Kate Somerville CytoCell Dark Circle Corrective Eye Cream

I have been using Kate Somerville's new CytoCell Dark Circle Corrective Eye Cream ($75) for over a month, and I love it! It's so much more than a dark circle corrector, I wonder how it got its name. It's clinically proven to treat all signs of aging in the delicate eye area, including fine lines and wrinkles, puffiness, dullness, uneven skin tone - you name it - and dark circles.

I was lucky to be given a "pre-production sample" at the Neiman Marcus Mazza Gallerie blogger party. It has lasted since late February and shows no signs of running out yet. It must have been close to a full-sized product. I feel privileged because it's so nice.

The eye cream, something like a creamy serum, is intended to reactivate dormant stem cells around the eyes, which “helps with dark circles, fine lines, wrinkles and puffiness,” said Somerville. Just in case you haven't noticed, stem cells are a focus of luxury skin care lately. Key ingredients in CytoCell Eye (nickname for it) include Peptide P-199, said to enhance skin tissue and cellular regeneration, and Eyeseryl (also a peptide) to treat under-eye puffiness and dark circles. Eyeseryl has anti-edema properties.

Somerville's four-week clinical trial demonstrated these fabulous results.

• Reduces under eye dark circles by up to 60%
• Reduces puffiness around the eye area by up to 75%
• Diminishes fine lines and wrinkles around the eye area by up to 60%
• Helps to improve radiance, skin tone, and smoothness

I don't really have dark circles under my eyes, so I won't be the best person to evaluate its effectiveness on them. I can tell you that it reduced the crepiness over my eyes. My crepiness (it comes with age) is not awful, but it's there, and it bothers me. CytoCell Eye also reduces the appearance of the fine lines around my eyes. I have used it day and night and at night alone, and I settled on night only. I like using an effective, but not overly heavy eye cream at night. I don't want to encourage the pooling of fluid while I sleep. CytoCell Eye seems to help banish that wake-up fluid. I did find this cream to ball up a little under my eye primer in the morning, which may be totally due to my primer, not the cream. So, I use it at night.

I love the texture of CytoCell Eye. It is so creamy and nice. I feel hydrated the moment I apply it, and the feeling lasts all night - probably because it absorbs so perfectly. One ample pump (yes, I love the pump container too!) covers both eyes, under and over, with a little for the sides toward my hairline. CytoCell Eye is free of fragrance and parabens, another reason to try it. While some of you may think CytoCell Eye is expensive, I think it's extremely reasonable for state-of-the-art skin care. Compare the prices of Somerville's products to the other latest and greatest eye creams at the department store, and you'll understand why I find the prices extremely reasonable.

Kate Somerville is dedicated to using scientifically proven ingredients in her skin care, and it shows in her products. This isn't the only one of her new introductions; I will be featuring others this week and next. I am a believer.

You can purchase Kate Somerville products at Neiman Marcus, Kate Somerville's Web site, and other department store counters.

DC-area friends: Margarita Vega, Product Specialist for Kate Somerville at Neiman Marcus at Tysons Galleria, will be doing DERMAL QUENCH facials on May 24. Call (703) 761-1600, extension 3304, to book an appointment. I have never experienced a treatment like it; it took years off my face in just a few minutes. If you didn't see my feature, you can read it now at this link. Don't miss an opportunity to have a DERMAL QUENCH treatment. I would buy the machine if I could!

Photo courtesy of Kate Somerville