Product: Chanel Sublimage Eye Cream
Price: $175 (!) for 0.5 oz jar (!!)
Use: A top-notch eye cream
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B-
I wish I’d known how outrageously expensive Chanel’s Sublimage Eye Cream was before I dipped my paws into the wee sample jar (0.13 oz). For two weeks I’d been gleefully applying it morning and night, impressed by its ability to reduce the appearance of my ever-present dark circles. I was ready to crown it as the stuff of eye cream fantasy when I found out the price.
Brace yourself.
It’s $175! Holy credit card debt, ya’ll!
What a shame, too, because I love this cream. Sublimage moisturizes remarkably well, doesn’t irritate the sensitive skin around my eyes, reduces puffiness and decreases the appearance of my dark circles. Those are the benefits I noticed, but Chanel also claims the cream targets wrinkles, fine lines and helps restore skin’s natural firmness. It’s thick and rich yet absorbs surprisingly well, and I think it smells faintly of vanilla ice cream, yum.
If I were blessed with the power of rhyme (I’m not), I’d write a rap about it and ask Timbaland to make a banging remix that I could dance to all day long. I love this stuff that much. I love it even more than my previous eye cream crush, MAC Moisturelush ($30, 0.5 oz jar), and that’s saying a lot. I feel Chanel’s Sublimage moisturizes as well as (or better than) MAC Moisturelush does but soaks in faster and requires less work to apply.
But, stellar performance aside, it’s just too pricey for my wallet. For $75 (instead of $175), it would be harder to resist, but I can’t see myself throwing down $175 for eye cream, not even one this good. The price is the only real turn-off for me and prevents Sublimage Eye Cream from getting an A+.
I’m still swabbing cream from my tiny sample jar (*tears*).
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
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Christine says
Oh lord, I have a sample of the Sublimage serum sitting on my desk. I have to remind myself that the price tag is like $300.
I should just not try expensive things so I can’t fall in love with them. I fell in love with Re-Nutriv (like $200), so I feel your pain.
Christine’s last blog post..Bargain Beauty – 25% off of MAC, Discount MAC makeup at Makeup.com
Karen says
I have that sample too! My friend totally hooked me up but failed to warn me of the consequences. Grrrr… I am now almost afraid to try it because it’s supposed to be really great.
Dao says
oh, the pain! But don’t worry, there’s always something better (and cheaper) in the drugstore side. I used to be a skincare snob too but recently I realized the expensive stuff I bought are just wrong products for my skin. I’m not that old yet, hello! My latest discovery in skincare is a little brand called…Olay 😀 I should have listened to my mom earlier because she’s been using Olay for a long time and her skin is great.
Sandy says
I got the Chanel beaute initiale eye. It reduces puffs and dark circles. I love it 😀 All this time of using Chanel skincare, my face doesn’t look that dull no more 😀
Holly says
aww Karen you need to step away from the serum then! And under no circumstances try the masque! They both make the eye cream look like an Avon product haha!
Now what you need to do is get a job with Chanel and then you can get an eye cream free haha!!
Ping. says
hahaha.. how ironic your picture.. putting the laundry quarter and a super expensive eye cream.. which is not that big compare to the laundry quarter
Anna says
Oh holy moly !!!!! That is one serious price tag !! If it works, then stick it on credit !!
Kelly says
^^^ Yeah, you’ll be the only hobo with terrific skin!
Seriously though, think of how many tubes of Glossimer in Gazelle that would be! 😉
Karen says
Hi Dao,
Olay has some good products, I agree. In my late teens and up until recently I couldn’t live without the Complete SPF moisturizer (now it’s not hydrating enough because my skin is so dry). I wore it every day and loved it. 🙂 What Olay products do you use?
Liza says
I’m 36 years old and have been dealing with adult acne / combination skin… after trying so many different products I am happy to share what I finally found that works for me.
I LOVE Alpha Hydrox – I use their Foaming Face Wash (removes eye makeup no problem), 12% AHA Souffle, Night Cream, Eye Cream (I would say the eye cream is average. I don’t have major eye area issues)
On top of that I use Alpha Hydroxy Acid and do my own peels. It has really made a difference in the overall appearance of my skin in that between this & the AH products my face rarely breaks out at all. But, too, the peels have helped to dramatically remove old acne scars from my face. I purchase my AHA for peels from Magnificient Face (Magnificientface.com). Try their starter kit with the Mango moisturizer. You’ll love it!
Lastly, if you need additional moisture, I like to use Jamieson Vitamin A Cream with Retinol over the AHA Souffle cream at night. It’s only $10.00 at Walmart.
