The formula contains a blend of hydrating ingredients, soothing botanical extracts and nourishing vitamins to help reduce the look of puffiness, soften the appearance of fine lines and brighten tired-looking eyes.

Vichy Aqualia Thermal Awakening Eye Balm - 15ml - $36 - offers long-lasting hydration and instant freshness to the delicate skin around the eye area that is showing signs of dehydration, looking tired and dull  thanks to an association of sugars, Hyaluronic Acid + Aquabioryl +  Carragheenans along with caffeine, which for optimal moisture to smooth the look of dehydration lines for skin that is plumped and hydrated.

Available at drugstores across Canada.
Avon Anew Vitale Eye Gel Cream - 15g - $30 - a hydrating gel cream formulated with ProEnergy Complex - to strengthen skin's foundation and reduce the damage that can lead to puffiness - helping skin look energized and fighting the signs of fatigue in the eye area. Skin immediately looks brighter and over time, the appearance of fine lines, dullness and fatigue virtually disappears.

Available from your Avon rep - 1-800-265-AVON or online at www.avon.ca.
Life Brand Moisturizing Eye Roller - 15ml - $16.99 - with a non-irritating formula that contains caffeine and pro-vitamin B5 to help decrease the appearance of under-eye puffiness and dark circles leaving the eye area looking brighter and feeling moisturized. And if you have extreme puffiness, throw it in the fridge for 10 minutes before using - it will get rid of the puff and feel amazing!

Available exclusively at Shoppers Drug Mart.

Olay Fresh Effects {Bright On Schedule!} Eye Awakening Cream - 15ml - $12.99 - with a light, oil-free formula and a tri-roller ball applicator that makes it easy to roll on each morning to hydrate, reduce the look of puffiness and dark circles and leave you feeling  refreshed and looking well rested. With naturally-inspired ingredients including honeysuckle, white tea, and cucumber. You’ll quickly feel refreshed as you reduce the look of puffiness and dark circles.

Available now at drug and mass retailers across Canada.
Sephora Instant Depuffing Roll-On Gel - 15ml - $20 - get a bright-eyed look that lasts all day with a moisturizing formula in a roll-on applicator that reduces undereye puffiness and immediately creates a more rested appearance. The three-ball rolling action visibly reduces undereye puffiness, while red vine extract minimizes the appearance of dark circles. The intense hydration lasts up to 24 hours, smoothing, lightening, and evening skintone thanks to light-reflecting pigments.

Available at Sephora and sephora.ca.

Yves Rocher has a new collection - Elixir 7.9 that aims to smooth 1st wrinkles and signs of fatigue - and you won't have to wonder if it's working, you'll be able to see that it is:

In 1 day - skin appears re-energized
In 1 week - first wrinkles appear smoothed
In 1 month - skin appears radiant with youth

With a formula containing a combination of 7 plants with anti-aging power to boost skin's energy reserves and reactive its youth including: green rice inositol from Japan - to improve radiance and the overall look of the skin; santhorn seed extract from Asia - to improve volume, elasticity and density of the skin; aloe vera polyosides from Mexico - to strengthen the derm as well as strengthen and improve protection and hydration; tara seed extracts from Peru - to improve the skin's cohesion between the derm and the epidermis as well as fight against sagging skin; beet root extract from France - to protect against environmental stressors and dehydration as well as stimulate rehydration; aphloia extract from Madagascar - to protect against environmental stressors; and apple oligosides from France - to smooth wrinkles, boost radiance, refine skin texture and improve the global function of the skin.

Available in the collection are:

Youth Intensifier Serum - 30ml - $56 - with a fluid emulsion texture that penetrates quickly and more concentrated in active ingredients than regular skin care to make it more powerful and effective to leave skin with an incredibly smooth finish

Youth Energy Day Care - Normal to Combination Skin - 40ml - $56 - with a cream gel texture that offers the comfort of a cream combined with the light freshness of a gel.

Youth Energy Day Care - Dry Skin - 40ml - $56 - with a voluptuous, whipped cream texture that is enriched with shea butter for extra nourishment.

Youth Energy Day Care - Sensitive Skin - 30ml - $56 - with a fragrance free, fluid texture that offers the comfort of a cream as it envelops skin in a veil of ultimate softness.

Youth Energy Eye Care Roll-On - 15ml - $42 - with a gel texture that has an instant refreshing effect that revives the eye contour area upon application for eyes that are brighter, wrinkles smoothed and reduced under eye bags and dark circles.

Youth Energy Night Care - 40ml - $56 - with a creamy balm texture that envelops skin in a soft cocoon - in just 1 night skin is re-energized, moisturized with revived radiance upon wakening.

