Should you use an eye serum AND and eye cream?

Eye serum - sounds fancy, but is it really necessary? Will it just end up as another thing sitting in our bathroom cupboard?

Eye serum may or not be on the top of your list when it comes to beauty, but there are a lot of fans out there who'll tell you they're a necessity. Perhaps you've been thinking about trying one out, though? If so, then today's post is for you. We'll be going through what they do, what they're for and whether or not you need to be using one. Also, whether or not you need to use an eye serum as well as your regular eye cream.

Let's get started, shall we?

What is it?

Eye serum uses much the same theory (but has a lighter formula) to a regular face serum. Serums as we know, are designed for the long game rather than shorter-term goals. Traditionally, they are known to penetrate deeper into the skin to target cells that aren't yet at the top surface level (i.e. where we can see them).

Some will give superficial results as a byproduct of the ingredients (such as plumping hyaluronic acid). But the overall aim of a serum is to see it yielding results 3 - 4 weeks after you started using it.

Who should use it?

There are a lot of versions of eye serum on the market but most are targeted towards hydration, battling lines and impending wrinkles. So usually you'll find they are marketed towards anyone who is worried about that. Although, if you find that normal eye cream is too heavy for you, a serum could be a good alternative to switch to.

The reason for this is that serums are formulated to be more fluid than cream - absorbing quickly, easily and tending not to leave any residue on the skin's surface. This makes them ideal for application under makeup. They plump up the skin to provide a smoother base for makeup, minus any oiliness on the surface that could potentially interfere with makeup application.

Do you need to use both eye cream and serum?

This is really a question of preference, as well as the products you are using. Eye serums will pack more of a punch long term, but might not be as comforting on a daily basis. They aren't as emollient as eye cream, in the same way that face serums aren't as emollient as a moisturiser. But, you can use them slightly closer to the eye area (it's recommended that eye creams be used on the occipital bone only).

If you need a bit of extra TLC around the eye area, using both could work for you. If you would rather swap to a serum only though, look out for formulas packed with hydrating hyaluronic acid and antioxidants.

Do you use an eye serum? Or stick to eye creams only?