I started noticing some fine lines showing up around my eyes in recent years. I never quite took care of them and since I was going through a stage where I had "let go" for a while, they didn't bother me. But they are starting to worry me a little now, especially when new lines are appearing. I have tried several different eyecreams in the past but none were particularly miraculous.
Since December last year, my younger sister introduced me to L'Occitane skincare. I tried their products many, many years ago but wasn't impressed so I've always given them a miss. But Sis was going on about some apple cream that she was using and her skin has always been in fantastic condition (well, she is in her early twenties and I am much older). I thought I might as well give L'Occitane a shot and returned with a few items from their Immortelle line.
One of the products was the Immortelle Eye Balm. I did not get the eye serum because it stung a little.
Description (from L'Occitane) :
An eye cream with anti-aging benefits: Reduce dark circles, puffiness and signs of tiredness around the eyes with this gentle cream. Formulated with Immortelle essential oil, this cream will soothe, moisturize, nourish and tone the delicate skin around the eyes. To apply, tap a small amount of Eye Balm on the bone around the eye twice daily.
Ingredients :
Water, Rosa Centifolia Flower Water, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Proplyene Glycol, Ruscus Aculeatus Root Extract, Glycerin, Myreth-3-Myristate, Neopentyl Glycol Diethylhexanoate, Decyl Oleate, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Polyacrylamide, Helichrysum Italicum Extract, Sorbitol, Dimethicone, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Hedera Helix (Ivy) Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) Extract, Tocopherol, Carbomer, Laureth-7, Xanthan Gum, Benzoic Acid, Sucrose Palmitate, Sodium Hydroxide, Dehydroacetic Acid, Tetrasodium EDTA, Glyceryl Linoleate, Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil, Borago Officinalis Seed Oil
The L'Occitane Immortelle Eye Balm comes in a dark blue jar. It would be better if came in a tube or pump container so I won't need to use a tiny spatula to scoop it out each time. The balm goes on with quite a watery consistency, which I prefer because I'm always afraid the more creamy or oily ones will be too rich on me. Once the eye balm is patted on, you can see there is a slight improvement in terms of brightening properties (as shown in the photo above). I cannot say it helped with my dark circles because they are still there and have gotten worse over the Chinese New Year week as I hardly got any sleep. Anyway, the brightening effect is somewhat temporary and once the balm sinks in, it leaves my eye area smooth and moisturised.
* my eye area after applying the balm *
I cannot say it performed any miracles but it does help with moisturising so the fine lines are not as bad as before. I don't suffer from puffiness so I won't know if it will reduce it. All in all, I would say this is a pretty nice eye treatment for those who don't have deep wrinkles or very dark circles. The reviews on MakeupAlley did not rate well because a number of users experienced a pilling effect after applying concealer or foundation. I guess I am lucky not to have that so far.
I am still on the lookout for a better eye treatment and have tried a few others in the last couple of months but they were terrible (enhanced more lines!). So, I kept going back to L'Occitane's. I have read a number of good things about La Mer's and will try to get a sample the next time. ParisB also wrote a glowing review on StriVectin's but the counter did not have any samples the last I visited.
Availability (local) :
The Immortelle Eye Balm can be purchased at any L'Occitane boutique stores and retails at RM140 for a 15ml jar. With daily usage, I estimate a jar to last approximately three to six months (depending on how much is used).
