Megan CurtinUnder-eye bags are something as familiar as breathing air and about as annoying to deal with as a troll on Tiktok who won’t stop commenting rude things.
What causes under-eye bags, you ask? The not-so-great answer to this question is a long list of reasons. Some of the reasons include the following:
- Genetics
- Sleep
- Allergies
- Sinus problems
- Alcohol
- Aging
- Eating salty foods
- Not removing Makeup
- Too much sun
Contents
Products At A Quick Glance
| IMAGE | PRODUCT | DETAILS | |
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Top Pick |
Dermalogica Age Smart MultiVitamin Power Firm |
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Best Eye Mask  |
WANDER BEAUTY -Baggage Claim Eye Masks |
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Top Reviews |
Baebody Eye Gel for Under & Around Eyes |
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Best Night Eye Cream |
Olay Eyes Retinol 24 Night Eye Cream |
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Best Eye Mask |
Soothing Glitter Gel Eye Mask |
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Cult Following |
StriVectin – Intensive Eye Concentrate for Wrinkles |
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Besides an excellent under-eye product, you may also want to improve your sleeping habits, diet, exercise, and reduce sun exposure to prevent and treat under-eye circles for good.
Below is a round-up of the best under-eye bag and circle treatment so you can stop walking around, showing how little sleep you may have gotten the night before.
Having my cosmetology license means I have worked with all of these products, but most importantly, I recommended them to all my clients, including my high-profile clientele. I advised them because I have taken classes, researched them, and used them firsthand myself.
1 Dermelogica Under Eye Cream
Best For Long Lasting Results
One of my favorite products I recommended to my clients is any Dermelogica product. It is a bit more pricy, but expect to pay some coin if you want fast and long-lasting results. Products are beauty aids, not magicians.
This Dermelogica under eye cream will work as two for one. It will first eliminate under-eye bag and discoloration, and then it will help firm up that area, so you look younger.
Women who aren’t a fan of makeup will want to use this because having an excellent under-eye area can dramatically make women look years younger.
Most women who wear the natural look via makeup or none have one thing in common: a great eye area. Fine lines around the eye can instantly age any woman, eliminating that will eliminate years.
Not having to worry about putting concealer under your eyes every morning can save time and money on the product. In addition, those who wear zero makeup can now walk out the door adding a little bit more youth to their already beautiful face.
Thanks to vitamin A, this product is robust and works as an excellent antiaging product. In addition, it has a pleasant clean scent without being too perfumy.
StriVectin Intensive Eye Concentrate for Wrinkles
Best Eye Concentrate
visibly reduce the look of all types of lines around the eyes, including crow’s feet, squint lines, and deep-set wrinkles.
One of the top reviewed eyes concentrates on Ulta!
Optical diffusers reflect light to immediately brighten dark shadows and help alleviate visible signs of screen fatigue.
Quick Stats:
- 96% reported eyes look more awake
- 93% reported the look of fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes were reduced
- 93% reported eyes look wider and eyelids look less droopy
Great for all skin types!
3 Baebody Eye Gel
Best Under Eye Gel
Baebody is my second favorite bae next to my significant other. I LOVE this eye gel, and it truly works wonders.
I wish all products came in a pump thing like this. As you pump the lid down, it pushes the product up.
Even if you push the pump down, it doesn’t give you an excessive amount of product, and I feel like this feature honestly has stopped product waste for me.
If you are someone who finds themselves constantly squeezing out more product than you need, and you end up wiping it off on a towel, then you NEED this under-eye gel product in your life.
It has 4 out of 5 stars on over 15,585 reviews, soooo yeah, I’d say people worldwide are a fan of this product.
Besides my love for the pump, there is much love for the results. Use it morning and night to see results in as little as a week.
Oh, and did I mention it has retinol in it? Retinol is the crucial ingredient that is responsible for rebuilding and producing collagen back into your skin which is literally what makes skin stay young and line/wrinkle-free.
Olay Night Eye Cream
Best Drugstore Pick
Olay is considered a drugstore pick, but it is one of the most tried and tested brands around the market.
This product may be small, but you know what they say, good things come in small packages.
For those who are into fragrance-free beauty products, then you are going to be thrilled to know this is fragrance-free.
A big plus to this one is you don’t have to worry about applying it morning and night because one application lasts 24 hours and can be applied at night.
It has a bit of a pink tint, which is great for those who choose to apply this in the morning because it will help cover up any super heavy circles – that last glass of wine during the 3rd hour of The Bachelor might not have been the best idea.
Wander Beauty Baggage Claim Eye Masks
Best Under Eye Mask
While creams are great, under-eye masks are next level. Bonus: they feel great and are an excellent way to wake you right up if used in the morning.
