Eye Believe

By Anne Marie Scanlon

Windows to the soul? Who knows, but they're a pretty important part of your face all the same. People are always yammering on about eyes and how they notice them so if you feel like nature jipped you a bit in the eye department or even if God gave you the best pair of peepers ever they need constant care and attention so read on.

First the fun stuff, yes shadow, liner and mascara. Avon Spring Style 2007 Sheer Collection has been designed by renowned Hollywood make up artist Jillian Dempsey (a good Irish name). Jillian has worked on some of Hollywood's most famous faces including Kirsten Dunst, Kate Winslet and Rachel Weisz and her Avon Collection is a wonderful assortment of subtle browns, corals, roses and bronzes. As befits such a collection there are plenty of great treats for eyes and at prices that won't make a dint in your wallet. Avon True Color Eyeshadow Quads ($7.00) have a long-lasting formula and are designed not to fade, crease or smudge. The four shades are designed so that they can be used all at once or in various complimentary combinations. Jillian recommends using the lighter shades as a highlighter or base with darker shades used for contouring and as a liner smudge. The Eyeshadow Quads come in two combinations - Sandy Corals and Washed Khakis both great for subtle spring and summer color.

If you're after an eye-liner then look no further than Avon Glimmersticks Eyeliner ($6.00), a collection of six retractable self-sharpening creamy long wearing eye colors. For standard or fun colors you can't beat these for both variety and cost, choose from Blackest Black, Emerald, Saturn Gray, Cosmic Brown, Starry Night Blue and Majestic Plum.

No eye is complete without mascara - going without mascara is like sending your poor eye out into the world naked and vulnerable. In fact I'd go so far as to say you should always wear mascara - even if you don't have time to put on make up a few swipes of the mascara brush will make all the difference. Avon recently introduced superFULL mascara ($8.50) which is designed to create volume without clumping. They do this by combining a brush which separates and combs the lashes while their anti-static formula eliminates mess.

Never underestimate the difference a coat or two of mascara will make to your eyes. Mascara opens up and defines the eyes. Biotherm Open Eyes Endless Lengthening Mascara ($15) is designed to both lengthen and curl lashes and comes in two colors - black and brown. This is a great product for people with allergies, sensitive eyes or wearers of contact lenses. I only wish it had been around when I wore contact lenses as it only takes a teeny-tiny flake of mascara to cause untold pain and misery when trapped under a lens.

As I no longer wear lenses (hurrah!) my current favorite is the wonderfully named Lights, Camera, Lashes ($18.00) from tarte which featured in our Oscar Glamour piece. Apart from being great mascara I just love the purple mock croc container that it comes in. The other eye essential, apart from mascara, is a good eyelash curler. If you have never used one you will not believe the difference that it makes. I've tried more than my fair share of eyelash curlers in my day and I can tell you from my extensive research that like tweezers cheap ones are a false economy. I've been using the tarte Picture Perfect Eyelash Curler ($15) for the past couple of years and can say categorically that its absolutely fabulous. It is easy to use and the results are sentsational.

For truly dramatic eyes check out tarte's Indelible Wink ($22) a liquid lliner and shadow set which comes in two colors, Black - true black liquid liner and matching matte shadow and Brown - deep brown liquid liner and matching matte shadow. If it's va-va-voom your after then this is the product for you. MAC have always been good at creating dramatic eyes and their new Eye-liner Gel ($14.50) is no exception. This is a soft gel-based eye liner which comes in a pot and given a wee bit of practice is very easy to apply.

Speaking of drama Play On Velvet Eye Shadow ($14) from Biotherm comes in 21 fantastic intense colors and because it is made with extremely fine micro-powder and nylon beads it lasts and lasts. Like the Biotherm Open Eyes mascara Play On shadow is allergy-tested, Ophthalmologist-tested, fragrance free and suitable for those who have sensitive eyes and/or wear contacts.

Of course all the great shades and shadows in the world will do little for you if you don't look after your eyes and the extremely sensitive skin around them. The first step in keeping your peepers in top condition is to take off your make up of an evening. Now don't give me any ould guff about it being a messy chore that takes too much time. The brand new Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins™ Collection includes Plantidote™ Mega-Mushroom Eye Makeup Remover Pads ($20 for a jar conataining 60 wipes) a product that could not make removing your eye make up any easier. I've always been a big fan of pre-moistened pads (am a lazy girl at heart) and these certainly lived up to my expectations. Not only do they effectively remove makeup they are very gentle and won't irritate sensitive skin.

Once your eyes are clean a wee bit of cream goes a long way. Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Firm ($44) uses Seaweed Extract, Vitamins A, C & E as well as Organic Silicones to help combat visible lines around the lips and eye area. It also helps repair and protect against skin damage and improve smoothness. If that doesn't grab you then Dermalogica also have Total Eye Care SPF 15 ($35) designed to reduce the appearance of puffiness and fine lines. Ingredients include alpha hydroxy acids to smooth skin and firming plant extracts. Optical light diffusers diminish the appearance of dark circles and a chemical-free sunscreen helps protect against further damage.

Philosophy has two products targeted at lips and eyes; eye believe ($30) a power packed lightweight anhydrous eye balm which instantly smoothes out the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. This deep wrinkle peptide gel is easy to use and applies invisibly to the lip and eye area and is ideal for anyone looking for an instant fix. Apart from working immediately it also has long-term anti-aging results.

The second lip/eye duo from philosophy is dark shadows ($30) a silicone based brightening cream with light diffusers to reduce the appearance of dark circles and shadows. Dark shadows also instantly reduces the appearance of puffiness around the eyes.

Proactiv Replenishing Eye Serum ($24) is made with vitamins and botanicals to rejuvenate tired eyes. Hyaluronic Acid and Co-Q10 reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles while Green Tea extract is effective against the effects of free radicals.