Emer O'Callaghan: How to give our ageing eyes a boost

I always give a little giggle to myself when I hear people say I have blonde hair and big blue eyes, because nothing could be further from the truth.

I’m far from a natural blonde, and while I’ve no grey hairs yet, thank God, my natural hair colour is actually a dark brown with auburn and blonde streaks through it - I just prefer my blonde look.

My eye colour is in fact green, but in certain light and photos, they appear blue.

So I just laugh now when I hear people describe me as blonde haired and blue eyed because really I’m not either of those.

They say our eyes are the window to our souls, and as a beauty doctor and a skin specialist, I do facials and eye treatments all day in Emerald Beauty Clinic. Every day, I hear people ask if I could just help them with their ageing eyes.

I do professional make-up applications also and have so many professional tricks to help open up clients’ eyes using our Master Colors make-up that can literally take years off people’s eyes.

We are in the final few weeks of the very busy Confirmation season now, and I sat down beside one of my brothers at a family dinner last week and he said, ‘Oh, you’re tired, Ems’ - he saw my own tired eyes.

I’m doing so many make-up sessions these last few weeks, and it’s so refreshing to see so many women want to get glammed up for their child’s big day, to get out of the school run leggings and put on a feminine dress and heels and make-up.

I truly believe the relaxed, casual habits so many got into in the pandemic are still lingering for many, so it’s great to see women want to look feminine again.

This week, I want to give my top tips for improving the appearance of your tired eyes, with treatments, products and make-up tricks.

MAKE-UP TO ENHANCE THE EYES

You would never think make-up was actually invented to enhance our natural beauty. So many do make-up incorrectly and end up closing up their eyes and making them look smaller and often closed looking in pictures.

Us professionals aim to enhance a client’s natural beauty. We look at their eye colour and hair colour and choose eyeshadows that will open up their eyes and bring out the colour of them.

Dark eyeshadows are a no-no for anyone over 50 as they make the eyes look smaller, and as we age all our eyes get smaller and more sunken.

This is why the once popular smoky eye is not so smoky hot on anyone over that age.

By choosing light natural shades such as beige, cream, light brown, and soft gold, we can really open up the eyes and give the illusion that they are bigger.

Soft eyeline pencil, not liquid, smudged into the eyeline, also looks fab, as does a long length mascara, but fake eyelashes are a no-no if you want to open up your eyes as they are so thick and heavy.

However, a few of the finer individual fake lashes can look well as they are more subtle and natural-looking.

So many women are afraid to try make-up as they just don’t know how to apply it correctly, and this is why I always say book a professional for any big occasions.

EYE TREATMENT

I am fully qualified to do our Dermalogica and Guinot eye lift and eye treatments, which my clients add on to their facial as it saves them time in not having to come back.

All my eye treatments remove layers of dead ageing skin all around the eyes, and push in hydration using our eye serums, which help to smooth out fine lines and crows’ feet.

The lymphatic draining massage movements remove all the fluid and bags so many retain under their eyes.

An eye lift treatment is like a workout for your eyes, using our new Guinot cellular energy machine which lifts, firms, and tones all the muscles of the eye area.

This is great for anyone who is finding their eye lids are getting more hooded or sagging, but for best results you need to do this eye lift every few weeks.

EYE PRODUCTS

Our eyes are sensitive and the skin around them is the thinnest in our body. Such delicate skin needs to be handled and treated with the utmost professional care.

We have so many eye creams, serums and gels in my clinic, and eye cleansers are very popular too.

With so many women today still not using any eye cream daily, is it any wonder premature ageing of the area is on the increase?

Remember, moisturiser is not suitable around your eyes as it’s too thick and will just do the opposite of what you want and pull down the delicate skin of the eyes.

SENSITIVE EYES

No other generation sat in front of screens all day as we do today, and this is causing poorer eyesight as well as premature ageing of our eyes.

Far too many are self-diagnosing their own skin, buying a bit of this or that, with no clue of what their skin really needs.

This is why I am so busy in my clinic, but also, and most importantly I believe, they are learning so much about their skin needs with every visit.

That’s the key, education is the real bonus here, because when we educate our clients we empower them to know better, they can choose the right products and do better for their skin.

SIX WEEK SKIN KICK START

At Easter, I launched my six week skin kick start, and you can start yours at any point this year.

It’s basically six weeks where I teach you all there is to know about your skin and how to help your skin as it ages.

You get three different facials, one every second week, during the six weeks, and I go right back to basics on how to cleanse, tone, and moisturise correctly and for your age.

I teach you how to exfoliate and mask at home, what serums are for your skin type and age group, and the importance of eye and neck creams.

It’s a complete guide and tutorial on how to love and care for your skin and you can contact me at Emerald Beauty Clinic, 021 4365949, if you would like to start your six week skin regime.

There is no age limit and all are suitable. I did one of my popular beauty videos on this recently and you can watch it now on our Emerald Beauty Clinic Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok pages.

EMER’S PRO TIPS

While the skin around the eyes is the thinnest and most delicate of our whole body, the next very delicate area is the upper lip, followed then by the neck.

For years, I have been telling my clients to do this tip as I do myself because I see the difference in the people who do it and those who do not.

Did you know that if you apply your eye cream to your upper lip and mouth area also, you will, prevent that ageing, puckered, lined mouth so many have today?

You still use your day and night cream on your lip area, but it’s just an extra, because eye creams are specifically designed for fine lines.

Emer O’Callaghan is a multi award winning Beauty Doctor and Skin Specialist who won Irish Beauty Therapist Of The Year and works at Emerald Organic Beauty Products Ltd, trading as Emerald Beauty Clinic, 021 4365949.

It is a gold standard Guinot Crown Salon and Dermalogica centre of Excellence, 2008-2026, www.emeraldbeautyclinic.ie - follow us on Facebook/Instagram/TikTok.