How to Apply Eye Cream Correctly and Common Mistakes to Avoid

How to apply eye cream? Just like any effective skin prep, you need to start with a clean slate before moving into your eye routine.

Cleansing the area helps remove dirt, makeup, and impurities from the sensitive skin around the eyes.

To accomplish this, wash the face with a gentle facial cleanser suitable for your skin type and wisely to the eye area.

After you cleanse your skin, use a gentle pat to dry around your eyes with a soft clean towel.

The best under-eye creams are highly personalized and what works for one person may not be ideal for another; thus, it is crucial to make the right decision each time.

Doesn’t matter how your skin tone is because the skin around the eyes is incredibly sensitive and thus requires products that can address its needs such as hydration, skin soothing or even anti-aging.

Here’s how to choose the right eye cream for your skin type:

Normal Skin: Lightweight, hydrating creams with ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, or antioxidants like vitamin C or green tea.

Dry Skin: Rich pomades like shea or pot marigold.

Sensitive Skin: Stick to fragrance-free, hypoallergenic creams with aloe vera, chamomile and oat extracts.

Overlooking the appropriate quantity can lead to various issues, such as product buildup or insufficient hydration. Therefore, it’s essential to use the correct dose of treatment.

The ideal amount is a pea-sized amount for both eyes. This small quantity ensures the cream is evenly distributed without discomfort.

You may wonder how to apply under-eye cream effectively. The technique used is just as important as the product itself. Below is a more detailed method for using eye cream.

A: Using Your Ring Finger

Your ring finger is the least sturdy and the weakest finger, applying the least amount of pressure.

This minimizes chances of stretching the delicate skin surrounding the eyes which causes what is referred to as the first sign of aging.

To apply, gently dab a small amount of eye cream onto the tip of your ring finger and slowly press the cream onto the lower eyelid, starting from the inner corner and moving outwards towards the outer corner.

For the upper eyelid, apply a small amount just below the brow bone and blend it.

B: Patting, Not Rubbing

Avoid applying frictional forces when applying the cream, as this puts pressure on the thin skin.

Rather, gentle motions where the product touches the skin lightly, so it can penetrate through the skin without a negative impact.

For this reason, it ensures the cream absorbs into the deeper layers of the skin where it can work most effectively.

The last step is to wait until the eye cream is fully absorbed.

Normally, you would wait one to two minutes for the product to completely absorb into your skin after applying the cream.

After this, it becomes easier to apply makeup or any other facial products.

Knowing when to apply eye cream is essential, but maintaining a consistent skincare routine requires avoiding common pitfalls in post-application, during use, and in preparation.

• Applying Eye Cream Too Close To The Eyelid

Wondering about applying eye cream near the eyelid? You can apply it around the area of the palpebra, but avoid applying it too close.

This close application can cause ocular irritation and discomfort.

Additionally, using too much product near this area may lead to blocked tear ducts, particularly near the inner corners of the eyes. This can result in eye infections or trapped tears.

• Using Harsh Product Or Over-Exfoliating

By now, you likely know that the periocular skin is sensitive and cannot handle harsh or aggressive treatments. Skin becomes irritated, red or starts to peel when one uses a scraper, or other harsh scrubs and creams with high acid content.

Therefore, stick to gentle cleansers and avoid any exfoliating agents in the eye area.

• Ignoring SPF In Eye Cream

Many people forget to include sun protection in their eye care routine. The skin around eyes tends to be the most damaged by UV rays, causing early signs of age wrinkling and dark circles.

To prevent the skin around one's eyes from damage caused by sunlight, one can either use an SPF eye cream, or alternatively, an eye sunscreen should be prescribed by the doctor from time to time for daily use.

• Using Expired Eye Cream

Are you someone who frequently checks the expiry date of products, or do you prioritize finishing the product over anything else?

Well, most of you might fall into the second category, especially considering monthly budgeting.

