At age 36 I have learned that there is not enough sleep in the world that can make the dark circles under my eyes go away. I’ve tried sleeping on my back, cold compresses, endless eye creams and of course, the purported answer to any beauty problem, drinking enough water. Gallons of it. But nothing even moved the needle, and those dreaded dark circles remained stationary under my eyes, in their full dark purple glory. It doesn’t help that the dark circles make me look more tired and even older than my chronological age. I was over it.
And then I got pushed an Instagram ad for MAELYS Wow-It Instant Under-Eye Cream and I decided to give it a whirl. The ad showed an influencer applying the cream under her eyes and voila! her dark circles visibly disappeared on camera. Consider me influenced; I wanted to get my hands on it immediately. It helps that as an editor I can get any products I want (full disclosure, MAELYS sent me a tube to try). But not everything I get for free is worth a write-up, let’s just say. There’s a reason I’m telling you about my experience with this product: it actually worked. Here’s everything my fellow dark circle sufferers need to know…
How To Use It
Let’s start at the beginning: how to use the product. You won’t be able to see results unless you follow the oddly specific steps outlined in the instructions. I’m a rule follower by nature, so it wasn’t hard for me. Anyone that has applied under-eye cream knows to dab, dab, dab–but this is a bit more involved. But I’m also inpatient and waiting for the product to work was a little bugging. But that’s a personal problem.
The instructions tell you to dab cream lightly on clean skin (editor’s note: you need less than you think, a very small drop), apply to the lower eyelids (duh), and (are you listening?) to fan the skin while you maintain a natural facial expression and avoid moving facial muscles for about 2 minutes until dry to let the product set.
Ok this is the moment where you say–are these people tripping? No, they are not, the more still you stay, the better results you see. I like to keep a small piece of paper like a large notecard in my bathroom vanity and I use that to fan my face because my hand got tired. A comparable product, Plexaderm, suggests using a blow dryer on a very low setting to help accelerate the drying process.
The reason you want to use as little product as necessary is that is does have the tendency to pill. If you’ve seen Kim Kardashian’s Instagram stories recently, you know that the term “pill” refers to when a skincare product doesn’t penetrate the skin properly and turns into tiny balls of product sitting on the skin’s surface. You’ll especially notice this when you put on under-eye concealer or makeup. It’s not a good look.
So, in sum: use a very small amount, dab, dab, dab then freeze, and fan, fan, fan. (Btw- new opinion, all instructions labels should read like that.)
Key Benefits
According to the MAELYS website, the product promises to:
- Instantly reduce the puffy eye look
- Lock in the natural moisture that the under eye skin needs to look firm and evenly toned
- Zap away under-eye bags for “an instantly livelier, refreshed, and younger look.”
- Creates tighter-looking skin during usage.
Ingredients
In addition to being made in the U.S.A. and cruelty free, here’s what you need to know about how its made and what it contains:
- Parabens, SLS, and Phthalates free
- Hyaluronic Acid
- Eyeliss® (a product that reduces bags and puffiness under the eyes)
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How It Really Worked: Before And After
After using the product I noticed a visible difference in my dark circles. As I fanned them dry, I watched as the skin lightened from deep purple to light nude. Some stubborn spots (usually the deepest purple) did not lift. I wouldn’t say that the dark circles were completely gone, but this product was definitely a game changer in terms of lightening them within minutes. The other thing you need to know is that the product doesn’t treat the dark circles. It is meant to just diminish the visibility of them when you’re wearing the product. I just thought it should be noted that you will lose the benefits when it’s washed off.
Other Customer Reviews
Other customers on the Maely’s website have similar positive reviews for the product. I would say that they accurately reflect how I felt about it actually using it. Here’s a sampling of their reactions to give you even more information:
Meg gives 4 out of 5 stars: “Love the results. Only issue is with my concealer. It makes it cake and peel. I’ve tried applying cream and then washing it off 10mins later but it still doesn’t slow for flawless concealer application around the eyes.”
Natalie gives 4 out of 5 stars: “I’ve tried everything and I can’t believe my bags improved with this. Only problem is my concealer peels off/flakes off when I apply it on top. What do you suggest?”
Chenoa A. gives 4 out of 5 stars: “Works great! A little goes a long way! (Just dab to reduce creasing)”