When I got back from Florence, my skin was so dehydrated I decided to “treat it” with eye cream all over my face. Little did I know, this is a big no-no. Luckily, I asked skincare guru Renée Rouleau for her advice on the topic, and she explained the big differences between eye creams and moisturizers.

According to Renée, there are two reasons eye creams shouldn’t be used on the rest of the face. Since they are formulated with intensive moisturizing ingredients (like oils), they are fine for eye area since we have no oil glands around the eyes, but they can potentially clog the pores on the face, especially those who are prone to producing oil, blocked pores, or breakouts.

Number two: many eye creams have active, anti-aging ingredients that increase the metabolism of cells – great for the eye area, since that’s usually where we show our first signs of aging, but they can be too “active” for the face. Especially in younger skins, which already have these ingredients, and those who get breakouts, since the stimulation might increase them.

“Bottom line,” says Renée, “save eye creams for the area of the face they were intended for and use face creams on the face.”

So where exactly should we apply our eye cream? “Only to the orbital bone around the eyes.” Um, ok, where is that?! “With clean hands, gently press the skin under the eyes until you find the bone just at the top of the cheek bone. Follow it around the eyes with your fingers so you can actually feel the entire circular bone.” That’s the area eye cream is designed to treat.

Also, avoid applying it too close to the lash line – your eyes might blink it in and then you might end up with irritation or extra puffiness.

Image via Luv Cosmetics who has a great article about caring for the eyes.