little white truths

I've just finished off some of the work I've got on, so I want to sneak this little post in before the next wave of documents hits.

We received this eye cream from the Parcel, and initially I wasn't going to review it because I had to resort to using it on my face and not my eyes (due to irritation, more on that below), but when the product started irritating my face as well, I thought bugger this I need to say something.

Why? Because although my eyes might be sensitive, my face isn't bad and I've been using AHAs for years so I really shouldn't be reacting to something like this. But I am so I wanted to let you know, just to warn potential users/purchasers that this product should be approached with caution.

Elucent claims/product details:

• A delicate cream tailored to help visibly improve the skin contours around the eyes
• This hydrating combination of 4% AHAs and a special blend of vitamins B3, C and E gently smooths fine lines and wrinkles, and reduces the appearance of dark circles
• Fragrance-free, making it an excellent gentle option for use around your eyes
• Ophthalmologist and dermatologically tested
• Note: it is important to begin slowly by introducing AHAs to the skin before moving to higher levels
• To use: gently pat a thin layer on the area around the eyes; avoid irritated skin; mild and temporary tingling may occur 
• RRP $50 AUD for 15g, but do shop around

Verdict

First things first, note that this won't be a standard review about what a product has done for me over time - purely because it's caused some dramas around my eye and general face area so I've had to stop using it. Still, I've been testing it on-and-off over the past month, so hopefully my comments will be useful.

It's a white cream that's very lightweight so I would almost call it a gel/cream hybrid. It spreads and absorbs well, and while I can detect the tiniest fresh scent if I smell the product, I generally agree that it's 'fragrance free' because I have a strong nose and I'm barely smelling anything.

As the directions suggest, I went in carefully with this and only used it on my eyes every second evening. I noticed that my eyes were feeling a bit dry and itchy, but they weren't too bad so after two weeks I started using this every evening. After two nights, my eye area broke out in little red bumps. There weren't heaps of them but I knew I had to stop using the product, and it took a good few days for the bumps to disappear and around a week before my eyes stopped feeling dry and itchy.

So let's say that I've probably had a minor allergic reaction to this (the bumps were more of a rash than eg blemishes), which isn't hugely surprising because I've had a similar reaction once or twice before. For example, I can't put cucumber slices over my eyes: I tried that as a teenager and had the same allergic reaction.

After that, I thought 'ok, I won't review this and I'll just use it on my face'. I wasn't concerned about using it on my face because, as mentioned above, I've been using AHAs and other active ingredients for years now and I can tolerate just about anything (except retinol).

After about four days of using this as my night cream, my skin became dry/sensitive and  it started to flake around my nose and smile lines (which is the driest part of my face, especially in the cooler months). I wouldn't say that I had an allergic reaction on my face, I just reckon that the product stripped/irritated my skin - I say this because that's what happens when I use irritating or astringent products (eg cleansers).

Needless to say, this isn't getting used on my face anymore. I might use up the rest of my tube on my chest area (which can tolerate most things) - just so it's not a complete waste - but it's safe to say that I don't recommend this product. Indeed, I've given it a disappointing products tag.

Note that this eye cream has had some good reviews online (see eg Beautyheaven) so it could just be that there's something cucumber-like in this that doesn't agree with me. Still, I wanted to share my experience so you're armed with the knowledge that this could irritate your skin.

Hope all's well with you, and speak soon x