Mine eyes! They feel as though they’ve been substituted for shrivelled up conkers – the inside of my lids are like pieces of sandpaper. It’s all so dry within the orbital region that it’s amazing I don’t start little fires in my eye sockets when I blink.
It must be the pollen, though I don’t usually get hayfever so that’s odd. It likely doesn’t help that I’m up throughout the night, tending to the baby, which my “entertainment” of choice is scrolling through ASOS (or Rightmove) on my iPhone. There’s nothing more wearing on the eyeballs than hours of relentless, fruitless browsing. (Does anyone else get motion sickness if they scroll too fast?)
So yes, my eyes are tired and sensitive and I’m trying to treat them kindly and soothe all of them with lovely things. And when I take my eye makeup off, I’m really making an effort to be gentle, pressing the remover-soaked cotton pads over my eyes and awaiting fifteen, twenty seconds before taking them away, rather than rushing the process and wiping frantically, which always leads to my sore undereye problem.
Current soothing favourites, in the risk of repeating myself, since i have mentioned these a few times recently:
Eyebright Soothing Eye Lotion from Liz Earle, lb13.25 here*: ideal for a morning pep-up when I feel as though I’ve just done a twenty hour stint in a Vegas casino. (Happened.) I have no idea what Eyebright is, but it does what it says on the tin, and you can’t ask for better than that. Keep one out of the fridge if you can remember to actually use it; I hate it when I’m told to keep beauty stuff in the fridge, since it gets forgotten about, only to be located when I do my annual chucking-out of weird, novelty Christmas chutneys and packets of feta that have slipped behind the salad drawer. But Eyebright, when chilled, is a thing of wonder. Hangovers, hayfever, general malaise: soak two cotton pads, press on them your eyes (closed, obviously) and hold them there for a few minutes, or however long you are able to bear. (If you’re as impatient as me you’ll manage about thirty seconds.) I promise you’ll feel instantly refreshed.
Sens’Eyes from Make Up For Ever, lb19.75 here*: this is great stuff. Creamy, which means you wouldn’t think that it would focus on stubborn makeup, but it really does. It feels far too kind to be useful, but the proof is in the pudding and this cuts through mascara like a dream. If you (like me) get raw bits under your eyes if you apply and remove makeup too frequently, then this is a great product to have in your emergency kit. It’s definitely a must-have for models.
Stubborn Makeup Remover, currently lb3.95 at Superdrug here*: this isn’t actually for sensitive eyes, but it’s here due to the fact that it removes makeup so quickly that you don’t have to wipe or press repeatedly together with your cotton pads. Marvellous and a true bargain – especially at the current price. It’s usually lb7.99, but even that's very good considering how easily this dissolves heavy makeup.
Read: More Posts on Stuff For Sensitive Eyes