I hope this helps someone out there!!
Karen says
Hi Sandy,
I tried that once a long time ago and really liked the texture. It’s amazing how it actually works, huh? I just wish it wasn’t so expensive.
Karen says
Hi Holly,
I totally should. I’m afraid that if I worked there it would be like a kid in a candy store… the fire would definitely be fed! I dunno how you are able to resist!
Karen says
Hi Ping,
Yup, I had a few quarters on my desk and I realized that they weren’t that much bigger than each other. Do you have a favorite eye cream?
Karen says
Hi Anna,
I know! I swear I clutched my heart when I saw it. I am actually thinking about busting out my credit card, but I have to do some spring shopping. I’ve been putting off buying some pants, because every time I go to the mall I end up stuck in the makeup section, and next thing I know, I’ve conveniently forgotten about buying pants, but I’ll have a cool lipstick or two, ha ha ha!
Karen says
Hi Kelly,
I know right?!?! That’s one teeny jar equals a serious glossimer collection. YOWZA!
Dao says
I got a free travel size of Olay regenerist daily regenerating serum about 4 days ago. Holy moly, I saw the difference already. My pores totally look smaller.
Karen says
That’s always good! I can’t remember where I saw it but large pores are apparently a sign of aging. Great, another thing to worry about, LOL!
Glosslizard says
I’ve been using the Sublimage eye cream, and it has made such a difference in my undereye area that I really think I’m going to continue to use it! I have tried Dove, Olay, Almay, Neutrogena, and MAC Moisturelush eye creams, but none of those come close to the lasting effects of the Sublimage! The difference is that any other eye cream I’ve tried makes my eyes look great until about 1:00, while the Sublimage lasts until I go to bed at night!
I can’t afford to use the rest of the line (although I will graciously recieve them as gifts and happily hoard any samples that the Chanel MA’s choose to bestow upon me 😉 ), but I plan to save up and buy a jar of the eye cream once a year at some beauty event (Neiman’s or Saks, maybe) where I can also score some killer GWPs! I know it’s still pricey, but at the rate I’ve been using my current jar, it looks like one jar will last me the entire year!
I know I could buy so many shadows and all, but the ones I’ve got will look far better on me and at least I’m saving on concealer! 🙂
Courtney says
The sublimage serum is seriously addictive. The price is horrible- $385 (I just can’t do it, unless I divorce my current husband and re-marry strictly for money). The eye cream is fantastic and compared to the rest of the line its affordable and effects are longer lasting than any other cream out there. Currently I have switched from the Chanel Reactifiance Intense line to Olay’s Total Effects line and thats been better (price wise and moisturewise). I haven’t yet cracked open Olay’s total effects eye cream so Im not sure how it is. I’ve tried every other eye cream out there for my dark circles and small wrinkles (avon was the worst) and sublimage so far has been the best.
Ping. says
Hi Karen! unfortunately I don’t have a fav eye cream.. i felt that most of them are so expensive and small! any recommendation? my dark circles are so bad.
Karen says
Hi Glosslizard,
Yah, I agree. It works like a mofo! I think I’ll have to live off of samples for a while… hopefully until my birthday this summer. Now I know what’s going to be on my list.
It looks great underneath concealer, too. Sigh!
Karen says
Hey Courtney,
Hmm. I have samples of the serum and while I want to try it I’m afraid I’ll fall in love. Holy crap, $385!
I’ve tried a few of the Total Effects products — I’m not crazy about the shimmer particles.
Karen says
Hi Ping,
Girlfriend, you and me are in the same boat. Today, our accountant came in and the first thing she said was, “Oh no, honey… why do you have a black eye?” And I was like, “Um, those are my dark circles.” LOLOL. I have yet to find a cheaper cream that combats this issue. The biggest thing that seems to help is sleep and the sublimage eye cream. I am almost done with the jar! Seriously, I just might cry…
Tammy says
Just found your blog while searching to see if the eye cream was as good as I thought it was. OMG, it is! Now what do I do? Run to Nordstrom tomorrow to buy it, probably. They gave me a 4-day sample, which actually lasted 8 days. It is wonderful stuff. Like velvet. I wish I had a bunch of money because I’d want to try that whole Sublimage line. I just finished radiation treatment for breast cancer, after chemo last year, and with my hair very short and having gained a few pounds, it seems like beauty stuff is the only thing that can fix me at the moment! Thanks for your opinions on this stuff. I was really hoping people would say it’s not worth it, but it obviously is. LOL