My faves are the Serum, which makes for a perfect layering product under my regular moisturizer for a concentrated dose of the anti-aging ingredients and the Eye Care Roll-On for its no-mess applicator and ability to reduce puffiness!

I also really like, and the environmentally friendly amongst you will really appreciate that there are Eco-Refills available for the Day Care for Normal to Combination and Dry skin as well as the Night Care for $49 - just pop out the old pod and replace it with the new to save money and packaging - as well as the fact that for every Elixir 7.9 product purchased, a tree will be planted as part of the Yves Rocher Foundation's Plant for the Planet operation!

Available now at Yves Rocher stores across Canada and online at www.yvesrocher.ca.

They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul which means most of the time my soul is saying things like - "I'm tired" and "I'm too old to be drinking that much"!... which means what my soul really needs is a good eye product and here are a few that I've had my eye on or on my eye -

Yes To Blueberries Age Refresh Brightening Eye Roller - 14.7ml -$21.99 - this 99% natural and paraben free brightening eye roller is formulated with horse chestnut to help brighten under the eyes as well as improve skin firmness, diminish fine lines and wrinkles and nourish age damaged skin.

Knowing how much I love fruit scented body products, you can imagine how much it tickles me to be able to use fruit products on my face too! This has been my favourite eye product lately - it feels so nice and cool going on and doesn't feel sticky or tacky like some rollers can. I think it might even smell like blueberries - which don't have much of a scent so that might just be my own wishful thinking... The perfect product to have for the morning after whatever you were doing the night before that you shouldn't have been!

Available at Shoppers Drug Mart.
Nip + Fab Dark Circle Fix - 15ml - $15.95 - with a triple action formula that reduces the appearance of puffiness (with tetra peptide) and dark circles (with red algae) while adding moisture to make your skin look smooth and feel soft ( with shea butter).

Available at Shoppers Drug Mart.
Philosophy Eyes Wide Open Instant Refreshing and Depuffing Eye Gel - 15ml - $39 - a lightweight, clear gel that visibly depuffs the eye area with bioflavonoids and caffeine while natural seaweed extracts and hyaluronic acid refresh eyes for a bright, rested appearance. As well, revitalizing extracts help hydrate while aiding in moisture retention to help smooth the appearance of fine lines for more youthful-looking skin.

Available at Sephora and select The Bay and Shoppers Drug Mart locations.

And if you're sick of the boy stealing yours (or looking at his puffy eyes if he doesn't bother to) - pick him up one of his own in a manly version and for him I really recommend a roller ball eye moisturizer, the less effort things are, the more likely he is to do it. Here are a couple that my husband has tried and likes:
Biotherm Homme High Recharge Eye Shot - 15ml - $25 - an anti-fatigue cold eye gel massage to reduce visible signs of fatigue on the eye contour with 3 powerful ingredients: caffeine - to reduce puffiness; sericoside - to promote micro-circulation; and manganese - to help protect against free radicals. With not one but three roller balls to help deflate eye bags, eliminate dark circles and hydrate the eye contour.
NeoStrata Men Eye Contour Anti-Aging Gel - 10ml - $32 - reduces fine lines, wrinkles and promotes skin firmness while moisturizing.

Available at drugstores including Shoppers Drug Mart, Rexall and Pharmaprix.

Simple Skincare - the UK's No. 1 skincare range has arrived in Canada - with a line of products suitable for all skin types including sensitive. The products have no dyes, artificial perfumes or harsh irritants that can be upsetting to your skin. As well, all products are dermatologist tested, hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic and pH balanced.

Cleansers & Wipes - $7.99-$10.99 

Moisturizing Facial Wash - 150ml - with pro-vitamin B5, vitamin E and chamomile to leave your skin thoroughly cleansed and nourished with moisture and bisabolol to help soothe and calm.

Refreshing Facial Wash Gel - 150ml - with pro-vitamin B5 cleanses and revives without soap or drying.

Smoothing Facial Scrub - 150ml - with pro-vitamin B5, vitamin E and rice particles to gently exfoliate and help your skin look brighter and more evenly-textured.

Soothing Facial Toner - 200ml - with chamomile and allantoin to leave your skin feeling clean and refreshed as well as witch hazel to tone and tighten pores.

Cleansing Facial Wipes - 25 wipes - with pro-vitamin B5 to refresh your skin with moisture and also remove waterproof mascara with no alcohol, oil or greasy residue. Safe for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers.

Exfoliating Facial Wipes - 25 wipes - with pro-vitamin B5, vitamin E and aloe vera to gently lift dead skin cells to leave your skin exfoliated and revitalized.

