The Best Change You Can Make to Help Your Skin

I recently was able to interview Caterina Marra-Vazquez, an Esthetician and Brand Manager at Tribeca Beauty Spa, and her answers to my skincare questions were amazing! I’ll be sharing them in a new series, watch for her amazing tips every one to two weeks. If you have a question you want answered by a top Esthetician please let me know!

What is the change you’ve made to your own skincare routine that has made the biggest difference?

For me the biggest change was taking care of my eye area by using eye cream religiously every single day and wearing my sunglasses (good sunglasses) every day while outdoors.

When I was younger I thought eye cream was a hoax, just another way for us to spend our hard earned [and harder to keep] money. But when I turned 28 a light went on. Our eye area and lips have the thinnest skin on our face. Thin skin ages much faster.

I started using an eye cream that had rich moisturizers’ and peptides and fifteen years later I have no crow’s feet at all. My sisters have the same skin that I do. When I had my ‘aha’ moment, I bought them each a bottle of what I was using and told them to use it every day. My oldest sister listened while the middle one did not.

The difference is astounding. I hate to say it, but my middle sisters’ crows feet are really pronounced while my oldest sister has nothing like me. Take care of your eye area with moisturizer and sunglasses that contain real protective filters from the sun (not the $10.00 fashion eyewear) and when you’re in your forties and fifties you will thank your younger self!

While I don’t know exactly what eye cream Caterina is using, I wanted to share some of my favorites! I have a lot of dermatologist friends, and between their advice, interviewing other dermatologists and trying out different products, these are the ones that I love the most. You can also check out my post on the favorite eye creams of dermatologists.

When looking for eye creams, I like to look for a hydrating formulation that sinks into my eye area fairly quickly. Hyaluronic Acid is perfect for that, and the extra moisture will help plump up my eye area. I also like caffeine to temporarily tighten, peptides will increase collagen production, vitamin C counteracts oxygen radicals, improves tone and increases collagen production as well. If your skin isn’t too sensitive, a retinoid does all of those things and helps improve any fine lines and wrinkles as well.

SkinMedica TNS Eye Repair
Buy it at SkinStore or DermStore
This is one of my absolute favorites, I swear it made my eye area look better within about 2 weeks! It has Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin C, a retinoid, growth factor to further increase collagen production and a ton of peptides.

Kate Somerville Line Release
Get it from Sephora, Kate Somerville
This is the eye cream I reach for in the morning to prep my undereye area for makeup. It has a ton of peptides, vitamin C and a retinoid gentle enough for my sensitive skin. My favorite part are the light diffusing particles, they scatter the light and immediately make me look more awake!

RoC Retinol Correxion Sensitive Skin Eye Cream
Get it from Amazon
Hyaluronic acid, peptides and a slow release retinoid. All for a more reasonable price point.

I’m also sharing a few of my favorite sunglasses. Yes, I’m also a big sunglasses girl, I always look for the most UV protection that I can find! Here are a few options at different price points.

Caterina Marra-Vazquez is an Esthetician and Brand Manager at Tribeca Beauty Spa

Affiliate Links