Dark circles, puffy eyes and crepey looking skin can make us look older and more tired than we really are or indeed, feel. And often it's the skin around our eyes that starts showing the effects of ageing long before the rest of our face catches up.

This happens because the skin around our eyes is much thinner and more delicate and needs to be treated carefully. Many people find it helps to use a special eye cream rather than the same moisturiser that's used on the rest of your face.

One such cream is No. 7 Lift & Luminate Eye Cream.



No. 7 Lift and Luminate eye cream is one of a complete skin care range including day and night moisturisers and a daily serum. It's marketed in the US under the name of ‘Lifting and Firming’ and is made by Boots the Chemist in the UK. It comes packaged in a tiny, squeezable white tube containing only 15ml or 0.5 fl.oz. However, you only need to use a minuscule amount so it does last a long time.

This particular product has had a lot of good feedback with many people claiming it has worked wonders for them. This is supposedly a very powerful eye cream which claims it will help to tighten and smooth skin while visibly reducing the appearance of lines, wrinkles and puffiness as well as dark circles. It also says it will hydrate and restore moisture to the under eye area leaving you with supple, radiant, soft, healthy and more toned looking skin. And all this is achievable in under four weeks.

The cream itself is pure white, extremely lightweight with practically no detectable smell. It's hypo-allergenic so is suitable for sensitive skin. After dispensing a small amount onto the tip of your finger, you simply dot it around the contours of your eyes and gently pat it into your skin until it's absorbed. You are also recommended to use it morning and night in conjunction with the other No. 7 products in the range. I've been using the No. 7 Lift and Luminate eye cream for around six months and have just finished the tube, so a little does go a long way.

It feels very light and non-greasy when applying it and it sinks into the skin quickly. Straight away I notice that the skin around my eyes looks hydrated, making fine lines less noticeable. However, over time I can't categorically state that the skin around my eyes is any softer or more toned looking than it was previously.

For me, the cream has an immediate effect which gradually wears off as the day goes by, much like my general moisturiser. I don’t always use an eye cream, thinking it’s just another marketing ploy designed to persuade gullible women into purchasing more products. But it feels lovely when applying and it does hydrate the eye area well.

However, it doesn’t contain an SPF, which means the eye area isn’t protected against the sun’s UV rays. Since the recommendations are to use an eye cream instead of a facial moisturiser, which usually do contain an SPF, I often end up putting moisturiser on top as well, which sort of defeats the purpose.

Overall, this is a very nice product, though somewhat overpriced in the UK market at £17.50 for 15ml/0.5 fl. oz and $17.99 in the US. However, it's usually on special offer as a buy one get one free deal, making it a good buy. Would I purchase it again? Yes definitely, but only when it's on offer or I have a money off coupon for the range. Otherwise, a lightweight facial moisturiser can pretty much do the same job.