"Eye" love Clara's cute peepers! Image: Instagram
THE CLAIMS: Formulated with sleep-deprived urban dwellers in mind – which means everyone in Singapore, basically – this eye elixir bills itself as an instant brightening balm that filters out fatigue for perky, wide-awake peepers.
Because this is La Mer we’re talking about, expect an aquarium’s worth of algae thrown into the mix. There’s the posh beauty brand’s patented Miracle Broth (but of course), which for the uninitiated consists of a skin-plumping slurry of soothing sea kelp, plus two new botanical blends specially synthesised for this particular product: The first being a fortifying ferment for fending off fine lines and the second a marine derivative said to drench the delicate orbital area with lit-from-within luminescence.
Taken together, this age-reversing trio promises to buffer your baby blues from the scourge of stress and pollution, as well as – and this is the crucial bit – diminish dark circles and discolouration instantly and over time.
WHY I LOVE IT: Bottomline: This really works, at least for me. Let’s start by critiquing the curious consistency of the Illuminating Eye Gel, which is sort of like … oh, I don’t know, a mealy mousse?
I know that sounds off-putting but by some stroke of alchemy, the little lumps smoothen out between your fingers into a gorgeous gloss that glides like a dream under the eye – an incredibly important detail; you don’t want any tugging and tearing along the delicate orbital region.
How to use? You’re meant to slap this baby on twice a day like any old eye cream, but Loretta Miraglia, La Mer’s corporate senior vice president of global brand product development and innovation, says she stashes the handy tube into her bejewelled bag as a “perfect pick-me-up” for post-gym and pre-dinner touch-ups – a most “illuminating” #BeautyTip indeed!
Top tip: Use this gel under your eyes for post-gym touch-ups! Image: Instagram
You know what? I’ll go one up and say this eye gel is excellent as an all-purpose primer, thanks to the formula’s “light-bending sea pearls”, which any beauty junkie worth her bath salts will recognise as marketing-speak for light-reflecting pearlescent particles. (Props to the La Mer copywriters for being consistently evocative in their press copy!) Another huge plus? I’m a sucker for aesthetically pleasing packaging, which in this instance is over and above the hygienic and very functional pump dispenser.
As for the Illuminating Eye Gel’s claims of lending your eyes a luxe twinkle? Let’s just say that after a month or so of using this product, I’ve found myself wiggling out of undereye concealer on most workdays. (You’ll probably still need a little something-something for date nights out with the boyfriend, but that’s par for the course, really.)
Oh yeah, one final note: At $220 per pop, this is going to make quite the dent in your wallet, but what price instant beauty, really?
GET IT AT: La Mer Illuminating Eye Gel, $220 for 15ml, is available at all La Mer counters. For more information, visit illuminatingeyegel.cremedelamer.com/sg, www.lamer.com.sg and follow La Mer on Facebook.