One of my all-time favorite skin care treatments is eye gel. As an early morning antidote for puffy, tired eyes, it's hard to beat a refrigerated eye gel (so long as you don't grab the mayo instead). So it caught my eye when I read in the fall '08 issue of In Style Makeover that Sonya Dakar recommends aloe vera for puffy eyes.  Aloe vera has long been used for its soothing, healing, and rejuvenating properties--and it is a gel--so why not?

Sonya says that aloe vera gel can perk up eyes "in record time" for temporary firming. For a ramped up "luxury" version of aloe vera, Ole Henriksen All Purpose Aloe Vera Gel not only contains aloe vera leaf juice, but also glycerin, panthenol, and chamomile. But it'll also set you back about $30.

You can also stop by your local drugstore and pick up a tube of pure aloe vera gel for around $5. At that price, it's worth a try--and you can always keep it on hand as a skin soother should it not quite wake up those tired eyes.

posted by nancy at realself.com