I've had under-eye bags for as long as I can remember, but I just thought it came with having big eyes. I definitely love having large eyes, but I couldn't help but feel self-conscious about the bags that accompanied them. Being self-conscious, as we all know, is exhausting, so I finally decided it was time to tackle the under-eye issue head on.
I settled on seven methods to get rid of under-eye puffiness, and the results were… unexpected, to say the least.
HACK ONE: Caffeinated tea bags.
Following Reader's Digest's instructions, I soaked the tea bags in warm water, and then cooled them in the refrigerator. I then placed them on my eyes for about five minutes, which caused the ODDEST sensation known to man.
I DID notice a change, but a minimal one, especially considering the fact that my eyes were stinging while the tea bags were on them. The left photo is the "before" and the right is "after."
Although I did notice that the puffiness on the left eye went down, the process wasn't enjoyable. The bags kept falling off and the stinging sensation was unpleasant. I did feel slightly more awake, but gosh, those five minutes felt like FOREVER. This method would definitely be a last resort for me.
HACK TWO: Spoons underneath my eyes.
Look, I'd heard of this trick before, but spoons? Under my eyes? Seriously?! I usually reserve my cutlery for eating, so putting them on my eyes seemed silly. I went into this one pretty skeptical.
Per ThriveMedSpa's instructions, I put the spoons in the freezer for 15 minutes, and then placed them on my eyes until they got warm. Was it enjoyable? No. Was it better than the tea bags? HECK YES.
My under-eyes were VERY baggy that day, so I was excited to try and see if this hack worked.
Afterward, I felt like the eye on the left went down, but alas, my right under-eye was quite stubborn. Again, I didn't like the cold sensation, but it wasn't as painful as the tea bag hack. I did feel less refreshed than I did with the tea bags, oddly enough.
HACK THREE: Cucumbers under the eyes. I always thought this was just for dramatic effect when someone went to a spa, not an actual beauty tip!
I had never put produce on my face before, so I thought that this would be quite…interesting. According to WikiHow, I had to put two chilled cucumber slices on my eyes for 15 minutes. The cucumbers did feel slightly squishy, so I was ready to fling them across the room once the timer went off!
OK, so there wasn't much of a change, but what magical powers could veggies have for my eyes anyway?!
I knew I should've just eaten them. I wasted a perfectly good cucumber!
HACK FOUR: Ice, ice, baby.
Using the tips from the Livestrong website, I placed ice (wrapped in a towel) under my eyes for about 15 minutes. The downside to this hack is that I had to keep holding the ice over my eyes, which didn't make for a very relaxing 15 minutes.
I was scared that I would get frostbite on my eyelids, but thankfully, that didn't happen.
Afterward, I didn't see much difference, but I DEFINITELY felt more awake! It felt like I had splashed my face with ice water. Quite refreshing, despite not really seeing a difference.
HACK FIVE: $50 Eye pads from Patchology
Patchology eye gels ($50, Patchology)
These eye pads were definitely a jump in price in comparison to the other hacks, considering that they were $50 instead of, well, just already in my kitchen.
Funnily enough, the instructions for the eye pads were not that complicated.
According to the Patchology website, you just place a pair of the gels to the under-eye area for five minutes or more, and then you throw them away and rub the residue into your skin.
I thought the gel would feel sticky and weird, but it didn't! It was nice and didn't have a weird smell, thankfully. Plus, no weird breakouts!
Admittedly I didn't see that much of a difference, but I did appreciate the simplicity of these eye pads.
I don't like beauty hacks with 1000+ steps, so I appreciated that the eye pads were easy to apply and could stick to my face while I watched Netflix (because THAT'S IMPORTANT). I kind of wish that they had a stronger result, but I probably should try them over a longer period of time.
HACK SIX: Crystals — Out of all of the hacks I tried, I was probably the most skeptical when I tried this one.
With crystals being the HOTTEST trend ever, you know I had to give it a try when it came to my eye bags.
Using the book "Elemental Energy: Crystal and Gemstone Rituals for a Beautiful Life" as my guide, I set off for a face that wasn't so puffy.
Sure, I could totally relax more, but how could a rock — I'm sorry, a hematite stone — help my eyes? At least it wouldn't sting my eyes like the tea bags. Goodness.
With a hematite stone and Jergen's body lotion (because we're ballin' on a budget) on hand, I started the process following the diagram in the book.
Although the instructions recommended using two stones, I only had one because once again, we're balling on a budget here.
The instructions stated:
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Gently apply a basic eye cream, gem oil olixir, or a combination of the two to the entire eye orbital area with your ring finger.
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Take one hematite stone in each hand and, with the rounded edges, press on point one as shown on the facing page, applying light to medium pressure. Repeat on points two through eight.
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Move stones down to point nine. Press gently three times.
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Glide the stones simultaneously from point nine down the neck to point 10 (a lymphatic point). Press gently and flick to release.
Did I maybe feel slightly better? Sure. Did I notice a difference? Not really.
I really, really wanted to believe that I would see a difference in the before and after pictures, but alas, I looked the same. However, I did feel very chill. That's definitely a plus!
HACK SEVEN: Good old-fashioned sleep. Nothing says "free beauty hack" like sleep, right?
I thought FOR SURE that this one had to fare better than the rest. When I was younger, my mother would sometimes encourage me to go back to sleep if I woke up and my eyes looked extra puffy. Unfortunately, even when I had actually gotten a good night's rest, the under-eye bags would persist.
Y'ALL, I was SCREAMING the next morning — because the puffiness had gotten worse! HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE??!!
At this point, I started to accept my under-eye bags are just a part of me.
Whether you spend $50 or $0 to solve your under-eye bags, make sure to find a way to love your flaws along the journey.
By trying all of these hacks, I learned there's no such as thing as a quick fix when it comes to under-eye bags (oh, and that I'll never put tea bags near my eyes again). And that's OK! Like I said, I realized my under-eye bags are a part of me, and they don't make me any less beautiful or worthy.
I do think that some of these hacks/products could work great for others — it may just depend on the person. It might take some trial and error, but it's worth a try. But most importantly, if you're trying to conquer your under-eye puffiness, remember the person who notices your under-eye bags the most is YOU.
Hey, if anyone brings them up, just throw them some side-eye with the help of your under-eyes.
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