which eye contour to choose?

Sometimes mistakenly confused, puffiness and dark circles are two very different issues. If dark circles are a local coloration, bluish or brown in color, located under the eyes and which often draws a hollow under the eyes (this is why we speak of dark circles), puffiness is a punctual swelling or chronic under the eye (or all around the eye, including the eyelid) which is often observed on waking and which can disappear over the hours.

Can we therefore use the same treatment to reduce dark circles and deflate our puffiness or should we treat our eye contour with different products even when we combine the signs of fatigue in the eyes? We asked a pro for advice to understand the origin of these two problems and to know which eye contour treatment(s) to choose depending on the case, to regain a fresh and rested look. Here is what Alexis de Brosses, founder of the Talika brand and specialist in the matter, answered us.

Bags under the eyes: what care to make them disappear?

Why do I have bags under my eyes? It is because of “a slowing down of the local microcirculation which causes an accumulation of water” around the eye contour as the expert explains. The latter is accentuated in a static and lying position (during sleep), hence the fact that you find that they end up disappearing on their own when you are up and active.

Not to be confused with : chronic (permanent) age-related puffiness that is due to sagging skin that is “particularly pronounced on the thin and fragile epidermis around the eye” and which are amplified by “a local accumulation of fat”.

The right eye contour care against puffiness
To prevent their appearance and accelerate their disappearance when they are there, turn to eye contour care that contains toning active ingredients such as “escin (from horse chestnut, caffeine or ruscus”. To maximize their effectiveness, apply these eye contour care products in the morning and evening in “smoothing and patting the eye area from the inside out with the pulp of your fingers or a massage tool that you place in a cool place because “the cold has an immediate vasoconstrictor effect”.

Caffeine eye cream from The Inkey List – 9.90 euros

available on sephora.co.uk

Good to know : although we are tempted to put our anti-puffiness treatment in the fridge to optimize its effect, the expert does not recommend it “because the cold can in some cases destabilize the formulas”.

Dark circles under the eyes: what care to reduce them?

Why do I have dark circles? They are the consequence of “lazy” microcirculation or small vessels that “expand, leaking bluish blood pigments (heme) which accumulate under the eye and are particularly visible because the skin there is very thin”. Note: this phenomenon is accentuated with age, “the heme accumulates all the more, then oxidizes and turns brown” explains Alexis de Brosses.

Not to be confused with : the digging in the inner corner of the eye that appears in some and “for which cosmetics cannot do much”.

Why are my dark circles dark? In matte to dark skin, this is due to a “localized overproduction of melanin, a genetic phenomenon which can give a dark halo all around the eye (including the eyelid) and which sometimes darkens the look from childhood” as notes the expert. On other skin tones, it is rather due to a natural degradation of collagen with age which “grey the skin a little”.

The right eye contour care against dark circles
If you have bluish dark circles, use the anti-puffiness treatments mentioned above.
If your dark circles tend to turn brown, opt for treatments that contain active protective antioxidants like “vegetable extracts rich in polyphenols such as grapes or red fruits, coenzyme Q10, vitamin C” but also “from lightening active ingredients such as niacinamide (vitamin B3), retinol, licorice, arbutin, or bearberry extracts, and Chromadetox, a brown seaweed extract from Talika that targets pigment browning”.

The good reflex in addition? Limit sun exposure “which increases the natural production of melanin”.

The smart treatment that treats dark circles (even dark circles) and puffiness immediately:
Eye Quintessence by Talika – 41.90 euros

available on talika.fr

Thanks to Alexis de Brosses, founder of the Talika brand.

Passionate about writing and beauty, Elodie swaps her lipstick for her laptop to find you the best makeup, hair and skincare trends, and pro tips…