It’s Award Season Again! But this year, we get to zoom in from home. I was at first a little skeptical on how that was going to work, but the Emmys proved to everyone that not only does the format work – it is better!
I’ll let you in on a little secret: red carpets and awards shows are way more fun for the people watching at home than they are for those that have to be on display for a full 8 hrs in a shiny outfit with no food and minimal water and publicists telling you where to go and having that permanent excited smile on your face for the media as you answer the same questions 30 times in a row. Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do. But if I can do it from the comfort of my own home where nobody can tell if I am wearing pants or not? AWESOME! Zooming in to awards shows is the industry’s dream come true. And since the Emmys proved that audiences will be entertained by the concept as well (the fact that the same shows kept winning over and over withstanding), I am looking forward to seeing how the Latin Grammys are going to go – which are just around the corner!
That being said, while most everyone is relieved that they can wear whatever they want (including pajamas by some) and have their kids join them, pop some popcorn, take pee breaks and can just hang out and have fun for once – the catch is everyone is also doing their own makeup and hair, and there is no fancy lighting in most houses. So you still want to look good. In fact i suspect most will look great because for the first time in history you can get a good night’s sleep in your own house vs. a hotel. Even sans makeup, there may be less need for makeup. And for us guys who refuse to wear any anyway unless a producer makes us (which they can’t now ha!) we get to be free. HOWEVER, the eye zone is the usual catch area you need to look out for when zooming into the awards. Or any zoom call for that matter, but especially since fans might be shocked to see you at home in your element. For some reason laptop and ipad cams tend to age around the eyes in a exaggerated way. Maybe it is the lighting. So a stellar eye cream that you can trust is going to be KEY.
WHICH EYE CREAM DID I PICK TO USE FOR THE LATIN GRAMMYS?
I am going to jump straight to my pick, but I have very specific personal reasons for choosing this winner. So definitely read on to see the other recommendations to figure out which will work best for you, whether you are zooming into the Latin Grammys or a work meeting. Thank you for everyone who helped me test and evaluate eye creams so we can come up with the Best Eye Creams of 2020 to Zoom into Awards Shows.
I personally am terrible at applying eye cream, I am clumsy with it. I think I am dabbing and patting it on correctly, being careful not to rub or pull the skin around my eye area, but i almost always get some on my cheek and side of the nose too.
Dr. Tanya Khan, an oculoplastic surgeon and board-certified ophthalmologist practicing at Khan Eyelid & Facial Aesthetics ( https://www.khaneyelidsurgery.com/ ) located in Austin and Dallas, TX says, “eyelid skin should be treated gingerly and differently from surrounding facial skin. It is in fact the thinnest skin in the body. Consequently, it is one of the first places to show signs of aging related to dehydration, volume loss, texture changes, and discoloration . . . Most importantly, an eye cream should be easy to apply so that a patient will continue daily use. I recommend applying about a pea-sized amount of eye cream with the ring finger so as to minimize the amount of pressure along the eyelids, and to dab in to place rather than stretch the eyelid skin.”
So my primary criteria for choosing which eye cream I am going to use is 1) Is it easy for me to dab on correctly and does it absorb quickly without leaving a greasy shiny residue and 2) Will it not give me cheek and nose pimples. Believe it or not #2 is a difficult criterion to satisfy.
In fact, creams that induce a zit response are so troubling and a risk nobody can take during awards season I asked Daisy Jing from Banish for advice on what to do about this. Banish is my usual go to acne prevention and aftermath brand – if you haven’t seen me look insanely crazy in one of their charcoal clay masks, enjoy watching this VIDEO: HERE.
Daisy says, “We don’t recommend using skin care products with ingredients that may cause irritation. Examples include acids like beta or alpha hydroxy acids, benzoyl peroxide cream, and retinoids … Don’t use too many acne medicated products at once it may dry and damage skin which can make hyper-pigmentation and breakouts worse. Don’t underestimate wearing sun protection, even if it’s cloudy. A lot of acne has to do with hormones so try not to consume products that would cause hormone spikes or that have hormones in it like dairy, or high glycemic foods.”
She also suggests their Vitamin C Creme which is a light plant based hydrating cream. It has a stellar list of safe ingredients in it. So on actual on-camera days I plan on putting a light layer of this on my face just under my eyes where the cheek starts and close to my nose before using the eye cream of my choice. 
The Eye Cream that seems to work best to fit my criteria, and the one I will actually officially use is:
Me Time Botanicals RevitalEyezing Eye Serum
( https://www.metimebotanicals.com )
WOW! This is my kind of eye serum. It is travelable, so even when we go back to regular in person red carpet appearances I will most likely keep this on me and use this as my serum of choice. It basically has the best ingredient combo I can think of, feels good and as a bonus is healthy to lashes. The coffee extract in and the high vitamin C rosehip essential oil is my guess on why it feels so effective. Plus I like their vibe as a brand, the whole “me time isn’t selfish, oxygen mask on airplane simile, take care of yourself so you can care for others” reminds me of eastern spiritual satsangs in Chicago. Takes me back.
It absorbs nicely, and my cheek and nose tolerate it (if not benefit from it) well.
Again, this is my personal pick for the Latin Grammys. My pick for the GRAMMY awards in February? Au’!
Au (there’s actually an accent on the u, can’t figure that out on keyboard though) Natural Skinfood.
( https://www.aunaturalskinfood.com/shop )
This is pretty awesome stuff. Honestly, this was a very close runner up for my choice of which one to use for the upcoming Latin Grammys. Again, travelable, great ingredients, absorbs well. This one looks super fancy from the packaging, and while I understand there is a bit of a backlash for ultra commercial style brands right now – I felt assured that even though the box that this comes in looks like it would be on a big-box store shelf, it’s a legit product. I mean it is REALLY good.
