We both walked (well, OK, we ran) over to the shelf where this photo was displayed, along with the tagline, "Serious Dark Circles?" and studied the product. It's called Hylexin, it costs $95 for a tiny tube, and the packaging makes it look more like some sort of Serious chemical than a friendly cream that you'd want to put near your eye.
My mom almost bought it on the spot, but was ultimately derailed by her fears about getting eye cancer, and by the Benefit saleswoman who lured us over to her counter with promises of "good-for-you ingredients" and those damn clever product names. She bought a tub of Benefit under eye cream, but remains intrigued by Hylexin's lofty claims, and implored me to ask my readers about it.
So, dear readers, have any of you tried Hylexin? Did it change your life? Or did it just melt off the skin under your eyes? Was it worth the money? Have you found success with any other under eye products? Do you have a vendetta against a particular under eye product because you had to sell one of your children to afford it, and then it didn't help at all? Perhaps you have found a way to make peace with your under eye bags? Please use the comments section to dish on failures and triumphs in the battle of the Serious Dark Circles. My mom (and many other readers, I'm sure) will be forever grateful.
28 comments:
I have had some serious dark circles under my eyes all my life, and tried everything short of house hold bleech...
But what really worked for me turned out to be a diet change: add lots (and I mean lots) of fruit to your diet, it helpt me!
Fruit, huh? That's very intriguing, since I could probably eat a ton of pineapple. Ooh, or grapes. And lets not forget apples.
Did eating so much fruit make you, um... gain weight?
It sounds crazy, but yeah, fruit, and lots and lots o' water. I drink water like it's my job, and use a product from Dermologica called Total Eye Care (original, I know). It's got SPF 15 and it bounces light off the area. It's just enough, and comes complete with moisturizey goodness.
Rule number one though, ignore that yellow crap they try to sell you as a coverup...yellow makes it worse, y'all. Go with a pale pink or beige tone.
I haven't tried Hylexin but I have tried other things from that company, such as Stvrivectin (sp?-i'm not even close) which gets rid of both stretch marks and wrinkles.. I think it works well and hasn't caused the skin to melt off my face (or my hips for that matter).
Tell your mom to check out Costco, in Seattle I believe that they sell it there and it is much more reasonably priced. Also if she doesn't like it she can return it without hassle.
Hope that helps!
I've tried Hylexin and it didn't work for me. Dark circles are caused by either leaky capillaries or hyperpigmentation. Hylexin is designed only to help the first kind, which turned out to be the kind I didn't have. Luckily, I bought mine from Sephora so I just brought the half empty tube back and exchanged it for Peter Thomas Roth Power K eye cream which has worked wonders for me.
Wow, this comment ended up longer than I intended. I'm normally not one to spam other people's blogs with references to my own, but I did a whole post about it here - http://msnewbeauty.blogspot.com/2007/04/oh-k.html
Wow. Fruit and water.. **making mental note**
Now completely off topic-
Hey Winona, you've been tagged!
I was tagged by 2 fashion bloggers (Adventures in the Stiletto Jungle and Shopalicious) and I was asked to tag 7 bloggers to share info about themselves with their readers. Check out Hip Candy for details.
Chanel
Hip Candy
www.hipcandy.blogspot.com
A lady I used to work with swore by haemorrhoid cream for under eye circles. She claimed it worked...
I've heard the same thing about using Prescription H on eye circles (haha) but I've never tried it. I was using a under-eye gel that made my puffiness worse & I think also made my skin break out, so I've been scared to try anything since. For me, I just need to sleep more! Well, that & using a good concealer...
This might be of interest:
http://www.channel4.com/life/microsites/H/htlgn/under_eye_creams.html
Its a show in the UK where they do blind tests on various products. I watched this episode and a specialist said that vitamin K was the only thing that really got rid of the dark circles but that it was dangerous to put on your skin! she also said that no cream had yet been invented to get rid of them!
however the hylexin cream came top in the poll with a possible 54 out of 100 points with the benefit cream coming in second.
