This $28 Cooling Eye Kit Will Do a Number on Dark Circles

Until a few short years ago, my skin care routine consisted of washing my face in the shower, slapping on some decidedly not-for-your-face drugstore moisturizer, and calling it a day. But as the years of baking in the city sun and sucking down the ever-present NYC smog took their toll, I knew something had to change. Thankfully, I’ve become more and more of an epidermal nerd since starting at GQ, and I’ve had the pleasure of testing a slew of the best skin care brands in the game.

And, while I still don't consider myself a Skin Care Guy, I've become an absolute sucker for Harry's Cooling Eye Kit. I've been a fan of Harry's since the brand first dropped its bright-orange razor—which I used religiously for almost a decade until I grew what some generous friends of mine might call a “beard”. The "high-quality, low-cost" ethos shines through in this under-eye cream/cooling block combo. Though I’m often skeptical of lofty brand claims (and quick to rant at my lovely girlfriend about how “the Big Skin marketers” have us right where they want us), I've been pleasantly surprised at how well this stick actually works. So, if you, like many of us, have had some current-event-induced under-eye puffiness as of late—or you’re just hungover—I’ve done the heavy lifting of trying out Harry’s Cooling Eye Kit on your behalf. Here’s my honest review.

It’s sleek, it’s chic, it lives in my refrigerator’s butter compartment next to a stack of face masks and a brick of probably-too-old cream cheese. The kit comes with the lip balm-esque Cooling Eye Stick which nests inside the included metal Facial Massage Tool. It’s nothing fancy, but I appreciate the no-frills, space-saving design, especially living in a tiny Brooklyn apartment, where every inch of space counts. Its utilitarian construction makes it feel like the working man’s under eye cream, if that is a thing. For best results, Harry’s suggests keeping it refrigerated, so if you don’t have a dedicated skin care fridge (read: everyone I know), you’ll have to carve out some space next to the milk.

Here’s how it works: You just pop the stick out of the metal tool, give it two or three swipes directly under your eye, and then (gently) use the squiggly side of the metal piece to massage it into your skin in an “upward and outward motion.” The folks at Harry’s suggest using it in the morning and at night, which is easy enough to do since you just need a few swipes.

Alright, so does it work? Honestly, yeah—it really does. Appearance-wise, it’s a little tough to say, but almost immediately after you apply the stick and massage with the tool, I can feel a serious difference in under-eye puffiness. Caffeine in the formula works to promote blood flow to the area. This is especially helpful if I slept poorly the night before or I’m hungover.

Look, for thirty bucks, you get a cooling under-eye stick that A) actually works, and B) lasts a surprisingly long time. (I’ve been using mine for over a month and it’s still going strong, and you can keep the zinc facial cooling block forever.) Plus, even if you’re not a fan of the balm’s formula, you can use the tool with any under-eye cream or facial lotion you’d like. Even if its only use case were getting me through a Sunday morning brunch with my parents without receiving a disappointed look from my mother, it’d be worth it. It’s a buy, buy, buy from me, folks.