Moisturizers & Eye Care - $12.99-$17.99 

Replenishing Rich Moisturizer - 125ml - with pro-vitamin B5, chamomile oil and allantoin to leave your skin replenished and nourished with moisture all day long and glycerin to hydrate your skin.

Hydrating Light Moisturizer - 125ml - with pro-vitamin B5 and vitamin E to leave your skin hydrated all day long and glycerin and borage seed oil to moisturize your skin.

Vital Vitamin Moisturizing Day Cream SPF 15 - 50ml - with pro-vitamin B5, vitamin E, chamomile oil and allantoin to provide all-day moisturization and glycerin to hydrate your skin as well as SPF 15 to protect. 

Vital Vitamin Restoring Night Cream - 50ml - with pro-vitamin B5, vitamin E, chamomile, glycerin and borage seed oil to help restore and replenish your skin's moisture balance throughout the night.

Revitalizing Eye Roll-On - 15ml - with pro-vitamin B5, cucumber extract and glycerin to help reduce the look of puffiness and revitalize tired eyes by instantly cooling and gently massaging the delicate eye area without drying or greasy residue. Ophthalmologist tested and safe for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers.

Soothing Eye Balm - 15ml - with pro-vitamin B5, vitamin E, chamomile oil, shea butter and jojoba oil to soothe and relax tired eyes with moisture. Ophthalmologist tested and safe for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers.

Eye Make-up Remover - 125ml - with pro-vitamin B5 to effectively remove makeup even waterproof mascara. Ophthalmologist tested and safe for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers.

My faves from the line include the Cleansing Wipes (more to come on them soon) and Eye Roll-On which I have been keeping in my desk drawer and rolling on during the day when my eyes are tired from staring at the computer screen!

Available in stores now so go check it out!

According to a recent study by The NPD Group, men are outshopping Canadian women as far as the apparel sector goes. As a matter of fact, the men's sector was the only one to show any growth (up 3%) at the end of last year, while women's apparel declined (down 4%). All I know is that my husband isn't contributing to these growing numbers at all - his clothes would literally have to fall apart into pieces before it would even occur to him to buy more.

I know the market for men's beauty (grooming) products is also growing and as a result, more and more companies are putting out products specifically for men. And just remember the benefit to your man having his own products - he'll stop stealing yours! There is nothing worse then opening up your expensive moisturizer and finding a big hunk of it gone with his fingermarks and stubble left behind!

Here are some products the man is sure to love:

What's great about this new line from NeoStrata Men is it's very simple and precise - 4 products if he wants to use the whole collection, 3 of which can be used day and night - or if he's concerned with signs of aging, just throw in the Anti-Aging Cream as his night cream - easy-peasy!

NeoStrata Men Gel Cleanser - 150ml - $26.75 - cleanses and refreshes in one step without drying out the skin - with 4% glycolic acid - great for removing the build-up of dead cells on the skin's surface which helps minimize ingrown hairs.

This is perfect for my husband as his skin tends to be oily and is prone to break-outs - the glycolic acid is great for this skin type as well as the whole ingrown hair thing.

NeoStrata Men Soothing Moisturizer - 50ml - $29 - improves hydration by 40% in as little as 30 minutes after application - soothes freshly shaved skin while providing instant and long lasting hydration while providing anti-redness and anti-stinging properties.

NeoStrata Men Eye Contour Anti-Aging Gel - 10ml - $32 - reduces fine lines, wrinkles and promotes skin firmness while moisturizing.

This is my husband's absolute favourite product from the line and I'll tell you why - the roller ball applicator. While women know that a roller ball is awesome way to eliminate puffiness, my husband sees it as the ultimate tool for a guy who is usually too lazy to apply an eye product - two quick rolls and he is done!

NeoStrata Men Anti-Aging Cream - 50ml - $47 - reduces fine lines and wrinkles while promoting firmness and improving skin tone and texture and eliminating shine.

Available now at drugstores including Shoppers Drug Mart, Rexall and Pharmaprix.
Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb - 50ml EDT - $75, 90ml EDT - $99 - is born of the incendiary encounter between two accords with virtually opposing tones: the first is irresistibly addictive, blending a heart of incandescent spices - chilli and saffron - with the all-masculine roundness of elather and tobacco, along with the distinguished brute strength of vetiver. The second is explosive, busing fresh zesty notes of bergamot and grapefruit, while cold spices - elemi and pink pepper - leave the mark of their icy bite.

Touted as a "weapon of mass seduction" this is sure to get the boy smelling great, and even if he doesn't usually like to wear fragrance, he has to love the grenade bottle and want to pull the "pin"!