Hylexin works mainly due to the drug hydroquinone(I haven't actually used it but looked at the ingredients) and you can get generic hydroquinone cream over the counter, cheap. I suggest that you do this if you are prepared to use hydroquinone, because, if you just google it, you'll realize that it has been linked to skin cancer, although only in a small minority of cases. So if you're prepared to take the risk(as small as it may be) I think you should just get hydroquinone cream than spend a bomb on hylexin. Another drug that works(due to a combination of 3 skin lighteners) is Tri-Luma cream by Galderma, which is actually used to treat melasma, so won't cause skin cancer BUT is A LOT more expensive - more than hylexin I believe. HTHs =)
Before I make my recommendation, I have to say that a) I am not a Mary Kay sales person, and b) that I have not tried this product.
Mary Kay has a new product that is supposed to reduce puffines and also reduce excess melanin. TimeWise® Targeted-Action™ Eye Revitalizer. It is only $35 dollars, and most Mary Kay ladies will test the product themselves and will let you try it once. You just have to brace yourself for their sales push. (Sob story: I was going to try it because my mother was a Mary Kay lady who gave everything to me for free or for the wholesale price she paid for it, but she died just two weeks ago.)
I have personally used the Jane Iredale Circle Delete under eye cream. It is a great cover up.
Grapeseed extract pills. Works for me and it's fairly cheap and you can find them in any drugstore
They've obviously gone to a lot of trouble to make their product look medicinal. That doesn't make it worth $95 or even $1. I would suggest looking up the ingredient list and using that to determine whether the product could possibly be effective.
I couldn't find a similar review of Hylexin, but here is an article in which a related product, Stri-Vectin, is mentioned: http://www.cosmeticscop.com/learn/art.asp?ID=369
I have suffered from dark circles and puffiness pretty much all my life and I generally find that tackling one problem brings good results for the other, even though technically they are two different things. Before you start splashing out on expensive stuff, there are several things you can do:
- Sleep with your head slightly elevated so fluid drains downwards overnight instead of collecting around your eyes. (This one doesn't apply to me 'cos I sleep with a pillow under the foot end of my mattress because it lowered my blood pressure; so YMMV.)
- Get up and move around for a bit before you get dressed; if you can do a workout first thing in the morning the eyebag fluid has more time to dissipate.
- Cold compresses on the eyes for ten minutes, with your head propped up on a pillow, will help. However, very cold temperatures are likely to cause broken capillaries, so be careful.
- Some say that drinking an electrolyte sports drink, like Powerade or something, will magic the eyebags away, though I can't vouch for the truth of that. On the other hand, drinking a high-fructose corn syrup beverage every morning is likely to make you obese enough that eyebags will be the least of your worries.
- I found that DermaDoctor's EyeSpy treatment concealer had a good effect and, unlike most products, I would say it was worth the money insofar as I can't find another product that works as well. However, I had to stop using it when my skin turned a bit drier recently; concealer tends to collect in the cracks.
- Eye gel can help, especially if you keep it in the fridge. It would go on after makeup, otherwise the other products will just wipe it off. The downside is that they usually dry your skin.
What has really worked for me lately, is Differin gel, a prescription topical retinoid. I don't think you're really supposed to use it around your eyes, so if you try this, do it at your own risk.
I found that I had to build up usage of it gradually, in the form of 20-minute masks every seven, six, five, and on down to two days, increasing the frequency every calendar month. I also had to put on lots of moisturizer 15 minutes before I used it.
However, it seems to be paying off AFAICT. My eyes aren't particularly puffy or circly. And, normally, every time I cry or throw up, I go scarlet with millions of pinpoint haemorrhages around my eyes, which take a couple of weeks to heal. Well, I cried this morning, and I can see only one or two tiny little red dots. So there's an improvement for you.
I'm only fifteen, but have been bothered by dark undereye circles forever. My mother remains adamant on the stance that it is because of my Italian genes. If this is true, the entire country of Italy must look like heroin addicts.
I haven't ever used Strivectin, but the place to go for information, product reviews and advice is Makeupalley.com. If anyone knows what to do, they would.
