Although there’s no permanent remedy for eye bags, something cool and soothing is always welcome to alleviate the puffiness of my undereye area.
For this purpose, I recommend the ceramic tip of Estée Lauder Idealist Cooling Eye Illuminator. Thanks to its material, it remains cool even at room temperature – I love that it feels slightly chilled whenever it touches my skin (it feels like it’d just come out of the fridge) and a few gentle glides bring temporary relief to my tired eyes. The curved tip fits the contours of my eyes and is a nice change from the run-of-the-mill roller ball that only covers a small area at one time.
The cream (a silicone-mica mix that seems to have elasticity) has an immediate brightening effect, thanks to its sheer pale-gold tint with a slightly shimmery finish (2 shades are available; I’m using Light/Medium).
It will not completely obscure darkness or fine lines – it might even accentuate them should you use more than a smidgeon, so it’s necessary to be prudent – but the fine iridescent particles do subtly illuminate. You’ll certainly need a concealer under this, which makes me wonder about its intended purpose…it really does seem to be more of a highlighter than an eye cream. I must admit that it works very well over concealer and doesn’t cake. In fact, it keeps the area silky-soft for a fairly long period of time, perhaps thanks to its silicone content.
A few reviews that I’ve read online claim that it does diminish dark circles over time, so perhaps it is more efficacious as a skincare item than I think. (It’s hard for me to discern this as my problem are my eye bags and not dark circles.)
The tube itself could be improved in terms of product dispensation – the rubbery body seems to give out a little more than I need when I’m pressing it while the tip is on my skin. It is easier to control on its own: Dispense a dot on your fingertip and either lift it with the ceramic end or apply it directly before patting/gliding with the cooling tip.
It’s been a few months since I received this product from the brand and I’m still fond of the ceramic tip which I use frequently to soothe my eye area. I wouldn’t say you need this but the ceramic tip is truly unique (for now!) and will certainly offer soothing relief. I actually wish they sold it on its own. In Singapore, this eye illuminator retails at S$90 and is available island-wide at all Estée Lauder counters.
Interesting design of the tip. Another 2 in 1 product! Cream+ tool!
Hi Meow,
It’s definitely worth a try. I love the cooling tip!
I LOVE this stuff! My all time fave eye product!
Hi Jamilla,
The ceramic tip is something else!
Hi Mag, since you have eyebags, what would you recommend as a concealer or use to conceal them? Thanks.
Hi AgnesM,
Unfortunately, makeup can only do so much for eye bags (as you can prolly already tell from my eotds). What I do is try to obscure the shadow under the slight fold with a subtly lighter-toned concealer (so if you use shade 10 to conceal, this would require shade 00). This only when I have the time, of course; I usually just use one concealer to even out the skin tone in the undereye area. ;) My staple is MAC Studio Finish SPF 35 Concealer in NW20.
For something more colour-correcting, I like the Kesalan Patharan Magic Light Up concealing duo (only available in Hong Kong, Japan and Korea, as far I know).