In the continued quest to eliminate dark under-eye circles, tighten the lines by our eyes, and not look so damn tired all the time we’ve recently been putting two products to the test – Arbonne Bio-Hydria Eye Gel and Monat Eye Smooth. Both claim to be the answer, but do they perform?
We started with the Arbonne Bio-Hydria Eye Gel, which the manufacturer describes as a “true luminary for tired under-eyes.” It promises to help visibily brighten the appearance of dark circles through pearlescent pigments and after two weeks of regimented morning and night use we can’t say that we noticed much of a difference. The gel feels great going on and provides a nice cooling effect, but the dark circles remained. $42 for .5 fl. oz.
For the last two weeks, we have been applying Monat Eye Smooth in the morning and night. Monat describes this cream as “an indulgent, cushiony cream that reveals a visibly brighter, smoother, youthful look around the eyes.” It comes with a rose gold eye-roller, which is intended to provide added de-puffing and de-stressing benefits. The cream’s patented Rejuvenique combo of oils and extracts combined with plant stem cells, peptides, and caffeine does make for a luxurious feeling cream that goes on nicely and leaves our skin looking and feeling softer. We can’t say the dark circles are gone, but there is a visible improvement and it did reduce the appearance of fine lines. $75 for .5 fl. oz.
Both products are vegan, and also cruelty-free so no matter which one you try you can feel good about your purchase.