With very fair skin, dark circles under my eyes stand out a mile. Over the last two decades, I have tried dozens of creams to reduce their appearance - but none have come close to the results I've had with Trinny London's 'time defying' eye treatment.
My skin type means dark circles present as almost bruise-like patches under my eyes. And while my glasses work wonders in helping disguise them, the deep purpley-blue pigment is hard to miss against my otherwise very pale skin. Makeup helps, but even with the best lightweight foundation and concealer, they take a lot to cover, often resulting in a very unflattering cakey look.
So when the opportunity to try Trinny London's Take Back Time Eye Cream, I jumped at the chance. I already use Trinny London's gravity-defying Elevator neck cream regularly, and the difference is clearly visible, so I had high expectations. But was still sceptical - nothing I have used up to this point has visibly reduced the darkness under my eyes.
Spoiler alert, the results are remarkable. And right now Trinny London has a flash sale of up to 20% off everything for 48 hours, so I'm stocking up.
How I tested Trinny London Take Back Time Eye Cream
Said to reduce eye bags in 12 weeks, I set about putting, as instructed, a small amount of Take Back Time around my eyes in the morning and evening every day. To test the formula, I applied it only on my right eye, so any difference it made would be immediately clear against my left. Despite it saying it takes a good few months to take effect, I couldn't believe the difference after just 10 days of use...
Trinny's Take Back Time eye cream is designed to target fine lines, crow's feet, dark circles, eye bags, puffiness and tired-looking skin. I've been using the product for well over a year now, but saw a reduction in dark circles within the first 10 days of use, and have seen a significant improvement in some of the other area listed in the months of use since. .
As is clear from the image above, the dark bruise-like mark under my right eye is barely visible – a stark difference to my tired, almost black-looking left eye. Had these results not been on my own face, I'm not sure I would have believed them. Whatever Trinny has used to create this treatment has already worked wonders on the dark circles and puffiness around my eyes.
As if that wasn't enough, the cream is also beautifully smooth - it has the most luxurious texture. Even applying just the small amount needed each day makes my eyes feel awake and refreshed first thing in the morning, and relaxed and pampered before bed.
When opening the box, I was a little confused by the small spoon included, and how to use it. But a quick watch of Trinny's demo helped me to understand and enjoy the product all the more. The spoon included is the amount you need for each application (when scooped and flattened) and is cooling against your skin. Following Trinny's massaging technique to help lymph drainage, opening up my eyes and letting the product really sink in are the most enjoyable few minutes of relaxation time that I look forward to each day.
And it's not just me, Trinny London carried out extensive clinical testing with this product to see how it performed on different skin types, and the results speak for themselves. In this video below, Trinny explains how Take Back Time, which she calls "time-defying skincare", went through 52 iterations before finally hitting the shelves, and shares some staggering before and after photos from the product's clinical trials.
Take Back Time has become a staple in my skincare routine since I first started using it 14 months ago. In that time I have found for optimum results, pairing it with my CurrentBody LED face mask really fast tracks results - impressively so, actually.
The only downside I have found to date is while the little spoon applicator feels lovely when putting the cream on, it makes the whole process of applying way more messy that just using your fingers, so I very rarely use it. But this takes nothing away from the performance of the product.
My top Trinny London skincare picks
Alongside Trinny's eye crea, I have been using The Elevator for over a year now and it too has become a staple in my skincare routine – I'm so impressed with the results. The skin on my neck was the first to show signs of ageing, and this has really helped with the thin, crepe-like feel it had started to develop. It smells gorgeous and is a lovely moment of indulgence for an area of your body that is so often overlooked.
Ideal for sensitive skin, Plump is a combination of peptides and hyaluronic acid to help the skin look and feel visibly firmer. The formula is incredibly lightweight, so much so it barely feels like you are wearing anything. "Peptides are food for the skin, they can help with dryness and they will really get collagen and elastane and give an increase in the firmness and the cushioning of your skin," Trinny says.
It wasn't that long ago I was ignorant of the need to wear SPF every day. Not only that, the texture of many SPFs I had come across was not something I wanted to apply to my sensitive skin daily. But then I tried See the Light, and couldn't believe how non-greasy, light and smooth the formula is. It smells gorgeous too!