However, while budgeting is important, don’t neglect the products you use. Using expired products can lead to serious skin issues.

Checking expiry dates is essential to maintaining healthy skin, so ensure you avoid using expired cream.

• Ignoring Skin Changes

During seasonal changes, the skin reacts proactively. While some notice these changes and adapt accordingly, others may stick to the same routine. However, it's essential to know when to incorporate eye cream into your routine.

Additionally, understanding what works best for your eye care is crucial, as it may vary depending on environmental and health factors.

For instance, if fine lines or dark circles become more prominent, a more hydrating or anti-aging eye cream may be necessary.

• Not Considering Allergic Reactions

Not everyone experiences the same skin concerns. The complications another person faces may not be something you encounter.

Therefore, when someone recommends a product that has worked for them, it’s essential to check for potential allergic reactions before use.

Note: Always perform a patch test before full application to ensure compatibility with your skin.

• Neglecting Night-Time Application

An eye cream is best applied at night to lock in the vitamins and the moisturizers during the night.

Failure to apply the cream causes the skin to become dry on that area, which eventually leads to development of wrinkles.

However, during the day, people rub their eyes, and moving the eyes may even cause the eye cream to cease to be effective.

• Using Eye Cream For The Entire Face

While when to use eye cream may not be a concern, knowing where to apply it often is. Those hydrating creams are formulated for the delicate skin around the eyes.

Applying them on the whole face might prove useless and the face might not get the amount of moisture or shield it needs in certain areas.

Solution: Limit use of eye creams to the under-eye and brow bone region. For the rest of the face, employ only the facial moisturizers or serums.

• Not Considering Lifestyle Factors

Lifestyle factors like sleep, diet, and stress significantly impact the condition of the skin around the eyes. Poor sleep, dehydration, or a lack of essential vitamins can reduce the effectiveness of eye cream.

For effectiveness in the eye cream, eye cream users may really adapt healthy habits like drinking a lot of water, sleeping well, and taking fruits that have more vitamin C and K in their diets that can work almost as good as that eye cream.

• Being Inconsistent

Consistency is key. Breaking a skincare routine can easily result in negative effects on the skin. Irregular application may prevent continuous hydration, nourishment, and protection.

In this way, skin defenses can decrease, prolonging the desired outcomes, and increasing vulnerability to sensitivity, redness, and aging.

To prevent such problems, it is useful to implement some habits, alarms or select the kind of format most comfortable for you.

Can You Use Regular Hydrating Cream Instead Of Eye Cream?

While it is a facial moisturizer, it is not as softly fragranced compared to the eye cream.

Due to the fact that, moisturizer is a product developed to be applied on the whole face skin and the eye cream is developed for the skin around the eyes only.

Therefore, the optimal result for your eye can be likely to be achieved while using eye cream rather than moisture.

As it contains ingredients tailored to address issues like fine lines, dark circles, and puffiness, which a regular moisturizer may not effectively target.

When To Use Eye Cream In Routine?

The confusion on when to use eye cream before or after moisturizer may kick you.

Indeed, the layering of the skin care products and application of the eye cream in particular depends on the skin care regime.

Though, the best approach is to use eye cream before lotion since this is the most effective way of treating the under eye skin.

Can You Use Different Eye Cream At The Same Time?

In general, it is good for the skin to avoid layering several eye creams. Instead, find one targeted cream directed toward your main concern and stick to it.

When Should You Apply Eye Cream?

Primarily morning and night will be the best times for applying eye creams. It is excellent for the morning to minimize puffiness and prepare the skin for makeup.

It is great at night to provide moisture and the recovery it does during sleep.

Is It Safe To Use An Eye Cream If One Wears Contact Lenses?

Yes, you can do that but with a sort of precaution. Pat the cream lightly around the contours of the eyes without rubbing on the lens zone.

Opt for economical, hypoallergenic, and non-irritating formulas to ensure safety and comfort.