If you want to get scientific about it, these are sort of like an updated version of a cold compress.
Cold compresses help with under-eye issues like swelling and puffiness because cold reduces inflammation by constricting the blood vessels. Reducing the puffiness will additionally help reduce the appearance of dark circles.
Not going to lie; the first few times I used these, they grossed me out. They come in a package that has liquid in it, so when you take the eye masks out, they sort of look like floppy fish.
After a few applications, I looked forward to the cold masks on my face and got used to the liquid packaging.
You will want to keep these in the fridge and take a package out as you need to use it.
These have nano-active gold as the main ingredient which helps:
- Vitalizes fiber tissues under the skin
- Accelerates overall blood circulation
- Anti-inflammatory property
- Improves firmness and elasticity
- Delay the aging process
The gold foil helps retain heat and prevents the serum below from evaporating, allowing maximum absorption into the skin.
The middle layer is elastic to prevent the masks from slipping. The third is a cellulose fiber that condenses and delivers key ingredients efficiently, giving you all the skin-loving benefits you need.
Hyaluronic acid delivers exceptional hydration to diminish the presence of fine lines and wrinkles. In addition, Aloe leaf extract and lavender oil offer a cooling effect while soothing and calming the under-eye area.
6 Gel Eye Mask
Easiest To Use
Eye masks take me back to my childhood days. The first time I used one, I was at a friend’s sleepover, and her mom would make us sleep with them because she said to prevent wrinkles when we were her age, we had to start young. I wish I would have listened to that wise older woman in her 80s with no wrinkles while I’m over here fighting off fine lines at 30.
This eye mask is simple yet effective. It comes in three different colors, and the little gel balls fit comfortably around your eyes.
This is a reusable and washable product so that you can keep them for years. Pretty sure I’ve had one of these in my fridge since I left my friend’s house that day…maybe not kidding.
Since the beads are made of gel, they change form to fit around your specific face shape, so you don’t have to try to shove your face into a mask that is too big or too small.
A velcro strap makes it easy to adjust to your head shape as well. You can pop this bad boy on your face right before you go to bed or use it in the morning when you are drinking your morning cup of joe.
LancômeAdvanced Génifique Yeux Light-Pearl Eye & Lash Concentrate
Honorable Mention – Eye Cream + Lash Serum
This product works as a brightening eye serum that improves dark circles, visibly reduces eye bags, and visibly fortifies eyelashes.
Increases hydration for more luminous, youthful-looking eyes.
Additionally, it reduces the appearance of under-eye wrinkles, bags, eye puffiness, improves dark circles, and visibly fortifies eyelashes for increased vitality and density.
I love this product because it comes with an eye wand applicator that is easy to use, more sanitary, and saves product waste.
It helps contour the eyes and shows results in about six weeks! That might seem long, but the results will leave you speechless.
In-depth Breakdown Of Under-eye Issues
Aging
One of the most common causes of bags is just simply aging.
Per mayo clinic > Tissues around your eyes, including some of the muscles supporting your eyelids, weaken. In addition, normal fat helps keep the eyes moving into the lower eyelids, causing the lids to appear puffy. Fluid also may accumulate in the space below your eyes, adding to the swelling.
Hereditary
Bags can be the visible muscle beneath the skin, depending on skin tone and thinness.
According to Dr. Dawes-Higgs, genetics is a significant factor.
“Under-eye circles can be attributed to darker skin pigmentation. Similarly, eye bags can also be genetic, with some families having more prominent bags.”
If you noticed your parents have bad under-eye bags as they got older, then you can assume you may deal with the same issues.
Lifestyle / Diet
If you eat a high sodium diet, you most likely are contributing to your bags due to the water that is drawn to the tissue under your eye.
If you are stressed and aren’t getting enough sleep, this will increase the under-eye issues.
Alcohol
Alcohol goes hand in hand with your lifestyle and diet. When you drink you don’t get fully proper sleep and you are most likely grabbing salty snacks before you pass out; both contribute to eye bags on their own and alcohol just fuels the fire.
Alcohol also dehydrates you which causes the skin under your eyes to get saggy and weak.
Not Removing Makeup
When you don’t remove your makeup at night the product irritates your eyes as you sleep, thus causing swelling.
Too Much Sun – Not Enough SPF
Getting too much sun exposure breaks down the collagen in your skin which leads to a dark and overall aging appearance under your eyes. It can be one of the most notable issues with aging.
Allergies
With allergies, you typically get congestion and inflammation which can cause puffiness. You might also rub that area more if your eyes water and that alone may cause irritation and even redness.
Megan Curtin
