I know it’s allergy season because my mirror told me, and it told me even before my sinuses found out. One morning about a week ago I looked in the mirror and saw two big, fluffy pillows under my eyes that said, “Congratulations, Karen! You’re a hot mess.”
When allergies cause my eyes to water, itch and swell up, I usually turn to a few different de-puffing tricks, like cold compresses, chilled tea bags and spoons, but I also try to keep my eyes open (as much as possible, haha!) to new things.
While not a new product, First Aid Beauty Detox Eye Roller Intense Therapy ($24) is new to me. It’s a moisturizing liquid roller ball similar to my beloved Clinique All About Eyes Serum ($26). Like Clinique’s serum, it contains caffeine (which, applied topically, might constrict blood vessels) and antioxidants to (allegedly) reduce the appearance of dark circles, puffiness and fine lines.
Unfortunately, there’s another thing they have in common: they’re expensive.
Both products also create a cooling sensation on the skin, like a refreshing splash of water. I think Clinique’s version wins in the hydration department, but Detox works faster and also contains illuminating mica, which, if nothing else, illuminates the under eye-area with some brightening shimmer, making it at least appear brighter. Every little bit helps, especially when allergies and insomnia double team my eyes.
I didn’t really expect Detox to defeat (or even substantially improve) my dark circles because methinks they’re past the point of no return, but it does dramatically decrease my puffy eyes. The extra brightening may help in the dark circle department a tad.
First Aid Beauty Detox Eye Roller contains…
Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel ) Water, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Camellia Sinensis (White Tea) Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Palmitoyl Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Sodium Polyacrate, Ethoxydiglycol, Polysorbate 20, Caffeine, Menthyl Lactate, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Aminomethyl Propanol, Carbomer, Benzoic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891)
Does it work better than chilled spoons? I think so. Maybe a little.
If you’re a busy college student, a mom or a busy worker bee, or just someone who suffers from seasonal allergies like me, you might give First Aid Beauty Detox Eye Roller a try.
PRICE: $24 for a 0.34-oz. bottle
AVAILABILITY: Available now at Sephora stores and also online
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A-
Your friendly neighborhood addict,
Karen
P.S. We’re halfway to Friday! Huzzah! What was the highlight of your day? Mine is actually taking place right now. 🙂 I’m making a cherry tomato and garlic pasta for dinner with garlicky baby broccoli on the side. It’s a vegetarian meal, and El Hub’s just going to have to cope with that.
Joanne says
April 6th, 2011 at 8:01 pmI have Clinique’s All About Eyes Serum and I’m in love with it! If Clinique’s version is more hydrating then I might have to skip this product. I need all the hydration I can get under my eyes. =)
Karen says
April 6th, 2011 at 8:41 pmDo you keep yours in the fridge? That’s where I store mine. 🙂
Vijaya says
April 6th, 2011 at 8:02 pmMy friend likes this brand’s Rosacea products. Good to know that this works. I’m a very busy college student who goes on two hours of sleep per night, so I might be interested. The price is a little… xP
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Karen says
April 6th, 2011 at 8:41 pmYeah, it’s not the most affordable thing… but I’ve heard you can sometimes get it in kits, which might make the price easier to stomach!
Ashley says
April 7th, 2011 at 2:15 pmThe kits are definitely the way to go. I had tried a sample of the cream and fell in love, but $28 seemed fairly steep (even for a huge tub). But for $35, I got a full-sized tub of cream, a full-sized facial cleanser, AND the detox eye roller. Deal!
Tracy says
April 6th, 2011 at 8:04 pmYummmmmm can I come over for dinner? 🙂 It sounds delicious! My hubby is a carnivore too. Tomorrow we’re having a veggie lasagna!!!
I will need to try this eye roller out if I see it. It sounds cool! 🙂
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Karen says
April 6th, 2011 at 8:40 pmSure! There’s plenty of food and then some. 🙂
I used to cook two separate meals — one veg and one non-veg — but I’ve gotten to the point where I’m too tired at the end of the day to deal with that option. El Hub is just gonna have to drink some protein powder or something, LOL!
Jessi (Lacquered, Painted, Polished) says
April 6th, 2011 at 8:09 pmHm, i usually use aloe vera gel that I keep in the firdge for when my eyes get puffy. It works well enough that I don’t think I would pay $24 for something that works (maybe) just as well. Sometimes i put the aloe vera gel on thick and let it sit for awhile until it isn’t cool anymore and then (gently!) wipe it off. If nothing else, it feels fabulous!
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Karen says
April 6th, 2011 at 8:39 pmI like aloe vera gel… haven’t tried it on my eyes, though. One of these days!
Jessi (Lacquered, Painted, Polished) says
April 6th, 2011 at 10:25 pmI got one from a health food store that didn’t have a lot of chemicals or preservatives in it because I’m not sure how my eyes would handle that. Also, have you seen the aloe vera juice they sell at health food stores? My mom stores hers in the fridge, puts it on cotton rounds and then on her eyes. I haven’t tried that though!
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Susan says
April 7th, 2011 at 10:02 amI have an aloe vera plant at home, wonder if I could cut off a leaf and squeeze out the juice for my puffy eyes, just like I would do if I had a burn? Prob wouldn’t be good to get it IN my eyes, though, so would have to be careful. Thoughts?
Jessi (Lacquered, Painted, Polished) says
April 7th, 2011 at 11:48 amIf you have sensitive eyes I wouldn’t try it because it probably would sting if it got in your eye. I would maybe try squeezing some on a cotton ball and using that to put it on. You can refrigerate the leaves and get the gel cold too. But the thing that bothers me about fresh aloe vera is the smell. This is going to sound gross, but it reminds me of armpits. I’m not sure I could stand the smell on my face! If you can handle it, go for it! It wouldn’t hurt to try.