Available now exclusively at The Bay.
Dove Men+Care is offering some new scents in their lineup:

Body & Face Wash - 400ml - $5.99 - in Clean Defense for oil buildup and Fresh Awake for energizing scent - both contain micromoisture technology developed coat the body to hydrate the skin from head to toe and ensure skin feels moisturized and clean.


Aqua Impact Anti-Perspirant - 76g - $5.99, Aqua Impact Deodorant - 85g - $5.99 - for an intense blast of freshness that lasts throughout the day.

Available now at drug, grocery and mass retailers.

If you plan to have a lot of fun tonight (aka get wasted) you can stock up now so you will be prepared to deal with how your skin is going to look tomorrow morning as a result of it! A few easy steps and no one ever needs to know that you drank your weight in champagne New Year's eve (except for the damning  pictures on Facebook of course, they always give you away)!


Start off with a nice steam - you can use chamomile or something else herbal you have hanging around the house or make it really easy on yourself with: LUSH Moon and Sun Steamer Tab - $2.95 - a blend of oils for the mind and skin that will steam clean your face while you inhale the mood adjusting essential oils. Neroli oil brings you a blast of its mood lifting power, while lavender oil balances and soothes the skin.

Just drop a tab into a bowl of hot water put your face over it and drape a towel around your head to make your own mini sauna! Word of warning - do NOT do this over a pot on the stove (especially with the element still on) - I know someone who set their hair on fire this way!
After steaming is a great time to slap on a mask! You can use any type suited to your skin but even my combination skin feels dried out after a night of drinking so I prefer something more moisturizing like: StriVectin-SH Dermal Infusion Mask - 120ml - $75 - alleviates dry, tired skin by quickly infusing skin cells with moisture and nutrients to help renew skin from the inside out with ingredients including: Sweet Almond Oil, Rice Bran Oil and Omega-6 Fatty Acid - to seal in intensive moisture while conditioning and softening skin for a suppler, more luminous complexion; A proprietary blend of skin-identical Ceramides to help boost the skin's moisture retention and surface smoothness; an exclusive blend of Goji Berry, Bearberry and Blueberry antioxidants to help reduce free radical damage; and a patented NIA-114 molecule to help strengthen skin layers to allow skin to better retain natural moisture for more tones, radiant skin.
Available at The Bay and online at The Shopping Channel - www.theshoppingchannel.com.
When my skin looks tired, my go-to ingredient is Vitamin C - nothing is better for perking my skin up quick! A good one is Elizabeth Grant Vitamin C Day Treatment - 50ml - $40 - with Vitamin C and Torricelumn to leave the skin looking clearer, brighter, smoother and more radiant.
Available online at www.elizabethgrant.com
Nothing feels better on puffy, overpartied eyes then a nice cool eye roller like: The Body Shop Natrulift Refreshing Eye Roll-On - 10ml - $26 - cools, hydrates, softens the appearance of wrinkles and targets puffiness with organic pomegranate seed oil, pomegranate peel and pomegranate pulp, plus Community Fair Trade organic aloe vera from Guatemala.
Available in-store or online at www.thebodyshop.ca
Most of all, you will need water, lots and lots of water! Drink it out of the tap if you like or get fancy with Icelandic Glacial Natural Spring Water - an exceptionally pure, carbon-neutral water with an optimal mineral balance. You may be interested to know that Icelandic Glacial will be the exclusive hydration method used in the new DIORSNOW product line from Dior, which will launch in the first quarter of 2012 throughout the Asian market. If it's good enough for Dior, it's good enough for me!
Available across Canada and the US in specialty food stores.

I hope you have a great night tonight and a relaxing day of pampering tomorrow - Happy New Year!

Dr. Brandt Dark Circles Away Collagen Eye Serum - 15ml - $65 - an instant brightening eye serum that boosts collagen levels and stimulates microcirculation to decrease the look of dark circles - by stimulating microcirculation; tired eyes - by instantly improving luminosity and brightness; puffy eyes - by draining excess fluids; hollow eyes - by increasing collagen levels and strengthening thin, fragile skin; and under eye bags - by breaking down abnormal fatty deposits. As well, it keeps the eye area hydrated and healthy looking and reduces the look of lines and wrinkles.

Regular readers will know how much I love an eye roller - I find the whole metal roll-y bit the most effective tool for puffy eyes! What I don't like is the ineffective manner by which many companies produce them - mainly by not having a way to control how much product comes out - usually the product comes out continually as you roll which means you can only do a limited amount of rolling or you end up with way too much serum!

So I was happy to discover this Dr. Brandt one - it has a smart design where you actually pump the serum out before you roll which means I can have as much or as little serum as I like and roll to my hearts content!

