Easy on the Eyes

Finding the perfect eye cream for every age.

The Eagles made "Lying Eyes" sound like a bad thing. I disagree. With a stellar eye cream perfectly matched to your age, the proper eye shadow application and a perfected flutter of the lashes, your eyes (and the skin beneath them) will look energized, no matter how tired, stressed or "mature" you are.

In Your 20s
"The best thing you can do is start to protect your skin," says E! News makeup artist Kat Connelly. At this age, wrinkles don't top of your list of concerns. Enjoy that. But ignoring the delicate skin under your eyes until you're older, Connelly says, "is like trying to fix your car when you haven't done any maintenance."

Top picks for twentysomethings: Try H2O Plus Sea Results Eye Mender Plus, which can help reduce the occurrence of those annoying future fine lines with its intense hydration, or DDF Nourishing Eye Cream. It's packed full of vitamins A, C, E and B, as well as green tea extract.

In Your 30s
This is the age where you'll probably start to panic unnecessarily about those little lines that show up around your eyes when you smile. Stay calm. And start using a product that has anti-aging effects, Connelly says.

Top picks for thirtysomethings: Try Hydroxatone's InstantEffect 90 Second Wrinkle Reducer, which includes skin-tightening crystals that can take your face back 10 years. If you're lucky, you'll get carded at the bar.

If you like science behind your skincare products, the protective ingredients in Aveeno Positively Ageless Lifting and Firming Eye Cream have been clinically shown to firm and lift the skin around your eyes, brighten dark circles and reduce puffiness. And it's a super sensitive formula, so it's good for all skin types.

In Your 40s
They say 40 is the new 20, but sometimes the eyes disagree. This is the time when good ol' hormones start to wreak havoc. Hydration is key at this age and you'll want to look for formulas that have ingredients like caffeine that reduce puffiness, as well as black cohash or wild yam to help replace some of the lost hormones.

Top picks for fortysomethings: Murad Moisture Silk Eye Gel contains caffeine to reduce bags, plus algae extract and allantoin to hydrate. To combat hormonal havoc, Dermalogica's Intensive Eye Repair is fortified with both vitamin C and wild yam for a powerful anti-aging attack.

In Your 50s and Beyond
At this age, you want to use anti-aging products that do their thing by day and night. L'Oreal Advanced Revitalift Deep Set Wrinkle Eye comes with a day formula that has SPF and ingredients that repair broken skin fibers. The PM formula contains pro-retinol A to restore skin smoothness while you catch those all-important ZZZs.