The Illuminating Eye Gel [DISCONTINUED]

8 Reviews

1. 

   pleasedDove7

   Reply

   Excellent, light eye gel that works wonders … great for the summer! I live in Canada (and am outdoorsy) so summer or winter I expect a lot from my skincare. This works for me in an instant… light, illuminating, easily absorbed and decreased my eye bags as well…no mean feat when you have little kids! And no acne or white dots or any of that nonsense that you can sometimes get from eye creams…I swear by this every summer 🙂 Absolutely recommend.. yes its expensive BUT in my experience a haggard eye area or not makes such a difference on your face… and this eye gel does its job.

2. 

   amazedSalt9

   Reply

   The Illuminating Eye Gel comes in a pump and sells for about $145. It is also being discontinued.

   It is a very pleasant quick-absorbing gel that leaves a cushiony albeit light feel around the fragile eye area.
   It is packed with some excellent actives and the “Miracle Broth” (maybe 5% concentration, possibly 10%?).
   It has some good moisturizing agents with documented effect, although in a lower concentration (according to some EL patents where they have disclosed the structural formula of this gel).

   I do like the Eye Gel. The pump disperses the right amount and the Gel gives just the right amount of hydration and absorbs rather quickly allowing almost immediate make-up application. I find it an easy companion in the morning when every second counts.

   There are currently two other eye products under the Estee Lauder Companies that use the exact same structure for the eye gel.
   One is the Advanced Night Repair Eye Gel. This is exactly the same product where the “Miracle Broth” is replaced by the “Bifida Ferment Lysate” in the ANR Eye Gel.

   The other product is marketed under Origins and called the Perfect Word Eye Cream. It is also in a pump bottle. In this version there are essential oils that -although make the product smell very pleasant, might be potential irritants.
   Some of the structure ingredients (functional ingredients) are replaced by cheaper raw-materials. It also lacks a polymer that gives an additionally “silky” perception and a thicker cream-texture to emulsions. Therefore this version is thinner. This sells for $39 in the US.

   The ELC have used the exact same structure of the gel since 1998 and have launched many eye gels/creams with different names in the past 20 years. Therefore it is realistic to believe that they will launch more eye products with the same structural formula in the future too.

   Ingredients: Methyl Trimethicone, Aqua (Water), Dimethicone, Algae (Seaweed) Extract, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Propanediol, Petrolatum, Sucrose, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil, Medicago Sativa (Alfalfa) Seed Powder, Helianthus Annus (Sunflower) Seedcake, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Seed Meal, Eucalyptus Globulus (Eucalyptus) Leaf Oil, Sodium Gluconate, Copper Gluconate, Calcium Gluconate, Magnesium Gluconate, Zinc Gluconate, Tocopheryl Succinate, Niacin, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Powder, Polysorbate 40, Trehalose, Hordeum Vulgare (Barley) Extract\Extract D’orge, Laminaria Digitata Extract, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ extract, Sigesbeckia Orientalis (St. Paul’s Wort) Extract, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Peel Extract, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Polyganum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Poria Cocos Sclerotium Extract, Magnolia Officinalis Bark Extract, Prunus Mume Fruit Extract, Cladosiphon Okamuranus Bark Extract, Betula Alba (Birch) Extract, Molasses Extract\Saccharum Officinarum\Extrait de Melasse, Silybum Marianum (Lady’s Thistle) Extract, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract, Garcinia Mangostana Peel Extract, Padina Pavonica Thallus Extract, Cucumis Satisvus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Pyrus Mallus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Glycerin, Anthemis Nobilis (Camomile), Whey Protein\Lactis Protein\Protein du Petit-lait, Palmaria Palmata Extract, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Yeast Extract\Yaex\Extrait de Levure, Pearl Powder, Glyceryl Polymethacrylate, Lactobacillus Ferment, Ethylhexylgycerin, Isohexadecane, Lecithin, Caffeine, Jojoba Alcohol, Cholesterol, Phytosphingosine, Squalane, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Isopropyl Jojobate, Glycyrrhetinic Acid, Yeast Polysaccharides, Acetyl Glucosamine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Methyldihydrojasmonate, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Jojoba Esters, PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethylurate Copolymer, Butylene Glycol, PEG-8, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Dextrin, Polysorbate 80, Potassium Sulfate, Linalyl Acetate, Tromethamine, Phenoxyethanol, Bismuth Oxychloride (CI77163)

3. 

   aloofFlamingo9

   Reply

   I normally don’t use eye creams, gels: etc. but I got a deluxe sample and now I can’t live without it. I’m 55, and don’t have lines enough that are outrageous. But since I’ve started using this three months ago I can tell you I’m hooked. I’ve tried deluxe samples over the years of high end eye treatments. And never ever felt like I had to buy it. This is a life changer for me. Love it.