Available at Sephora, sephora.com and Murale.

shu uemura has three new products (and one old favourite) to help you in pursuit of creating beautiful eyes with ease as well as enhance the natural beauty and definition of your eyes!

Red Juvenus Roll-Away Instant Eye Fatigue Corrector - 10ml - $35 - kick tired-looking eyes, dark circles and puffiness to the curb while boosting energy flow and making your eyes look brighter. Contains Guarana Extract - to stimulate micro-circulation and limit water retention to help with dark circles and puffiness, hydrate and erase signs of fatigue; and Phyto-Red Energy Complex - enhances energy flow in skin cells and blocks oxidative stress.

It's applied with a metallic roll-on applicator and they recommend that you combine it's application with traditional Shiatsu massage methods to make your eyes feel instantly revived - if you don't know how to Shiatsu yourself, no worries, it's just the word for "finger pressure" - so after applying the roller just use your fingers to gently circle the eye and lightly tap underneath to help promote circulation.

Lash Builder - $36 - ultimate lash boosting serum which supports natural lash growth to powerfully rebuild lashes and make them visibly longer, thicker and fuller as well as visibly repairing, fortifying and protecting them to create healthier looking and more beautiful lashes.
Eyelash Curler - $24 - what can I say about what is to many, the pinnacle of eyelash curlers! If you haven't tried it for yourself, you are missing out!
Ultimate Natural Mascara - $33 - creates an ultra thin film on the lash surface which leads to an extremely natural, clean and separate finish with powerful curl holding ability and without smudging or flaking. This sounds to be right up my alley so stay tuned for swatches, I'm going to have to try this one for myself!

All the products are available at Holt Renfrew - as well, you will also find the lash curler at Sephora.

Clinique Lid Smoothie Antioxidant 8-Hour Eye Colour - $24 - in 12 colours: Bit O'Honey, Cashew Later, Sassy-fras, Ginger-ly Cute-cumber, Pinko Biloba, Seventh Heather, Born Freesia, Imprompt-blue, Currant Affair, Lick-orice, Salt and Pepper - with a cream to powder formula that is infused with a nourishing and antioxidant-rich blend of  ingredients including: extracts of Vitamin E, Broccoli, Carrot, Blueberry and Spinach; Cucumber, Aloe Vera and Caffeine to help immediately revitalize and refresh the appearance of tired eyes; and Collagen boosting peptides to help smooth skin texture. And if that wasn't enough they are also 100% fragrance free, water resistant, transfer resistant and non-streaking.

What makes them different from other long-wear cream colour shadows that have come out lately is the cooling applicator - which is a fancy way of saying it's made out of metal. The benefit to the metal is that it cools the skin down on contact making it less puffy - much like eye rollers do but instead of eye cream, this time you're getting colour!

I've been messing around with mine and will be back to you soon with swatches! Has anyone else picked these up and what are your thoughts?

 I have been super busy the last few months pampering my eyes - and then I realized that I had spent so much time slapping stuff on them that I had totally neglected to write about any of it!  So sorry for the late reviews but good things come to those who wait and these first three were worth waiting for!

NeoStrata Intense Eye Contour All-in-One Serum - 15ml - $45 - for wrinkles/fine line, crepiness, puffiness and dark circles.  If you've been looking for a treatment to address all of these concerns in one bottle, your search is over!  It contains a blend of Matrixyl (3%) and retinol (0.05%) to counter wrinkles, fine lines and crepiness; Eye Regener (2%) - rich in oligopeptides and ogliosaccharides which boosts lymphatic drainage and stimulates collagen production to help with puffiness; and MDI Complex (2%), SabiWhite (0.5%) and Cytobiol Lumin-Eye (5%) for darkness and under eye bags.  What I love about serums is how much lighter they are then creams - so they absorb easily.  If you have dry skin around your eyes you might prefer a thicker product or to layer this under something richer.  As usual NeoStrata knows what I want and delivers! This is a great product that I really enjoyed trying and liked the results of - the only thing I didn't like was having to listen to Christelle ask me what "crepiness" is...

Clinique All About Eyes Serum - 15ml - $33 - fragrance, oil free, allergy tested and safe for contact wearers.  It incorporates the soothing ingredients: Amentoflavone and Humulus Lupulus Extract as well as Caffeine to help reduce puffiness.  Regular readers will already be aware of my eye roller obsession - I don't care what other people say, I am convinced that a roller ball has magical properties to eliminate puffiness!  So of course whenever there is a new roller on the scene, I must try!  What I really like about this one is that it is specifically for puffiness, it isn't trying to be everything to everyone, it just wants to serve puffy people!  The other thing that I like is that it isn't meant to be a twice a day treatment, you can use it anytime you feel puffy - which for me tends to be every few hours, especially when I'm spending the day staring at my computer screen.  The formula is super light so there is no issue just rolling it on over my makeup!  And because it is light, it's also perfect if you want to layer it with other eye treatments - since it only does puffiness, you might want to wear something richer on top of it if your dry or fighting wrinkles.

