that I'd like to slip in before Christmas but if I end up being too busy to squeeze it in then I'll take this chance to wish you all the happiest of Christmases and hope you all enjoy yourselves and spend time with your loved ones!

 

Merry Christmas!

♥ 



Body Shop Vitamin E | Stash

Helloo.

I have another day off work again today (4 days in a row - lucky me!), so thought I'd take the opportunity to add some more posts to my blog. Today's topic is my little collection of products from The Body Shop's Vitamin E range.

I am a big fan of The Body Shop, one of my favourite places to go for a little pick me up treat, and I even felt the need to get myself a 'Love Your Body' loyalty card the other week as these give you 10% on any purchase.

The product that started off my little stash was the Vitamin E Eye Cream (pictured below) which claims to: 'help reduce appearance of fine lines, puffiness and dark circles'. It's hard for me to comment on any reduction in 'lines' as I didn't actually have any to start with, but this is definitely a product that I love to use every morning to freshen up my under eye and I am convinced it works wonders on reducing puffiness and circles! This really is a lovely lovely product which I plan on repurchasing. I bought this just after Christmas in The Body Shop's 50% sale meaning it was reduced from £9.50 to just £4.75! I'm keeping my eyes peeled for this offer to be on again so I can stock up.

The second product to join the gang came all the way from duty free at Malaga Airport. In May, my boyfriend and I went on holiday to Marbella and on the way back we were mooching around duty free and he could obviously see the hearts in my eyes as I dragged him around all of the make-up stands, and being the lovely boy that he is he told me that I could choose any one item and he would buy it for me. Aww what a sweetie! But I don't think he understood the difficulty and pressure of having to choose to just one item from the massive selection, and I obviously didn't want to take the piss by picking anything ridiculously expensive either. So, I headed to the pretty small Body Shop stand and ended up holding the Vitamin E Moisture Serum in one hand and the Vitamin C Skin Reviver in my other. I held them out to him to make the decision for me and he picked the moisture serum (a completely random decision on his part).

It didn't work out much cheaper buying it in duty free abroad than if I had bought it instore in the UK, as we worked out it converted to about £9 and it is £10 in store and online in the UK.

I was intrigued by this product as it is infact a pre-moisturiser and used alone it has little benefit to skin, but when used before a moisturiser it helps the product to sink into the skin much better, and personally I love it. It has quite a runny texture and just one pump is enough to cover the whole face.

This made me decide that potentially the best products to go hand in hand with this pre-moisturiser would be ones from the same range. So I had a little nosy on The Body Shop website just last week and there was a 'buy one get one free' offer on some of the products - including the Vitamin E Moisture Cream and the Vitamin E Nourishing Night Cream. These are now in the 50% off sale for £4.50 and £5, but when I purchased them it was buy one get one free, so I paid £10 for the night cream, and the £9 day cream was free.

I haven't used these products too much because the first time that I did I ended up waking up with multiple white heads around my chin area :( I have quite oily skin normally and I think these would be more suited to somebody with dry or normal skin. 

Last but not least, when I picked up these two moisturisers I also spotted a Vitamin E Face Mist for £7 and added it to my basket because I thought it would be great for freshening up in the morning and during those hot, sweaty summer days. This product is such a little treat, I really love it - it's fantastic for spraying over make up and also a nice little refresher on a bare face too. 

I recommend you check out The Body Shop's Vitamin E range as they have lots of other products in it that I'm itching to try, including cleansers, toners, face oils, hand creams etc and I know I'd love to extend my collection some more. 

xx.