Get Keane-Worthy “Big Eyes” With The Bakel Cool Eyes Eye-Bags & Dark-Circle IntensiveTreatment

Eye treatments packaged in tubes with rollerball applicators first skyrocketed to mass market sensation status when Clinique released its stellar All About Eyes Serum. When Clinique unveiled its All About Eyes Serum in 2012, beauty pundits raved about the rollerball tip, how it not only soothed the often puffy and swollen skin under the eyes via its cool metal surface, but it  also gently massaged that thin and delicate skin, effectively boosting circulation and helping to drain any excess fluid trapped therein. Since then, a bevy of products with similar rollerball applicators have been designed, with varying levels of success. See, while a well-designed rollerball should theoretically glide on the skin, rotating with the ease of an ever-moving wheel, the success of the accompanying treatment will hinge on the ingredients used to formulate the serum or cream being dispensed and massaged into the under-eye area. After all, the rollerball is simply an applicator design option, one with its own benefits, but not the main consideration or focal point. In some cases, the rollerball tip of an eye product provides an instant sense of relief, but the formula’s results are as temporary as an exhale before a string of hurried inhales. Eyes might feel refreshed and revitalized but, within minutes, that sensation dissipates and the puffiness lingers, as do the Rocket Raccoon-worthy dark under-eye circles. The key, then, lies in the ingredients used to formulate the beauty elixir — and that’s what makes the Bakel Cool Eyes treatment so effective.

Packaged in a sleek metallic tube, the Bakel Cool Eyes Eye-Bags & Dark-Circles Intensive Treatment ($119 at BergdorfGoodman.com) contains three ingredients that target the main causes that lead to these pesky beauty problems.  Several factors result in puffy, swollen skin tissue underneath the eyes. The first is a side-effect of aging — as we get up there in years, our skin begins to lose its elasticity, leading to droopy lids, and the muscles that support the eyelids weaken, leading to some of the fat located around the eye orbit shifting to the under-eye region and creating a puffy effect. Second, periorbital puffiness can be the result of fluid retention. This, in turn, can be caused by dietary choices — those who consume sodium-rich foods or overindulge in alcohol can be particularly prone to fluid retention along the under-eye area. Third, and perhaps most common, are lack of sleep and stress. Whether you’re a stay-at-home mom running after her munchkins, a high-powered working woman working 12-hour days, or a college student cramming away into the wee hours of the night, chances are you’re probably not getting the recommended 8-10 hours of sleep. If so, even if you reduce the salt in your diet, better hydrate throughout the day, and drink in moderation, you might still be plagued by puffy eyes. And thankfully, you can turn to Bakel for a beauty pick-me-up. Think of it as a baggage check in a bottle.

So how does the Bakel Cool Eyes address preorbital puffiness? Well, the formula contains Dipeptide-2, a peptide consisting of the standard amino acids valine and tryptophan that is believed to stimulate lymphatic circulation, draining any trapped fluids that might be contributing to the swelling.Next, the formula contains Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 (formerly known as Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-3), which reduces the inflammation caused by the group of cytokines (small proteins that play a key role in cell signaling) known as interleukins. The tetrapeptide, then, also helps to reduce any puffiness caused by factors such as lack of sleep and stress.

The third ingredient in the war against under-eye circles and bags is Hesperidin Methyl Chalcone, a flavonoid that counteracts capillary weakness. What does that mean? Well, the bluish-purplish hue you might be seeing when you stare in the mirror in the morning is the result of oxygenated blood pooling in the capillaries right below the skin. Consider this: periorbital skin is about 0.5 mm thick (as opposed to the 2mm thickness associated with the skin in most other areas of the body) so that it’s almost transparent. As a result, any blood pooled in the veins therein would become all the more visible. This flavonoid allows you to treat dark circles by constricting them, thereby boosting blood flow.

But that’s not all.  Since, as discussed, this area of the skin is so thin and so prone to fluid retention, improper circulation, and elasticity loss, the Bakel Cool Eyes treatment also incorporates a number of soothing, nourishing, and anti-aging ingredients. These include: witch hazel, which reduces inflammation; menthol, which cools and soothes the skin; cocoa butter, which is rich in palmitic, stearic, oleic acids that penetrate the skin and hydrate it fro within; fatty acid-rich argan oil; vitamin E; Sorbitan olivate (an emollient with an olive extract base; Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Extract, a yeast extract believed to stimulate microcirculation, condition the skin, and lock in moisture; and glycerin, a common humectant.

Together, all these ingredients pack a powerful punch so that, as soon as you glide the metallic sphere tip of the Bakel Cool Eyes tube under your eyes, you’ll feel this immediate relief, followed by a slight tingling sensation and a tightening feeling — almost as if small threads underneath the skin were being pulled laced up and pulled as tight as a corset closure. And, within minutes, you’ll notice those pesky under-eye bags are significantly reduced, as if they were balloons that had been poked with a needle and were rapidly deflating.

In my experience, it’s rare to have a product that effectively tackles both under-eye circles and puffiness, but this one excels on all fronts.

I also appreciate the clever packaging — not just the rollerball tip (though yes, it’s a plus), but also the fact that, by clicking the button at the base of the tube, it will dispense the fluid cream (you’ll see it around the perimeter of the sphere tip) so that you always apply the right amount of product. It’s easy to overdo it with eye cream and wind up wasting a lot of it, so it’s handy that the Bakel Cool Eyes treatment doles out a reasonable amount of product with just the push of a button. Also, since the product is dispensed by the tip and then massaged onto the skin with the rollerball, the overall experience is more hygienic, involving no possibly dirty fingers scooping up dollops of cream from tiny pots and jars.

The only drawback here, then, would be the price. Sure, it’s a stellar product, but at $120 per tube, it’s quite the investment. Still, if it’s one you’re willing to make (and can reasonably justify), you won’t be disappointed!