Want To Get Rid Of Those Dark Circles? You Need To Massage Your Eyes With Foreo's Iris

Some of the most popular posts I've ever written have tackled the topic of dark circles; it seems that it's one one concern that universally impacts us all, regardless of age, sex or level of interest in makeup. Billions of pounds are made every single year promising to reduce our symptoms of a heavy night or too many early mornings, but there's yet to be anywhere near the miracle cure we seek. Although there are lots of great products available to help perk up our under-eye areas, reflect the light away from darkness or temporarily provide a way to feel more awake, no singular product comes anywhere near the impact of a good morning massage around the eye socket.

Darkness and eye bags can be caused by many different things, including fat deposits that we're genetically predisposed to develop as we age; they can also be a result of bad lifestyle choices including smoking, drinking and binging on sugary snacks - damage caused by free radicals in the skin can cause fat to seep into this area, resulting in unsightly deposits that we'd rather see the back of. Applying too much eye cream can also cause puffiness, as not only does this overload the area and cause the surface to be saturated (and therefore puff) but it causes the surface to be more supple and therefore more likely to fill with fluid. But interestingly puffiness can also be caused by ineffective drainage that causes liquid to sit under the eyes; fluid retention can be caused by hormones, dehydration or too much salt, but the good news is that massage can really help if bad lymphatic drainage is the root cause of your under eye problems. 

Eye massage techniques aren't hard to learn, as you simply need to press around the eye outwards towards the direction of your lymph nodes (at the edge of your face, directly parallel to the top of your brow.) There are many tutorials and guides online (I like this one from Shiseido,) but they do take a lot of manual effort and commitment to integrating eye massage into your routine. However, if you'd rather take a lazy approach to beauty then this new little gadget from the beauty experts at Foreo can definitely help. The Foreo Iris eye massager uses Alternating T-Sonic technology and a unique design to help reduce the visible signs of ageing and fatigue; designed to help relieve tired eyes in as little as sixty seconds, it provides a gentle massage to leave eyes feeling refreshed and looking bright. Foreo have designed the gadget to recreate a professional beauty treatment in the comfort of our own homes, combining tapping with delicate pulsations to increase the absorption of skincare while reducing the appearance of puffy eyes, dark circles, fine lines and wrinkles. 

It may look a little phallic upon first glance, but this handheld device is designed to boost micro-blood circulation and help oxygenate skin. Although when it landed on my desk I filmed a rather comical Periscope, now I've been using it for a number of weeks I can officially say it's love. I'm fortunate enough to be able to try pretty much every beauty gadget going and I genrally get bored after a few weeks and let it drop out of my routine, but with the Foreo Iris I genuinely reach for it every single day - even when I'm in a rush. It's quick, easy and most importantly effective; I can actually see the pulsating head massaging and manipulating my under eye area without any discomfort whatsoever, resulting in a visible improvement after only a couple of minutes. As I age I definitely notice less plumpness and more puffiness around the eye area, but with a couple of minutes massaging with this (and a really good eye cream) it's like I've literally turned back the clock - or awoken from an incredibly restful slumber. 

With the majority of skincare products you have to be prepared to invest time before you start to see results, but the Foreo Iris provided me with an instant lift with only one use. That's definitely worth the £99.00 price tag alone. Not only can you change the settings to reflect your needs (eight speeds and two pulsating options,) but the device lasts for blooming ages - I've been using it daily for four weeks and it's still not needed topping up. Although investing in a decent eye cream is great, there's only so much it can do alone; sure it can help tighten the skin, repair and encourage collagen production, but it won't be able to tackle the build up of liquid that could be the fundamental reason behind those bags. I've tried to keep to a daily massage routine before and failed miserably, but with the Foreo Iris I've finally committed to a regime I can maintain... While the eye opening results speak for themselves.

The Foreo Iris eye massager is available online priced £99.00. It comes in a variety of colours.