Top three eye creams for beginners

Eye cream is one of those things we read about and think, "I should really start doing that at some stage", but it's not until we start seeing the first signs of fine lines, dark circles and puffiness that it actually makes us want to go out and buy it. At that stage, some of the damage has been done and we just can't reverse the hands of time.

The best time to start using eye cream is in your early 20s; prevention is better than cure after all.

In your early 20s, your main concern is hydration. Once you can keep the area around your eyes as hydrated as possible it will minimise the appearance of fine lines, however the area around your eyes is five times as fine as the skin anywhere else on your face, so you need to make sure you aren't using an eye cream that is too heavy for your skin, otherwise it will lead to milia, little white bumps under the skin that you can't squeeze. Your normal moisturiser might be too heavy for the eye area and you should always treat the skin on your face and the skin around your eyes separately.

So for all you early to mid-20s looking to start looking after your eye area, here are my top three eye creams to get you started.

• Origins GinZing €29

This one helps to reduce the look of dark circles and puffiness, and brightens the area. It's great for restoring tired eyes which is usually what the early to mid-20s need after staying up all night "studying" or what not.

• Burt's Bees €19

Although this one will not help with puffiness, it will help with dryness. So if dark circles and puffiness are not your main concern and your eyes are of the dry and sensitive type just screaming for hydration, this is the one for you.

• REN Active 7  €24

This is a combination of both. Its lightweight cooling gel helps de-puff, and it also helps to reduce dark circles and hydrate the area. It also can be used under or over makeup which makes it a winner for me.

Who has been using eye cream for years and swears it's the reason they still look 20?