Reviva Labs Collagen-Fibre Eye Pad Kit - $38 - the kit contains 4 sets of eye pads - containing hibiscus flower extract which relaxes facial muscles and 2oz of skin energizing gel - containing algae extract - diminishes wrinkles, dark circles and puffiness -  I am familiar with the whole eye pad thing but this product was something new and different - I'm used to the pads coming pre-moistened and you just open up the packet and apply them - but with this kit you apply the gel under your eyes first and then apply the fibre pads on top of the gel and use a wet cotton ball to mold them to your face.  Because you have to keep them on for 15-20 minutes, I like using eye pads on a Saturday or Sunday morning - depending on what night before I went out - my skin just doesn't bounce back like it used to when I stay up late! This product did an excellent job eliminating the scary morning after eye of fine lines/bags/dark circles!  The results are temporary but also cumulative - not sure how many times you would have to do it to get the full benefit.  You will run out of the pads before you finish the gel so you can either order replacement pads or use the gel by itself - they recommend rubbing a couple of drops into your face like a serum.  Check it out and purchase at the website here!

DERMAdoctor Wrinkle Revenge Rescue & Protect Eye Balm - 15ml - $52.80 - helps facilitate a visible improvement of puffiness and dark circles while skin firms and lines fade with continued use - Now just so you don't think I'm a crazy person who buys any beauty product she sees - I do all of the same things you do when I get it into my head to buy something - especially when it's pricey!  I read reviews on blogs and Sephora and try to gauge from other people's experiences if I think it will work for me or not.  Of course you can do all the research in the world and it won't mean a think when you get something home and it TOTALLY disagrees with you!  From the first application of this eye balm my eyes started stinging and burning.  I figured I had accidentally gotten it in my eye so I tried again the next day being very careful not to get it too close - same problem only this time little white bumps formed under my eyes too.  Undeterred and determined to have the same wonderful experience with it that everyone else seemed to have had - I waited a few days, made sure there was nothing else on my face (in case it was reacting with another product) and gingerly applied it well away from my tear ducts or waterline - IT BURNS!  I quickly washed it off and put it aside to be returned.

Now here's something weird about my beauty personality - I hate returning things, and very rarely do it.  It somehow feels like I have failed when I have to take something back that just isn't working for me.  I can prove this by the numerous shelves full of things that I bought, used once but haven't been able to bring myself to either throw away or take back.  I am convinced that if I wait and try again that it will somehow have morphed into something that works for me.  I'm looking into a 12 step program to help me with that.  If I can't find one expect to see me on Hoarders - the beauty edition - soon!

Am I the only one?

L'Oréal Collagen Micro-Pulse - 15ml - $36.99 - A new 2 step eye treatment - step 1 - anti-wrinkle + dark circle cream and step 2 - anti-bag + puffiness micro-pulse massage - It gets rid of wrinkles, bags and dark circles, it vibrates, what's not to like about this product?!  I've been hearing buzz (ha ha) about this product for awhile now so I was excited to see that it finally made its way to us!  It's cleverly designed - the bottom part contains the eye treatment which contains Erasyl to help minimize the appearance of dark circles and Collagen to help smooth away under eye wrinkles and crows feet., you just unscrew it from the blue part to reveal the opening to squeeze out your cream and apply.  The top part is the micro-pulse massager - a flick of the switch activates 130 micro-vibrations per second that will automatically reduce the stagnant fluids trapped in the under-eye tissues causing dark circles and bags.

Did it work?  My issue is with bags - especially those mornings when sleep eluded me the night before - and it was awesome for this!  The massaging action really did seem to make the bags disappear right before (under) my eyes!  Another trick I discovered was to put the massaging half in the fridge for 10 minutes before using, it really cools down the metal and makes it feel wonderful!
Lise Watier 3-in-1 Miracle Primer - 20ml - $ - Think your current primer doesn't work hard enough?  You are probably right - Lise Watier's new primer gives you 2 formulas with 3 actions all in one handy product, see what a slacker your current one is being?!  There are 2 formulas to wear either alone or blended together.  A translucent primer, enriched with vitamins A & C, that instantly matifies and corrects skin by minimizing the appearance of pores and fine lines and a tinted base to correct and illuminate the complexion which comes in 3 shades, infused with Diamond Lumiere Complex for a custom glow:  Banane - for fair to medium complexions with pink undertones - illuminates the complexion and neutralizes minor redness; Abricot - for medium to dark skin tones - sweeps away dull complexions and instantly restores a healthy glow.  Ideal to enhance tanned complexions; and Rose Lilas - for olive and Asian complexions - restores freshness to tired complexions and corrects yellow tones.  All are paraben, fragrance and oil free.

