My dark circles used to bother me, and I mean really bother me. In high school, I would slather on a thick coat of concealer and blend it out with my fingers. All that succeeded in doing was causing an unnatural light look to my under-eye area along with some pretty intense creasing. They continued to bother me up through college, but somewhere along the way, I came to accept them. Maybe it was the realization that I never noticed dark circles on other people. Whatever it was, it stopped me from fixating on them so much.
Still, there are times I want to conceal them—at least a little bit—to look fresher and more wide awake (there comes a time when you don’t want to look half-asleep on every early morning Zoom call). At those times, I’ll reach for a few trusty color correctors and concealers.
Lately, though, I’ve been hearing about a certain eye cream that promises to instantly blur imperfections and reduce the appearance of dark circles. This particular eye cream has sold out five times since it launched, so of course, I was curious. Keep scrolling to read my honest thoughts and see the before-and-after photos. (Hint: it’s seriously good.)
Here’s the eye cream in question—Dr. Naomi Catfish Blurring Eye Cream. It contains a proprietary mix of active ingredients that include hyaluronic acid microspheres, peptides, shea butter, vitamin E, and kangaroo paw extract (the latter is a flower native to Australia, which is also the place the brand hails from). It promises to provide both instant and long-term benefits.
With long-term use, this eye cream reduces the appearance of wrinkles (thanks to the peptides) and boosts collagen and elastin (thanks to the kangaroo paw extract). In other words, it promises to provide an overall tightening and smoothing effect to the skin. As I said before, it also offers some instant gratification. The brand says that as soon as it comes in contact with the skin, hyaluronic microspheres expand to 30 times their volume, helping to give the skin a plumping effect. At the same time, skin-brightening ingredients get to work to disguise the look of dark circles.
I wanted to make this eye cream prove itself, so I tested it on a busy weekday morning, right after rolling out of bed. Here’s how my eyes look after waking up. I always find it difficult to photograph my dark circles, because, on camera, they always look less severe. In real life, though, I have a visible half-moon under each eye. I also have slight puffiness that results in under-eye bags. Overall, I just look tired. The eye cream comes in cheeky packaging that resembles a syringe. You push from the bottom, and a small amount of tan-colored cream is released from the top. I put it on my ring finger and gently swiped it onto my under-eye area, lightly dabbing it to blend it in.
I saw an instant, visible improvement (I took this picture just a few minutes after applying the eye cream). Not only did some of my puffiness subside after just a few minutes, but it provided an immediate blurring and brightening effect that made my dark circles look way better than they did before. I haven’t used it long enough to speak on the long-term benefits, but in the short term, I really liked the way it made my eyes look brighter and more wide awake. I’m guessing part of that is due to the formula’s tint, though the improvement in puffiness makes me think it’s really doing something beyond just concealing darkness. While $85 is a steep price for an eye cream, I say it’s worth it if your under-eye area bothers you like mine sometimes bothers me. And seeing how much product is in the packaging, I know it’ll last me a long time. If you look at it that way, the price-per-wear is quite good. So, all things considered, I think I found my new go-to morning eye cream…
This eye cream uses ceramides and niacinamide to visibly smooth the under-eye area.
Caffeine works like a charm to decrease puffiness.
I love a retinol eye cream for smoothing fine lines and wrinkles.
This eye cream is a fan-favorite for brightening dark circles.
This eye cream instantly boosts moisture and elasticity.
I’ve been using this eye cream for years. It never fails to moisturize and plump my eye area.
If you want to drench your eye area in moisture, this eye cream is for you.
Caffeine, peptides, and niacinamide make this an effective (yet budget-friendly!) eye cream.
This do-it-all eye cream targets fine lines, dark circles, puffiness and crow’s feet.
Vitamin C and peptides give the eye area a brighter, firmer look.
