I tried a 'holy grail' beauty item loved by Margot Robbie, Kim Kardashian and Victoria Beckham... so does it live up to the hype?
Eye creams have never really been on my beauty radar until recently. Any dark circles and puffiness under my eyes have never been so dire that I've felt the need to address them.
But life in the toddler trenches, with a pint-sized pre-dawn alarm clock, has changed my tune. The caffeine intake is peaking and the sleep bank is in deficit, and naturally it's showing up right where I'd prefer it didn't: on my face.
Recent scrolls through my camera roll have increasingly revealed that my crows feet are less cute laughter lines and more deep crevices, while the shadows underneath are just as scary some mornings.
So when the opportunity came to trial Augustinus Bader's The Rich Eye Cream, it was a no-brainer. Slathering my (well, a small portion of my) tired skin with the same elixir apparently responsible for Victoria Beckham, Margot Robbie and Gigi Hadid's eternally youthful visage? Yes, please, right now.
For the uninitiated, Augustinus Bader is the brand beloved by celebrities and twice crowned 'The Greatest Skincare of All Time' by Women's Wear Daily, along with more than 185 other industry awards.
It was founded in 2018 by renowned stem-cell scientist and physician Professor Augustinus Bader, one of the world's foremost experts in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine.
Inspired by his three decades of cutting edge research on skin healing and tissue repair, Professor Bader developed the proprietary TFC8® Trigger Factor Complex that powers all of the products in his eponymous skincare line.
The patented technology is formulated with natural amino acids, high-grade vitamins and peptides naturally found in skin, to nourish and protect while supporting the skin's innate potential for renewal.
After: Two weeks into using The Rich Eye Cream morning and night, dark circles are reduced, the skin is plumper and fine lines towards the inner corner of the eye appear reduced
The original moisturisers, The Cream and The Rich Cream, hold almost mythical status as the absolute premium in luxury skincare, highly efficacious and backed by science.
The cult 'blue bottles' are revered by industry insiders and beauty experts, and subsequent products added to the range, including The Face Oil and The Eye Cream, have been just as well received.
Kim Kardashian has called the it her 'Holy Grail', while Hayley Bieber filmed herself applying The Cream in a GRWM (get ready with me) video on social media.
Other A-listers who've raved about the brand include Alexa Chung, Naomi Campbell, Amal Clooney, Demi Moore and Jennifer Aniston.
So does The Rich Eye Cream, which launched in February, live up to the sky-high expectations the preceding products have set? And does it justify its frankly eye-popping price tag?
As the name suggests, the pint-sized product is a more decadently rich and dense version of The Eye Cream. And if it does everything it says on the box, it's a miracle in a 15ml jar.
Promises include firming the delicate under-eye skin, reducing fine lines and wrinkles, intensely hydrating and illuminating, and visibly shrinking under-eye bags and dark circles.
These proclamations are backed by impressive clinical trial results: In a 12 week study, participants experienced a 70 per cent reduction in puffiness, a 45 per cent improvement in fine lines, and a 68 per cent drop in dark circles, while hydration tripled.
And in a consumer perception study of 110 users over the age of 35, a staggering 97 per cent agreed skin looks and feels firmer around the eyes, 95 per cent agreed skin elasticity feels restored, and 93 per cent agreed the appearance of crow's feet is reduced.
Further, 96 per cent agreed under-eye bags appear reduced, and 98 per cent agreed eyes look replenished and rejuvenated.
Those are some seriously promising stats, and I have visions of restoring my eyes to pre-parenthood youthfulness. After just two weeks, I've only just dipped my toe in, but early impressions? So far, so glowy.
Powered by the aforementioned TFC8 along with powerhouse ingredients like niacinamide, vitamins B5 and C, The Rich Eye Cream intensely hydrates and adds visible radiance.
The cream is thick and a little goes a long way. You can apply with your finger tip, or with the included applicator which, with its hefty weight despite its diminutive size, feels incredibly luxe.
The metal wand de-puffs and boosts circulation as it massages the eye cream into the under-eye area, and its cool touch adds 30 seconds of facial-like luxury to my rushed morning skincare routine - we take what we can get.
Immediate effects are an instant dewy radiance around my eyes as the dense cream melts into my skin.
After two weeks of using The Rich Eye Cream morning and night, there's a noticeable improvement in the texture and appearance of the skin around my eyes. I look refreshed, as though I'm getting a good eight hours.
The delicate and thin skin in this area appears firmer and plumper, and upon inspection of the before and after photos, the fine lines towards the inner corner of my eyes are far less noticeable.
Augustinus Bader is the brand beloved by celebrities and twice crowned 'The Greatest Skincare of All Time' by Women's Wear Daily's Beauty Inc, along with more than 185 other industry awards
The Rich Eye Cream is powered by the brand's patented TFC8 technology along with powerhouse ingredients like niacinamide, vitamins B5 and C
Make up glides on with ease after applying the cream in the morning, and the radiant glow remains visible beneath tinted SPF and foundation, so my highlighter and concealer have remained unused in my bathroom cabinet for a fortnight.
Is it worth the price? Obviously, many will deem splashing hundreds on an eye cream ludicrous. This is a luxury, even with the 20 per cent discount for those willing to commit to auto-replenish their stash at least three times.
If you have the cash to spend, and prioritise buying high-quality, high-efficacy skincare, then this is certainly a worthy product to invest in.
Augustinus Bader is a premium skincare brand and it lives up to all the hype.
I'll be scraping every morsel out of this little jar of radiance and pondering the fiscal responsibility of opening a dedicated skincare savings account to work towards my next top-up.
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