Here’s a secret about eye creams that promise to eliminate dark circles: Most of them don’t work. I should know because I’ve tried several, and rarely do I find a product that brightens my panda eyes. So when I learned that Clé de Peau — maker of the concealer stick that hides even the most unrelenting dark circles — was releasing an eye serum that promised to lighten zombie eyes, I jumped at the chance to try it.
Thicker than most other serums I know, but thinner than a lotion, Clé de Peau’s Concentrated Brightening Eye Serum is a lightweight eye-area moisturizer that instantly hydrates skin — and hydration, I hear, is key to preventing and treating dark circles. It’s so moisturizing that it made the skin under my eyes look dewy. That dewiness also gave my dark circles less of an extreme appearance by reflecting light in a forgiving way.
But did it brighten my dark circles over time? A little bit, which is more than I can say for most brightening creams. On a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being panda eyes and 10 being Amanda Seyfried’s bright doll-eyes, I’d say my circles improved from a 3 to a 5 after consistent morning-and-night use for two months. Maybe it was 4MSK, the serum’s mysterious hero ingredient, that did the job — I can’t say for sure. All I know is that I look less like a zombie when I wake up in the morning, and isn’t that what matters most?
Clé de Peau Beauté Concentrated Brightening Eye Serum, $120 at Nordstrom.
