On the whole, the eyes protect themselves remarkably well. The eyelids close instinctively whenever dust particles, smoke or irritants in the atmosphere come into contact with them; the pupil contracts in bright light or glare, in order to reduce the amount of light coming through; the gentle windscreen-wiper action of blinking circulates the tears, bringing fresh oxygen to the surface of the eye and keeps the white of the eye clean and clear; the tiny lipid pores along the inner eyelid secrete the fine layer of oil that maintains the integrity of the tear film, by preventing over-fast evaporation. Heavy creams, eye liners, some mascaras and even make-up remover can all block these pores, if carelessly applied and will cause irritation if allowed to come into contact with the eye itself. Caution is the watchword.
If you habitually wake up with swollen, puffy eyes in the morning, bathe them gently with cool water or witch hazel and leave them alone. Any puffiness should subside within half an hour or so. Puffy eyes later in the day can be treated in much the same way or soothed by specially formulated eye pads.
When moisturizing the face, never put cream on to the area directly around the eye. Concentrate instead on the skin to the side and beneath the eye and even then, leave a fairly wide margin. You will find that the cream migrates naturally upwards.
When putting eye creams or shadows on to the lid, always use the lightest possible touch. A sable brush or cotton wool bud is ideal for this. If possible, avoid using kohl or an inner lid liner (or at least make sure the point of the pencil is soft enough for the eye), keeping outside the eyelashes when defining the shape of the eye, so that the tiny lipid pores on the lid are not interfered with.
If you wear contact lenses you should be especially careful when applying or removing make-up. Always put your lenses in before applying it and take them out before removing it, in order to avoid smudging grease or dirt on to the lens. Contact lens wearers should also avoid all cosmetics that might shed particles into the eye or stick to the surface of the lens, such as powder eye shadows, heavily ‘pearlized’ products and filamented mascaras. Try to use water-soluble eye make-up instead.