Au’ makes other products that I am also considering using for the red carpet and other appearances: a manuka soap, natural hand sanitizer, a face serum.
But there are more than two brands to choose from: these other products are amazing. Not every eye cream we considered made it on the list. These are our recommendations for the Best Eye Creams of 2020: the ones that give noticeably immediate but natural results for when you need to go on camera, without leaving a weird looking residue, and have the healthiest ingredients.
Elizabeth Grant Caviar Cellular Recharge Super Eye Cream
( https://www.elizabethgrant.com )
OK, I know the name of that cream is a mouthful. Try saying it 30 times in a row. This cream has caviar extract, minerals that seem to make you feel noticeably tighter (and feeling awesome is 50% of looking awesome), CoQ10 and Shea Butter. The Shea Butter on some may be a bit much, but this is a nice fast acting eye cream with some fun ingredients.
Bella Schneider Beauty
( https://www.bellaschneiderbeauty.com )
I don’t know if we were supposed to stack products like this but we tried out BSB’s Beauty Globes (which we had in the fridge for a bit) and De-Puff and Smoothing serum, waited an hour and then added on their Firm & Glow Eye Balm. LOL, the warning on the eye balm says “avoid contact with eyes.” I assume they mean be careful not to get it in your eyes. There a lot of ingredients in the eye balm, you know those ones most can’t pronounce. BUT the combo of all the above like that (remember to give yourself time, and relax and enjoy yourself during the treatment) really had some great looking results!
Hommage Eye Serum: Awaken
( https://www.hommage.com )
Caffeine, Arnica and Niacinamide. I believe it is these two ingredients that give this eye serum such a quick response time on the eyes. In other words, this created near instant camera-ready results. They’re also smart enough to mention “dabbing” in the instructions. The catch is that before all the good ingredients start on the label, there is alcohol and propylene glycol. It works though, so definitely worth mentioning here. The remainder of the ingredients are a stellar combo if it makes you feel any better.
BeautyStat Universal C Eye Perfector
( https://www.beautystat.com )
OK, any brand smart enough to mix CBD with Vitamin C for an eye cream deserves to be on this list. That is just smart. Super smart. CBD has an almost instant effect on how the eye feels. So does vitamin C. Many of us have experimented with trying to get the right combo of orange oil + carrier to get on our faces safely. While, we weren’t too happy to see dimethicone on the ingredient list that didn’t hinder the results at all. You may have read about this eye cream from Oprah’s 2020 O-Awards. I’ve got to tell you, if you need some instant “ready for the world” eyes this cream seems to do the trick quickly. Not only that, a study showed that 71% of participants that used this cream showed dark circle improvement. So doesn’t hurt to use this cream daily even when not on camera.
{save} Anti-Pollution Eye Cream
( https://saveskincare.com/ )
This eye cream has natural UV protection, and while there are a lot of standard chemical ingredients in here believe it or not they perhaps might help in absorbing the shea butter a little bit. It is surprisingly soothing for a cream that has alcohol in it. The instructions are different for this cream as well, this is the first eye cream that suggest you “smooth” it. I couldn’t do it, I still pat it in with my ring finger. Being that I miss often and hit my cheek, this one might be good if I have a bout of rosacea or allergies.
Bel Essence Anti-Aging Eye Firming Cream
( https://www.belessence.com/ )
So those of you that have been following me for a while might remember that Bel Essence kick I was on. If you haven’t seen me Unbox my favorite Bel Essence products you can watch a fun VIDEO (where I drop stuff lol): HERE.
I am pretty geeky about this brand, because they never disappoint on the ingredients. This eye cream remains true to that vision. It is pretty thick, it works on the lips too. However, it doesn’t leave a residue nor does it feel like it would clogs pores. It smells good as an added bonus.
Peak 10 Skin Eye Spa
( https://www.peak10skin.com/ )
OK so this one you might have heard of before. Although it has a gigantic list of ingredients that you need glasses and a dictionary to read (including the infamous dimethicone), it’s good ingredients are impressive. Cucumber extract and Neem (Chinaberry for some) are really smart to put in an eye cream. Use with their iMend instant cream which has those “magic silicates” that I’m sure you’ve seen about on TV and you will be camera ready in a matter of minutes for sure. NOTE: the iMend might leave a white residue on some, so use sparingly. We didn’t notice a residue issue when trying the Eye Spa cucumber cream on its own.
Bevara Eye Serum
( https://www.bevaraskin.com )
Speaking of CBD, this eye cream can actually be used in conjunction with any of the above as well because you can apply it the night before. It has such an awesome combo of ingredients and feels amazing on the skin. We were really impressed with this brand. Perfect viscosity for an eye serum imho.
Remember, we have options when it comes to which eye cream to choose. Each face is different. Dr. Khan adds, “When it comes to eye creams, there are several heavy-hitter concerns that consumers want addressed. Dark circles, puffiness, crepey texture, fine lines. No one product can deliver all these results . . . First and foremost, eyelid skin should not be neglected in a normal skincare routine. Because it is so thin and without a cushion of fat underneath, moisturizing the eyelids is a primary goal. Depending on individual anatomy (deep set / sunken eyes, prominent or bulging eyes) and skin type, we are more likely to observe hollowing, puffy “eye bags” on the lower lids, and/or dark pigmentation along the lower orbital bony rim. Eye creams that contain vitamin K and light scattering minerals will help improve the appearance of dark circles . . . Vitamin A and retinoid-containing eye creams can help smooth out fine lines around the eyelids but must be applied carefully because those ingredients can cause inflammation at the eyelid margin and lash line, leading to surface irritation on the eye. Lastly, puffy lower eyelids can be improved slightly with caffeine-containing eye creams, but are difficult to treat with creams alone and may require surgery for best results.”