Here's the deal, if you're in your early 20's, we're willing to bet that you roll your eyes every time your mom/best friend/shrink tries to extol the virtues of creams and serums. And we get it! For a lot of us, eye creams are forever associated with attempts at delaying aging, a process that we're actually all about (gasp!) accepting. And even if you have the glowy, dewy skin of a 12-year-old, the skin around your eyes (you know, where those pesky crow’s feet happen) is insanely delicate, making it super susceptible to all kinds of damage. 

Aging-aside, it's also fashion week month… and designer bags are chic and all, but when they start popping up under your eyes then you’re dangerously treading into the not-so chic territory.  Regardless of whether you're working backstage, show-hopping-and-blogging, or, just standing around outside the tents waiting to be shot by a streetstyle photog, chances are you could benefit from a little help in the dark-and-puffy-under-the-eye department. And when it comes to your main eye area squeeze, we're all about options.

Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado is kind of ideal if you're looking for an optical-area fix while in your 20's (and in your 30's, 40's, 50's…); it's unbelievably hydrating and absorbs in a flash; plus, avocados are delicious! We've also been loving Benefit's It's Potent! Eye Cream for the same reasons —it's creamy, yet a light 'starter' cream, you feel us? Tata Harper's Restorative Eye Creme is a lightweight formula that works to rid your eyes of fine lines and under eye circles, without leaving even a trace of filmy residue. Another TC favorite is Jurlique's Eye Cream from their superhero Herbal Recovery range, which is soothing and filled with natural botanicals that are ideal for super-sensitive skin. With a consistency that's not quite a gel, serum, or cream, Sunday Riley's Start Over Active Eye Cream does just what it's name suggests, and works to give your eyes a serious lift, while adding moisture, which plumps up any fine lines. Plus, the smell is seriously addictive. On the balmier side of things, there's La Mer. What can we say about this near-mythic brand that you haven't already heard? Their Eye Balm Intense is kind of like the Cadillac, nay, Rolls Royce of eye products, and we're big advocates of its silky-smooth consistency.  Finally, if you're feeling especially ambitious, Estée Lauder's Advanced Night Repair Eye Serum is ideal for layering underneath one of the aforementioned products in the morning or at night to amp up the effects of the latest step in your routine. Don’t believe us; ask Hilary Rhoda!

Now, lets say you haven't had the foresight to slather on pots of eye potions, and before you know it, you're scrambling to look alive post-Proenza after party… let us suggest M.A.C.'s Fast Response Eye Cream. This miraculous little tube has near-magical depuffing properties, like caffeine, which apparently does just as much for your under eyes as it does for your state of consciousness. Dab some on, say abracadabra, and within a few seconds we swear you can feel your under eye area tightening. Similarly, Origins GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream is filled with ginger and caffeine, and tingles slightly while zapping darkness and bags from sight. The brand also went the extra mile with it's No Puffery cooling mask—yes, a mask solely for your eyes—which contains yeast extract, which shrinks eye bags (who knew, right?) before your, well, eyes. There's just something reassuring about feeling your under eye bags disappear. We're also big fans of Olay Regenerist's Anti-Aging Eye Roller—massaging the little rollerball device is strangely soothing, and makes you feel like you're actually adding something slightly productive to the whole depuffing process. 

Take it from us—before blearily crawling into bed, or after dragging yourself out of the depths of your covers, give one of the above solutions a spin… we'll be right there with you.