Begone Bags

I Tried 9 Tinted Eye Creams So You Don’t Have To. These Are My Favorites.

I sometimes have a little something to hide, OK?

by Kate Auletta
Had To Share
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I have taken issue with my under eyes for practically as long as I can remember. I used to have dark circles and deep-seated bags, but then I got a lower blepharoplasty two years ago and that erased both the bags and (some of) the circles. Now I just have run-of-the-mill aging to contend with (I’m 42). I don’t know about you, but I am constantly bombarded with ads for tinted eye creams, which, according to these ads, are better for *ahem* women of a certain age.

Curious, I decided to give a whole slew of them a whirl. Two things are important to note: I’m a contact lens-wearer, and as such I have sensitive eyes. I can usually tell within the first few hours of wear if something won’t gel with me, as my contacts get all cloudy. That happened with some of these products. Secondly, not all of these are traditional tinted eye creams — some are more concealer-forward, while others offer more of a light touch of coverage.

All the same, I tried a variety of brands and formulas, all in the name of public service. Here are my favorites — as well as others I tried that didn’t perform well for my skin, but were still noteworthy and might be perfect for you.

Trinny London BFF Eye

I was compelled to try this after I saw countless Instagram ads of Trinny herself applying this. It is super lightweight, creamy, and the color I got — Josie — matched my skin perfectly (according to Trinny, you don’t want to use a too-light concealer as you age because it calls out more than it hides). There’s all the good stuff in this tube: hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, and a duo-peptide complex, which all work to make this the most serum-y of the concealers I tried. It has great staying power and doesn’t crease into my lines the way I’ve noticed many concealers do. This has basically become my go-to everyday eye product.

One note: A little goes a long way, and a lot comes out at once if you’re not careful.

Typology Bright Eyes Duo

I will be honest and say I often forget to put the caffeine complex that this comes with on first — it’s kinda runny and it takes a while to dry, which I don’t really have time for on busy mornings. But I’ve found that the concealer doesn’t require the serum first, and it wears just as beautifully. A little goes a very long way; this brightens more than the Trinny product and feels more like a classic concealer on. I’m a total fan.

Sarah Creal Face Flex Concealer & Complexion Enhancer with Caffeine

Sarah Creal is one of those brands that seemingly popped up out of nowhere. Her packaging is flawless — it’s like having a beautiful sculpture in your makeup bag. The whole line is aimed at older women, which I appreciate. I wear this when I want serious concealer as it stays put like no one’s business, or if I had a really bad’s night sleep and need to hide the damage. It doesn’t settle into my lines, either.

Colleen Rothschild Illuminating Tinted Eye Cream

This product is gorgeous, but it doesn’t match my olive skin tone. That said, I used it on top of the Sarah Creal product and it did a wonderful job reflecting light and giving me a nice, glowing sheen under my eyes.

The packaging itself is very pretty, and the pump makes it so you can easily dispense the proper amount of product. That said, it’s less of a concealer and more of a light-reflecting product. I can see this being good for people with fairer, pinker skin tones.

Replenix Anti-Aging Tinted Brightening Eye Cream

This used to be my go-to, everyday, work-from-home product, and I still use it from time to time, but having brought in the big guns, this definitely feels more like an eye cream than an effective concealer. It is brightening, but it doesn’t have great staying power and can dry out. For the price, I’d rather buy two Trinny products, honestly.

iNNBEAUTY PROJECT Bright & Tight Dark Circle Firming Eye Cream

My colleague recommended this product, so I gave it a whirl. It is definitely for those who want a lighter touch, as, much like the Colleen Rothshild product, it’s more about light-reflecting than concealing. It goes on smooth, and is good for the days you don’t want or need coverage but desire a little boost.

OGEE Complexion Perfecting Tinted Serum

I love Ogee’s contour collections, so I figured I’d give this serum a try. It is definitely an all-over tint, not just for under eyes, so that’s the main difference here. What I loved: This stuff stays put — like all day — and it doesn’t crease. A little goes a very long way, but it does blend well. The colors, though, are what threw me. While they offer a wide(ish) variety of colors, I couldn’t find one that matched well-enough to my skin.

REFY Brightening & Blurring Serum Concealer

I really wanted to love this product. The price point is great, and I love that it comes in such a wide variety of shades. I followed the instructions to a T — I am a type A student after all — and I still found this to be very cakey and thick. It creased in my wrinkles almost immediately, and wouldn’t give way no matter how much blending I did. I could see, though, that if you have younger, plumper skin it would be a great full-on concealer.

YSE’s Wide Awake Brightening Eye Cream

I’m someone who came of age in the ‘90s; therefore I will always have a soft spot for Molly Sims. I’ve been targeted for her makeup and skincare line, YSE, on Instagram, and so I wanted to give this eye cream a shot. It seemed to me to be a lot like Trinny London’s proposition: a heavily tinted eye serum that gets the job done. It has vitamin C, niacinamide and a slew of antioxidants in it, and my friends have raved about it. It goes on smoothly and the pigment is great. But no dice for me and my sensitive eyes. I could tell, though, that it’s a solid option if you don’t have sensitive eyes.

There are likely dozens of other products like these out there; these were just the ones I was most interested in trying, after having them pop up in my feed so often. So if nothing here sounds just perfect, there’s bound to be another tinted eye cream out there for you.

Had To Share highlights the products and finds that Scary Mommy editors and contributors love so much, we just had to share in the group chat.