Eye, Eye Captain!

My lovelies, do it with me. The Free Stuff dance. Performed to the Free Stuff Song. “Free Stuff! Baby Free Stuff! Gimme your stuff, gimme gimme your stuff, gimme gimme. Free Stuff! Baby Free Stuff! Gimme your stuff, gimme gimme your stuff, gimme gimme all your stufffff, all your stuff-uff-uff.”

Bloomingdales! Around the country! Starting August 31! Free gift at Clinique! But what’s in the free gift, Real Girl, you may ask. Well, guess what? My posse at the Bloomie’s Clinique counter gave me a wee little peek. And, okay, not all of it is thrilling. There’s the requisite, though nice sized, sample of toner. The four neutral tones of eye shadow. The bubble gum pink lip gloss (shiny!), and the baggie of cotton balls and Q-tips. But what’s really exciting? So exciting that Real Girl may have to follow up this entry with one on Clinique Eye Product #2? A divine little sample of Clinique’s latest eye treatment, Repairwear Intensive Eye Cream. This beaut purports to fight fine lines with a nice peptide base. But does it work? If you get the free gift, be sure to share!!

But now on to Clinique Eye Product #1, All About Eyes: And here—as has become habit lately—Real Girl confesses. I’m stymied. I’ve perused the ingredients of this lovely little eye cream, and I’m not sure what makes it so splendiferous. Antioxidants? It’s got a bit of green tea and grape extract, but nothing that’s got me jumping off the walls. De-puffing? It’s got caffeine, the eternal ingredient of the depuff, which aids in reducing swelling. Dark circles? Ahem. Here Clinique cheats a little, using ingredients that inhibit melanin production—great if your darkness is due to melanin, not so much if (as with mine) it’s due to bone structure, shadows, etc. So…what is it, Clinique? WHAT AM I MISSING? It’s driving me crazy. There’s no reason I can see that this product should be as damn awesome as it is.

Should we chalk it up to miracle?

Let’s break it down. First of all: texture. This eye cream, in my book, has achieved the Holy Grail of eye cream texture. It’s light and cool, a silicone based moisturizer, which means it’s slippery and thin. You know how I’m always nagging you not to rub your eyes (and cause hateful, damning wrinkles)? Well, with this texture, it’s impossible to rub the eye area because your finger slides gently over your delicate skin as you tap, tap, tap away. I went through two samples of this baby, and with every use I continued to marvel at the lovely feel of this gentle, love-to-slather-it-on, gel/lotion hybrid.

But you know what? Here’s where I’m stumped. Those tiny fine lines around my eyes? The ones I’m always complaining about, even though I’m the only one who sees them? I don’t know how, but somehow when I use this eye cream, they seem less…less liney. My skin looks glowier, softer, plumper (in a good way). It’s like my eye skin has written me a love letter saying Real Girl? We likey. We really, really likey. I mean, don’t expect your lines to disappear…but if you’re early in the line-forming stage, as I am in my (very) late twenties, then this sweet gem may just make you smile. (And since you’re already using your antioxidant serum under All About Eyes and your sunscreen over it, you can smile all you want because you’re protecting against those laugh lines. I, for one? Refuse to stop laughing. Especially at myself.)

Basically? My sample ran out two weeks ago. I am DYING. I’m seeing those thready lines again, I swear. I wish I could tell you what Clinique's secret ingredient is here…but I’m thinking it might just be magic.


Abra Cadabra Presto Clinique-o!

xx
Real Girl

(But what about you? Have you tried All About Eyes? Or the new Repairwear for Eyes? Want to gush over your favorite eye products? Depuffers? Anything at all? Chat away, my dears!)