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Susan says
April 7th, 2011 at 12:23 pmLol! My allergies have killed my sense of smell for the time being, so I guess now would be a good time to try it and not think of armpits 🙂 Not sure I can get that out of my head, now, though!
Daniela says
April 6th, 2011 at 8:41 pmI love the FAB detox roller. I’ve been using it for over a year & it’s a travel must. I just got a small sample of the Clinique, but haven’t opened it yet.
Rae says
April 6th, 2011 at 9:09 pmMmm, your dinner sounds delish! ^^
Have you tried Anatomicals’ “No Old Bags Allowed” eye gel, Karen? It’s my go-to eye gel – not mindblowingly wonderful, but just as good as the others I’ve tried… and with a drastically lower-than-average price. Plus, bonus points for being cheeky :p
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Karen says
April 6th, 2011 at 9:22 pmI haven’t tried it, but it sounds like I need to. 🙂
Nina says
April 6th, 2011 at 9:31 pmI second second that, I’d like to have some of the dinner you’re cooking =) But then again, it’s 7:18 am right now over here (OMG!) and it wouldn’t be probably good for me. Oh well.. 😀 I’m using The Body Shop’s Elderflower Eye Gel as a de-puffer and it works pretty good for me. As a person who experiences the allergic situation every morning, my eyes are always puffy in need of help. After I put that on, I wait 5 mins and then put an eye mask on with cooling gel in it which I store in the fridge with the eye gel itself, and oh God it feels like heaven.
Charisse says
April 6th, 2011 at 9:32 pmI have THE SAME problem with my eyes and allergy season! My solution is my Yes to Cucumbers soothing eye gel. So awesome esp if you stick it in the fridge after awhile!
I’ve heard so many great things about First Aid beauty though…MUST TRY!
Heidi says
April 6th, 2011 at 9:50 pmI’ve been using a new vitamin C roller ball eye gel from Lumene that I picked up at CVS and I’m really liking it. If I find I need more hydration, I pat on some eyecream over it once it sinks in.
I made a super easy soup for dinner. Got a package of soycottash from Trader Joe’s (that’s a combo of soybeans, corn, and red pepper), sauteed it with some ginger and garlic, added a quart of veggie broth, simmered for about 15 minutes, stirred in a couple of spoonfuls of miso, and done! Very light and yummy, and the soybeans give me protein.
Nicole says
April 6th, 2011 at 10:01 pmI would love to try this product. I feel like my puffy eyes and dark circles are such a disaster! 🙁 Definitely gonna take your advice on this one though.
BTW, I just found your site and I love it sooo much! Had to follow you on Twitter as well. I think I’ve spent an hour and a half just going through a bunch of your entries. Your blog has honestly become my favorite very quickly! Lol, now I feel embarrassed that I went on and on. But oh well, you’re amazing. 🙂
Kate Williamson says
April 7th, 2011 at 12:18 amHave you tried accupuncture for your allergies? I used to get them so badly when we still lived in the Bay Area. My Dad had me go to his accupuncturist and it worked wonders. I got relief from my allergies and after three seasons of treatments, I no longer have allergies at all.
Advah says
April 7th, 2011 at 2:08 amI’m more interested in that Clinique serum! I’m always looking for a super hydrating under-eye cream, and when I ran out of Clinique All About Eyes Rich a few months ago I picked up a Weleda Rose cream (small tube, cheaper, figured it’d work in the interim). And it IS nice, but tends to leave a film on my skin that kind of peels off throughout the day – not a sexy look.
Nina says
April 7th, 2011 at 5:38 ami have 2 first aid beauty products that i use and love — the face cream and the face cleaner.
im glad i didnt buy this eye roller though — in my experience, no eyeroller ever works in minimizing dark cricles. it just gives a cooling effect.
meibaola says
April 7th, 2011 at 6:09 amLol! I had noticed you were not looking as fresh as usual in the pictures and I was wondering what could be wrong with you: now I know! Poor thing, you have all my sympathy :-*
Kim says
April 7th, 2011 at 6:15 amIt’s funny – I just saw a commercial last night for a Nivea version of this under eye rollerball. It was being marketed to (young) men for hiding the signs of late night partying so they look all fresh for work. I did a quick google search and it looks like the SRP for .5 oz is about $9. Might be a cheaper alternative, if it works. 🙂
Shannon says
April 7th, 2011 at 7:37 amHave you tried Benefit’s Depuffing Eye Gel? It’s in the same price range – $28 – but a teensy bit goes a long way, and it almost *instantly* decreases eye puffiness. It’s not an eye brightener at all, but it provides massive relief when I wake up with puffy eyes after a night of crying.
Maggie says
April 7th, 2011 at 8:58 amHave you tried the Sephora eye-roller? It’s cheaper, and it has 3 rollerballs. I use a eye cream over it anyways, so I can’t tell how hydrating it is on its own, but it’s a great wake-me-up.
Nicky says
April 7th, 2011 at 11:37 amOmg, for a really great eye cream, try CaudlÃe’s Premier Cru eye cream!! It is amazing.
BTW I love this blog!! Soo great!!
http://www.threadsandwhistles.com
Jenna says
April 7th, 2011 at 7:12 pmI love FAB products! Their moisturizer is amazing; works even better than straight jojoba oil on my flaky skin!
Jamie Itokazu says
April 10th, 2011 at 11:32 pmHave you tried the Garnier under eye concealer? I’ve heard that it’s really good and also as a bit of caffeine in it I think 🙂