An esthetician at the upscale Canyon Ranch spa told me that one of her favorite products of all time is Sisley's Sisleya Eye and Lip Contour Cream. Given that she wasn't uniformly enamored of the Sisley range, I took this to be an objective opinion from a professional. The key ingredient is padina pavonica, a brown alga from the Atlantic that is more poetically known as Peacocks Tail. It is supposed to signal collagen production in the skin when applied topically. Somewhat ridiculously priced at $180.

An odd choice, but a personal favorite of mine is Neova. I am convinced by the claims for copper peptides' efficacy since they are backed by well documented trials. There are copper peptides and then there is the real thing, which is based on a patented version called GFK. Only two companies have the patent, Skin Biology and Neova. The Neova Eye Therapy also contains vitamins A and E. Good value at $45.

A guy I know regularly has a facial using Amore Pacific products. He raves about the eye cream, Amore Pacific Time Response Eye Cream, and I have used it in the past and agree that it is one of the best I've found. It is particularly good for lifting the eyelid area. It isn't much good for puffy under-eye problems, however. It is the only product by Amore Pacific that I do like; I find most of them too harshly perfumed. The key ingredient is a patented ginseng formula and vitamin E. On balance, I think its way too expensive at $250 for a half ounce pot.

So on to a couple of better value recommendations.

I know people who swear by Boots No7 Restore & Renew for tightening the under eye area. A mere $21 from Target. And you can use it on the rest of the face. Personally, I find it a bit too drying for the eye area on account of the tretinoin (retinol or vitamin A) is uses as the active ingredient. However, if you don't have that problem it is a great choice.

I have been using Ischia Thermae's Thermal Eye and Lip Cream for about six months (rotating it with the Neova - because I think Neova is having a good longer term effect of building up cells, whereas Ischia gives a more immediate boost). I like it very much. Like all Ischia products it is light, almost weightless and is very hydrating. Puffy eyes are a thing of the past. Its about $70.