“You look tired darling. Are you using eye cream?” An honest comment like this can only be delivered by a mother to her daughter. And despite the directness of it, it’s said with the best of intentions. I couldn’t get a more loving mother if I tried...
At the time, my children were a lot younger. Yes, I was looking tired. And no, I wasn’t using an eye cream. For me, eye cream just felt like another step in a skincare routine I failed to give much thought to. But as I started to realise, while you can get away with not using eye cream when you’re younger, that only lasts so long. When you’re young and smug about your youthfulness, it feels like wrinkles are never going to catch up with you. Until suddenly, you wake up from the haze of having two kids back-to-back and realise that without you even noticing, the wrinkles had arrived. And they’d come with friends. Motherhood – and age – catches up with you. It’s at this moment, you realise you’re not too smug for eye cream, or anything that promises to soothe fine lines. You need all the creams. But what I’ve learnt is that we should be using eye creams from the beginning – you’re never too old to start.
It’s no secret I’m a devotee Clarins user. I’ve loved the brand since my mother first introduced it to me when I was a teenager. I’d rifle through her beauty cabinet, dipping my fingers into various creams. I quickly discovered I had sensitive skin, and that no matter what I put on my face from Clarins, it never irritated my skin. But it also worked. In the depths of winter, Clarins will keep my dry skin hydrated (Blue Orchid Oil is my current go-to) and in the height of summer, I can’t go without it.
Georgie with her mother Julie. Clarins Total Eye Lift, $100
Mum has always been big on looking after your skin (which might explain why at almost 70, she looks like this) and Clarins became a brand we both loved and have used throughout our life. I don’t think there’s even been a time in my life where Clarins hasn’t been in my beauty cabinet. And the love for Clarins goes far beyond the fact that it’s French. It’s science-driven and planet-powered, and not surprisingly, the No.1 prestige skincare brand in department stores in Australia*. Over 250 natural plant extracts are sourced to be utilised within their products.
So back to eye cream. When Clarins launched Total Eye Lift it sold out globally. Like everywhere all over the world – you couldn’t get your hands on it (and women of all ages searching for a lifting effect wanted it). Kourtney Kardashian might have had something to do with the mania over this eye cream – her website Poosh referred to it as the “hero product for anti-aging”. And given it works in 60 seconds, it is heroic (have you tried fighting wrinkles – it’s a hard battle). 110 women took part in a satisfaction test and 81% reported that 60 seconds after the first application, their eyes appeared more open. And 28 days after use, 86% reported firmer skin, while 88% reported rested eyes. In other words, you won’t be waiting months for the lifting effect around your eyes.
Some key ingredients in Total Eye Lift include Cassie Flower Wax (the wax extracted from the flowers is used for its protective, filmogenic and smoothing properties) and Organic Harungana extract (the orangey-red sap of the plant is used to soothe skin conditions).
As the name suggests, Total Eye Lift has a lifting effect, working to smooth out fine lines, wrinkles and crow’s feet, restores density to the skin around the eyes and brighten the eyes and beautify the lashes (the product also contains Panthenol, a form of B5; which works to moisturise and restore lashes – ideal for those wearing lash extensions or getting lash lifts). The Total Eye Lift bottle is also made from recyclable airless glass.
I know what you’re thinking – where do I fit Total Eye Lift in when I have less than 90 seconds to get my skincare routine done? In a nutshell, here’s what you need to do. Use a gentle eye makeup remover to prep the area beforehand (Clarins Head of Training Charlotte Turner tells me to ensure you are selecting an eye makeup remover that is ophthalmologically tested; the eye area is very delicate so choose something formulated for the eyes). Add your eye cream (buy Total Eye Lift – before it sells out again and to apply, dab gently onto the eye contour and eyelids, and smooth gently between the eyebrows and on the temples), serum, and then for day use a moisturiser/Beauty Flash Balm/primer and at night, a night cream/night mask. You’re then done. And you can guarantee that no one will be asking if you’re tired.
^Source: Beauty Update 1H 2020 retail sales.
Hair and makeup: Jess Diez