Marcelle Rouge Xpression Lipstick - 11.95 - in 12 colours: sincerity, delirium, passion, sentimental, delight, euphoria, obsession, revolution, enchantment, exuberance, sensation, provocative - are super pigmented and contain avocado oil for moisture, Vitamins C & E for their antioxidant properties and Maxi-Lip, an oligopeptide complex which delivers a plumping effect on the lips, reduces furrows, improves general skin texture and contributes to achieve a better lip contour definition and plumping effect when used daily.
2 in 1 Retractable Plumping Lipliner - $10.95 -in 6 colours: natural, perfect nude, cinnamon, nude attitude, rose velours, cool berry - this clever little products has a liner on one end and a lip brush and sharpener on the other!  I love that this pencil is retractable, sometimes with this type you can turn it up, but not back down again.  It's got the same good stuff and benefits in it that the lipstick above does!

As you all well know, I have been eye roller crazy here for the past six months and I thought I had made it through all of the rollers on the market.  That was until it was brought to my attention that I had missed out on one - Sampar - Age Antidote - Eye Rule - 10ml - $89 - and would I ever have missed out!  This eye roller has taken everything I liked about all the other rollers, fixed everything I didn't like about them and presented it all to me in a shiny pink tube!

So first off it's a nice thick tube that's easy to grip and the roller ball itself is also large so it feels nice and cool under your eyes and covers a large area at one time - which is great for my puffiness.  They actually recommend storing it in the fridge to enhance the cooling sensation and I did try doing it and it was great - only problem is, the fridge is downstairs and I would always forget to grab it after breakfast so would have to run downstairs again to get it - laziness won out over coolness!

And here's where Sampar really won me over, not only does it have a button at the bottom that you push to dispense the product, but the button also locks so you don't accidentally push it when you don't want to.  So you turn the button to unlock, push the button to make the product come out and then turn the button the opposite way to relock - genius!  My tip to you, unlock the button before you start your skincare routine - I use my eye roller last and after moisturizing my face, my fingers are too greasy to be able to grip the button properly to unlock it!

And wait,  it gets better - I have heard several of you complain that while you like the ease of eye rollers, the product itself is just too thin to moisturize properly - solved!  The Eye Rule dispenses more of a cream than the thin liquid we see out of all the other ones!  I find it just as moisturizing as any of my pot moisturizers - the only downside to that is that I find it takes a swipe with my fingers at the end of rolling to totally work the cream into my skin.  I also find that I don't have to use a full pump of the button to get enough product - that's way too much!  I just use about a third of a pump and that is plenty to do both eyes.

Here's the good stuff inside the Eye Rule:  Red Raspberry Seed Oil - which is a powerful antioxidant, Adenosine - which inhibits muscle contractions responsible for the formation of expression wrinkles, Peptides - which stimulate the production of collagen, reducing the length and depth of wrinkles, RSP Complex, - Licorice, Marigold and Butcher's Broom - to lighten dark circles under the eyes and Urban Advance Complex - an anti-oxidant shield that protects the skin from the harmful effects of pollution.

You can order your very own Eye Rule at www.scienceandnatureonline.com  or www.sears.ca .  Or if you like do your shopping in person and you're in Toronto, you can find it at the Sears in the Eaton Centre or Scarborough Town Centre.

In case you were wondering, I'm still on my eye roller quest and my latest find is Dermaglow Nuvectin Triple Action Eye Lift - 15ml - $34 - the triple action refers to combating wrinkles, dark circles and puffiness.  Now I like Dermaglow because not only is it a Canadian company but when you look at the box, they give you percentages for results.  Like for this one the box says 95% experienced significant improvement in dark circles and under eye puffiness, 62% experienced lift and smoothing of skin after 1 hour and 28% reduction in appearance of wrinkles in crow's feet area in 5 minutes.  I like hearing what a product did for other people, it's like surfing reviews on other people's blogs right on the box! 