Your mom may want to try a highlighting concealer. YSL, L'Oreal and Revlon all make one, I believe, and they come in these handy click-pen dispensers. If puffiness isn't a concern, this may be a good option- it'll brighten the area without her having to wear too much makeup. A lot of women like these.
I hope this helps.
You can get Stri-Vectin cheaper at the Cost-Co in Tigard (I believe.) I have tried the pure and gentle Benefit undereye stuff, pink, in a tube, and it didn't do squat for me, but I still love Benefit.
My friend, who has battled puffy circles for most of her adult life, swears by a new product by Boscia. She sez it works on her puff and her circles. It's called Enlivening Amino AG Eye Treatment, and it is only $35. Tell yer mom she can stock up at Sephora or Blush Beauty Bar on 23rd.
lumessence eye creme from aubrey organics. i'm serious. and the stuff is only $24
http://www.aubrey-organics.com/product1.cfm?product_id=150&cat=15&subcat=28
La Mer eye cream
jnett, I am so sorry about your mom, I can't imagine, so sorry.
I have very dark circles under my eyes and I use Perscriptives concealer (sp?) and my best friend has puffy under eyes and she uses anything that has vitamin c, as it lightens, and, she just deals with her under eye area and tries to have a killer hair cut, and just understand that her mother and her mother before that had the same problem.
I have dark circles and I'm Italian too. Sleep helps the most. Denial does too.
I got a sample of Hylexin from Sephora a while back. For me it didn't do anything really, plus I believe the instructions were to apply it 2x a day, which was an instant turnoff. There's no way I'm actually going to lug something to work and try to smear it on over my primer and powder.
So I also have dark circles (ever since childhood!), and I've come to accept them--when I try to cover them up with something, I feel like my eyes are smaller and more squinty. I try to think of them as adding drama and depth to my face. I vote for making peace with one's quirks. :)
That stuff you mentioned does look scary. I don't have puffy issues but have pronounced dark circles, which I've never managed to fully cover without using theatrical makeup (which doesn't give the most natural look to the face). I can give one non-recommendation. While I really like Benefit, they have this product called Lemon Aid, I think, that is supposed to act as a color correcter to dark circles. I tried it and the circles went from purple-y brown to yellow-y purple-y brown. Not flattering.
When I don't get enough sleep, I always have concerned older women coming up to me asking how I got my black eyes. So yeah, I understand about the dark undereye circles. I have been trying the Mary Kay Eye Revitalizer, mainly because of it's easy application (it has a rollerball, like lip gloss), and it helps a bit. But my mom and dad both have dark under eye circles, so I've just kind of accepted it is in my genes and pretend they aren't so bad.
Everyone--
Thank you so much for these fabulous, funny, and thorough suggestions! My mom (and I) have gained great joy and knowledge by reading them, and she's excited to try some new things! I'll keep you updated.
Jnett--
I'm so sorry about your mom.
I've had genetic dark cirles all my life too.... the hylexin creme didn't work for me. I was hoping it did, and shelled out $$$ for it, but applying it dutifully 2x a day didn't improve my eyes at all. I've used up the tube, and given up. There's no hope for me, I'll just tell people I've been studying too hard last night. :(
I too have used this over priced Hylexin creme...IT DID NOT WORK! I used up a tube and a half and NO results. I'm still desperately searching for an answer to my very dark circles around my eyes. Good luck to both you and me :)
I have never used it, I have some tips to eliminate dark under eye circles and they usually help me.
I don't know if you're still getting comments on this post; I just came across your blog when I googled "hylexin." I have terrible terrible dark circles under my eyes which I've had all my life and which remain regardless of sleep, fruity diet, eye cream, etc. It's genetic--every woman in my father's family has had it for at least as far back as the 1890s. So that's that, but it doesn't stop me from being bothered. I received hylexin for free at Sephora and have begun to use it, but am actually scared because I have no idea what's in it, whether it's possibly dangerous, etc. After reading all your comments here, have you discovered anything on that subject? If you have, and you have a second, please feel free to send me a comment (which you can do through my blogger page).
Thanks and good luck to you!
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