This post was sponsored by VIIcode. I was compensated and gifted product. As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support this blog!
I’ve been going cuckoo bananas for skincare recently and the results have been paying off. Yes, I’ve added steps, and yes, it take a little longer than face wipes and goodnight, but I’m truly happy with the way my skin looks. I just want to be taking better care of myself. Now that I have my face in check, I want to make sure my eyes are pampered as well.
My eyes are consistently my favorite part of myself. They’re greenish grey with a ring of orange. I used to want color changing contacts to make them blue, until I was looking at a chart at my eye doctor of all the different colors you could get and saw my own. People actually were paying money to have the eyes I was born with. Kendall calls them my starburst eyes.
My eyes (like me) are sensitive. They get red and itchy during high allergy season and in winter when roads are salted. I’ve been going to the same eye doctor my whole life, and he’s the one doctor who didn’t kick me out just because I was “too old for a pediatrician”. (He let me in on a secret- the equipment is all the same, he just won’t play cartoons for me anymore.)
This past year, I was getting bonkers migraines and decided to nip into the My Eye Doctor on the same block as my office to see if it was a vision thing. Turns out, my vision is great but I’m straining my eyes horribly. I have a really mild prescription but they suggested glasses for when I’m at the computer. I’m also of a certain age where wrinkles are likely to start, and I want to delay that as long as possible.
So what do I do to keep my eyes happy and healthy inside and out?
Last year, VIIcode sent me their T2 Oxygen cream to try and I loved it! You can read about my experience with it here. This year, they sent me their O2M OXYGEN EYE MASK FOR DARK CIRCLES and their VIIcode O2.0 Oxygen Hydrating Eye Spray. You’re supposed to sleep in the oxygen masks, but I can’t sleep with anything on my face, so I used them while I’m around the house. I love how cooling and refreshing they are! Even after wearing them for quite some time, they stay cool on my face, especially after a workout. I use the spray after spritzing my face with toner after a shower. I was worried about it stinging, since my eyes are so sensitive, but it’s actually quite refreshing! After using both, I feel like the skin under my eyes is tighter- in a good way, and my eyes are brighter than they have been. I didn’t even feel like I had dark circles before, but I can definitely see and feel a difference.
Glasses can an absolute racket, let me tell you! After I got my prescription, I was checking out the frames at My Eye Doctor and the ones I liked ran $200-$400 dollars… with insurance! Luckily, a coworker of Kendall’s told us about Zenni. My glasses, with the prescription and shipping, were less than $12! I could have added some extra bells and whistles, but I figured my first time ordering I would just get the basic basic. Next time, I’ll get the blue blocking and super smudge resistant coating. Even so, the pair I want is still under $60! They take a bit to come in, but honestly probably not much longer than it would from your optometrist.
Don’t forget to protect your eyes in the sun too! Make sure all of your sunnies have UVA/B sun protection. You don’t have to break the bank here either! Shades like the Hanson are under $15 from Sunglass Warehouse!
Besides the VIIcode T2 Oxygen Cream, it took me a while to start really incorporating eye care into my routine. Brandless has made it easy with their Depuffing Eye Gel. I have it with my subscriptions from them so no excuses not to use this gentle gel in the morning and at night. Just a gentle *patpatpat* on my lids and under eyes.
As for makeup-
If my under eyes need an extra boost because I’ve been rubbing them or crying or whatever, I glide a little Maybelline® Dream Brightening Concealer under my eyes and I instantly look perked up. I don’t have to do this every day but it is nice to fall back on.
Since I got it, I’ve exclusively been using Colourpop’s Brunch Date Shadow Palette. As someone who knows little to nothing about how to actually DO makeup, I appreciate this “user friendly” palette and have used every color but the cobalt. I will say the color payoff and staying power is phenomenal. I’d love to see what someone skilled can do with it!
A few months ago, the mascara I’d been having delivered from subscribe and save was out of stock. I decided to go back to an old faithful, loved by everyone, Great Lash Washable Mascara. Honestly, my eyes get irritated way less than they used to, and it also washes off better than many a mascara that I’ve tried. Plus, it’s super wallet-friendly and my lashes look long so no complaints. I’ve shared this tip over and over, but subscribe and save for mascara is one of the best uses since it’s an automatic reminder to toss mascara at 3 months and start a new tube.
How you do take care of your eyes?