You can add me to the 95% - this product is excellent for my puffiness!  I don't have much in the way of dark circles so I can't comment on that.  I really like the size of the roller ball and it's so nice and cooling in the morning.  The only thing I don't like is that there is no way to dispense the product except by the action of rolling - because the ball is cool, you are never sure if anything is coming out or if too much is coming out.  I expect they only mean for you to roll as long as it takes for enough liquid to come out for the eye area, not realizing that insane people such as myself stand there for ages in the morning hypnotically rolling...  I solved this problem by tipping the wand up while rolling with intent to dispense the liquid and once I have enough, tipping the wand down so I can continue rolling to my hearts content without any more liquid coming out.  Once I got the hang of it, it worked just fine.  It also does a good job of softening the tiny lines around my eyes which means it has good moisture to it.  I am also pleased that it has no discernible smell.

Sound like something you might want to try?  I agree, you should!  You're cute and perky, you deserve it!

And not only will you get your very own Triple Action Eye Lift but also a full sized Hydration Fix Serum and Anti-Aging Lip Treatment. That's a $105 worth of anti-aging goodness!  Sound awesome?  Of course it does!  Here's what you need to do -  to be eligible for the draw, you must join Beauty Crazed as a follower if you aren't one already.  You can either do it through Google or through Networked Blogs on Facebook - you can find both signups on the right hand side of the Beauty Crazed site.  Once you belong to our crazy family just leave a reply to this post letting us know you want in. Also let us know if you would be interested in writing a blurb about your prize once you have a chance to use them all, we would love to know what you think of them!  Including an e-mail address would be extra helpful and you can write it like this - info(at)beautycrazed(dot)ca - so the bots can't find you but we can!  Or if you prefer not to leave a public post, it's also fine to e-mail us - info@beautycrazed.ca, please put "Dermaglow Contest" in the subject line.  Winner to be decided by random drawing and you have until April 1st to enter.

I know I've been on an eye roller kick lately so you are probably wondering how this La Mer product got in my medicine cabinet.  The applicator!  It's a roller ball on the end of a stick so this would be our low tech roller ball entry!  If you will recall how much I love the La Mer hand treatment - I was pretty excited to try their eye concentrate!

La Mer - The Eye Concentrate - 15ml - $200
First off, the applicator is brilliant!  If you get this, become destitute and can't afford La Mer anymore, keep the applicator to use with your drugstore eyecream because you will probably still get the same effects.  What effects might those be you ask?  Well, I tried the concentrate with and without the applicator just to see what benefits there may or may not be to it and it really does do an excellent job of helping with the puffiness.  I think it's the whole coolness factor of the metal against your skin, it really does help the puff!

The concentrate itself is very light, which is exactly what I like in the morning!  I dip the applicator in and smooth a small amount of concentrate under each eye and then use the ball to lightly massage it into the skin.  I don't know that this is what La Mer had in mind for the applicator but I'm a rebel so I just do crazy stuff like that!  Almost immediately the puffiness starts to go away, within half an hour of using, it's entirely gone.  I only have very slight dark circles in the morning but the La Mer also gets rid of them.  It is also moisturizing enough that it softens any fine lines or wrinkles that might have made an overnight appearance.  Overall I am very happy with it.

Of course it's not cheap and I did do a lot of reading before trying it to see what other people thought of it.  I did read a few reviews that mentioned it really burned when it got in their eyes - well duh!  I guess pretty much anything would burn if it gets in your eyes!  Using it in a normal fashion underneath my eyes I did not have any sort of issue or irritation.  As far as price goes - well you use so little each time and  I can say in all the time I have been using it, I don't even see a dip in the pot, so using this once a day, I could see it lasting a year.  If you used it twice a day, then 6 months, but really, if you amortize that it's only 55 cents or $1.10 a day - less than a cup of coffee or your morning paper ( I use this argument on my husband all the time, it's hard for him to argue about the price of my new handbag or shoes when I break it down to a daily cost over all the years I will use it!)

Splurge on yourself, you're cute and perky, you deserve it!

And while you are at the La Mer counter, check out La Mer Valentine's Day Pampering Treats:

It seemed appropriate that my foray into the world of eye rollers begin with the newest and oldest of the genre.  I have never used an eye roller before but they seemed like a good morning option for me as I tend to be puffy in the morning and all eye rollers seem to have a de-puffing aspect.  I figured everything else they may do would just be gravy!

Olay Regenerist Anti-Aging Eye Roller $34.99 is the newest entry into the eye roller market and you can tell that they have been paying attention to what came before them and making improvements.  There is not one, not two but three micro-rollers so it gives some great massaging action.  It is also a click pen which means that you have to click the end of it a few times to get things going and then one or two clicks every time you use it to dispense the product.  This meant that I could spend lots and lots of glorious massaging time as no additional product would come out due to the rolling.  There was no smell or at least none I noticed that offended me.  It was moisturizing enough to diminish the fine lines around my eyes too so I was all around happy with my first stab at eye rollers!