4. 

   ferventQuiche5

   Reply

   I went to Holt Renfrew every day to use this eye cream because the results are instant. Brighter looking eyes. Every time i used it people would comment. I ended up buying the cream.

   It’s incred!

5. 

   sugaryToucan4

   Reply

   Absolute waste of money! Did nothing at all, no illumination, nothing to improve dark circles, no added hydration.

   Update:

   I guess I was expecting this to be more of a treatment. Its actually more of an under eye primer, which is why I upped the rating. Its great during the day to keep your concealer from creasing and drying out throughout the day. Other then that, its not worth the price.

6. 

   euphoricLion7

   Reply

   I have always liked La Mer products, but this is the first one I have developed a delayed allergy to! Please be careful and use a product for at least 4 weeks before coming to any conclusions, and if possible do a split face test (using it only on half of the face). Here’s why….
   Initially I loved this gel, it had a lovely mat yet moisturizing texture. It seemed to plump up the undereye area, and never balled up the eye concealer I use. So far, so good…..
   But too good to be true, after 2 WEEKS I noticed a mild painless colorless swelling under the eye, near the nose, ONLY on the side where I used the La Mer eye gel. The skin was a bit too plump but not red or discolored, so I didn’t think much about it and reapplied the next day.
   WHOA! I began to itch on that side, the area under the eye got red and inflamed, it was a horrible sight and I had to take antihistamines immediately. NOT a pretty sight! It took another TWO weeks for the redness and swelling to fade and a total of 4 weeks for it to disappear completely.
   I am 100% sure it was the La Mer because nothing happened at all around the other eye, where I was using the Caudalie eye gel.
   Won’t be re-ordering this for sure……so I’d give it 3 stars for the initial good response (and maybe you will like it and you will be lucky and not get an allergic reaction) but suggest you try a sample first for several weeks ….and only on one side to compare. A cautionary tale…..1 star due to the allergy it caused me. If you have sensitive skin, BEWARE!

7. 

   gloomyLocust3

   Reply

   I like using this gel during the day to provide my eye area with some extra hydration and I find it works well for this purpose. Often times, I use it as a finishing touch when I go out after work, after a long day it’s a nice pick me up. The semi-transparent, ivory colored gel is very lightweight, it feels cool and soothing upon application and it has a light smoothing effect. It is not sticky and is absorbed quickly which is very important to me. The gel does not irritate my sensitive eye area at all. No, this is not a magic potion serum, I would like it even better (and give five stars) if high quality plumping Hyaluronic Acid appeared high up on the list of ingredients, but at least it’s the first eye product from La Mer which I like. After a painful encounter with La Mer’s Intensive Eye Treatment years ago (see my separate review if interested) – that product came in a jar which I dislike and most importantly it stung my eyes so badly that I had to throw it out, what a costly mistake! – After that experience, I hadn’t used anything La Mer except their classic creme and mask. The Illuminating Gel comes in a practical pump container which protects its contents and it dispenses just the right amount of product without being wasteful. A little goes a long way with this gel and I will repurchase. $145 for 0.5oz/15ml.

8. 

   grumpyHyena6

   Reply

   La Mer has desperately needed an eye serum for what seems like an eternity. Unfortunately, this isn’t it. I initially purchased The Illuminating Eye Gel for use under The Eye Concentrate, as a serum of sorts. Out of curiosity, I began to ask La Mer specialists at multiple stores, from Nordstrom to Barneys, all of whom informed me that the gel had not been created or tested for use as a serum or under with The Eye Balm Intense or The Eye Concentrate. Worse still, they didn’t recommend combining the two. I want as far as to call La Mer corporate, where the information I received from every store was confirmed.

   Used alone, I really don’t see the benefit of this eye gel. Sure, there is a mild cosmetic brightening effect. But the results are temporary and frankly aren’t that significant. La Prairie’s Cellular Radiance Eye Cream is a good 10x as luminous, hydrates better, and is also preventative.

   I recommend sticking with one of La Mer’s two eye treatments, or switching to La Prairie’s Cellular Radiance Eye Cream for brighter eyes during the day. At night, simply use one of the eye treatments. I really wish La Mer would bite the bullet and finally put out a genuine eye serum. Until then, I’m returning this product after two weeks of use and mixing things up. 2.5 stars.