The eyes have it
MANILA, Philippines - A woman can prick and pull at her face as much as she wants to, but her eyes will never lie. The skin around the peepers is so sensitive and delicate — about 10 times thinner than the skin on the rest of the face — that it is highly susceptible to aging agents such as sun exposure, smoking and even makeup and facial movement. The thing is, mass-marketed skincare products focus too much on removing age spots and erasing lines on the forehead and most women seem to take for granted the power of bright-looking eyes to reduce one’s visual age. It isn’t just about the pockets of fat deposited underneath the eyes and the crow’s feet radiating at the corners; there is also the accumulation of fluids that lead to the appearance of puffiness as well as the tired-looking sag on the eye area.
For such small patches of skin, the usual moisturizer won’t do. While eye creams are undoubtedly expensive, they are also one of the best skincare investments a woman can make. La Mer’s latest release, The Eye Balm Intense, may be a bit hefty on the pocket (P8,300 for a 0.5 oz. pot) but its diminutive packaging packs a punch in infusing vibrancy and youth into the eye area.
La Mer’s senior vice-president for Product Innovation Loretta Miraglia describes the velvety, avocado-hued cream as “a combination of the brand’s healing legacy and recent innovations in skincare technology.” The healing legacy, of course, lies with La Mer’s roots: aerospace physicist Dr. Max Huber’s quest 40 years ago to develop a skin cream that can heal his chemical burns from a lab accident. Though La Mer had already previously introduced an eye cream in its menu of products, The Eye Balm Intense, as its name implies, is the triple-concentrated version of La Mer’s patented Miracle Broth, Dr. Huber’s creation conceived from a revolutionary months-long bio-fermentation process that transforms the energy- and protein-packed sea kelp and other marine minerals into a skin renewing elixir. Three unique forms of this broth — the original version, a concentrated version, and an encapsulated time-release form — are the bases of La Mer’s The Eye Balm Intense. The Eye Balm Intense also contains the Marine De-Puff Ferment that is developed from bio-fermented deep sea red algae and combined with watermelon tourmaline. This ferment, embedded in a Smart Sea Gel, delivers its energizing properties deep into the skin’s surface and reduces fluid build-up around the eyes. The Eye Balm Intense also harnesses the powers of the Lifting Ferment, developed from a combination of marine algae, peptide complex, plant-derived ingredients, and essential minerals, to strengthen the thin under-eye “architecture” and boost the skin’s production of collagen and elastin.
Who knew that puffiness, sagging, dark circles, and wrinkles could be fought off with sea kelp? To enhance further the efficacy of its latest eye cream, La Mer re-introduces its cooling silver-tipped applicator, which picks up the precise amount of cream needed for one application and helps stimulate micro-circulation in the skin. Twice a day, smooth The Eye Balm Intense onto the skin with the applicator, starting from the temple to underneath the eyes and towards the nose then back.
“After eight weeks of regular use, women who have tried out the product reported a 90 percent improvement in skin firmness and hydration around their eyes,” Miraglia claims. “In fact, even after a single application, you can immediately feel the difference: there is a refreshed and revitalized sensation in the eye area, and the skin looks more luminous.”
Top makeup artists also profess the efficacy of The Eye Balm Intense. Chris Colbeck, whose celebrity clients include Leighton Meester and Trudie Styler, and who has created looks for different fashions shows, describes The Eye Balm Intense as silky, nourishing, and calming. “Removing makeup and immediately reapplying (it) can be quite harsh on the delicate skin around the eyes, but The Eye Balm Intense proved to be a great soother, both post-makeup removal and pre-makeup application. It truly helps me achieve the look of natural, healthy, radiant skin.”
La Mer The Eye Balm Intense is available exclusively at Rustan’s Makati.
