Bright eyes in 1-2-3: Estee Lauder Idealist Cooling Eye Illuminator

I have come to accept that I have naturally puffy eyes. It seems that the best thing I can do for them is to moisturize and soothe them to somehow lessen the appearance. If I really want them to go away, a good concealer is the best solution. It's a two-step process, but what if there's a product that can do both in one go?

Enter the Estee Lauder Idealist Cooling Eye Illuminator (P3,200).

Utilizing a first everpatent-pending specially-contoured, cooling ceramic-tip applicator,New Idealist Cooling Eye Illuminatorinstantly cools, massages and re-energizes the look of tired, puffy eyes, while innovative, exclusive Triple-Optic Technologyinstantly makes dark circles look lighter. Additionally, an exclusive,highly concentrated Dark Circle Correcting Complex works over time to help reduce and prevent the appearance of dark circles and puffiness.

In other words: it's awesome! I've been using this for more than a month now and I love it. Unlike most products out in the market, this does exactly what it promises.

Soothing, perfectly shaped applicator. The ingeniously-shaped ceramic tip is always cold and applies the cream like a dream - so much that I just use it to massage my under eyes some more even though I've already evened the product over the area. I feel that it soothes my tired bags, especially after a long night. Before, I use a teasepoon stuck in the freezer for a few seconds to achieve the same thing, but because of the Idealist Illuminator I'm a little more high-tech. :P

Even if you don't leave the tube in the fridge, I swear the that the tip will remain cool as if you did.

This shade is Light-Medium and perfectly suits my skin. It has yellow gold undertones.

Texture and finish. The cream itself is light and gives the skin a radiant glow. You won't really see any visible shimmers, just this really lovely sheen that brings light to the eyes. It's slightly tinted and there are two shades available for women with light to dark skin tones.

Coverage and lasting power. The eye cream doesn't actually have any visible coverage, but its light-reflecting properties gathers the light to your bags so the shadows don't show up as much. Actually, I find the coverage pretty good for something so sheer that sometimes I don't even bother with concealer anymore.

Observe:

Bare eyes. You'll notice the purplish tinge around the outer rims.

To apply, I dot a small amount in the area and then I massage the product with the ceramic applicator

Voila! You'll notice that my eyes look lifted and the purple tinge is dramatically lessened.

So there! Aside from the brightening effect, the EL Idealist Illuminator also has a color correcting function. However, because of the sheen, it may somehow magnify lines, so make sure that you apply less product on your lines. It creases too, but that's easily resolved by patting the creased area with your ring finger.

It stays put the whole day and acts as a sort of primer when I wear concealer. 

Long term benefits. After more than a month of usage, I noticed that my lines are softened and the puffiness is not so bad anymore. The under eye area also feels more elastic! Did my bags look less dark? I think so!

Here's a snap I took last July. I started using the Idealist in August.

My lines look deeper and the skin has this papery effect. I think my August photo looks better!

Verdict. We can all agree that the photos speak for themselves. I highly recommend the Estee Lauder Idealist Cooling Eye Illuminator to girls who need instant brightening and long-term results on their eye bags. It's quite pricey for a small amount, but I think you get what you pay for.

I love that you can use it by itself (if you don't have really dark bags) and that it can enhance your concealer, too! Definitely a must-try if you have the budget.