5 ways to look bright eyed and bushy tailed

Our eye contour is THE most fragile part of our face. Its skin is really thin, has less collagen and fewer sebaceous glands. It can quickly dehydrate, with lines cropping up all over the place. Cold, wind, pollution, sun... Our eye contours are constantly moving, as they have to bear the brunt of the elements. Which means we need to be extra careful when it comes to protecting, smoothing and moisturising this zone. This will help prevent wrinkles and dark circles from appearing and allow us to look fresher and younger.

Cleanse morning and night, even if you're not wearing make up. Cleansing doesn't just remove make up, but also impurities such as pollution, dust and smoke. Apply a suitable treatment and gently cleanse, so that you get rid of any grime without harming your skin. Soak a cotton bud in micellar water, a biphasic lotion or cleansing mousse. Apply and leave it for a few seconds, then remove it using gentle circular movements to protect the epidermis and your eyelashes.

Our eye contour needs to be deeply moisturised. Apply a suitable day cream in the morning - moisturising, anti-ageing, anti-fatigue, brightening - that you should gently tap on to your brow bone. Working out from the inside of your eye, lightly massage in your cream with your fingertips. Your skin will be left silky smooth and your circulation will get a good boost. At night, use the same technique to apply an eye contour cream.

Apply a dollop of cream or face oil and massage on using small circular movements, following the direction of your eyelashes. Gently press the lymphatic drainage points and continue to massage, working out from the inside of your eyes, both above and below your lashes. Massaging helps zap puffiness, bags and dark circles.

If your bags are stubborn, then applying something cold will decongest this zone without harming your skin. Best tip for eye contours? Pop a couple of teaspoons in the freezer for 5 minutes and then place the curved sides on your eyes for a few seconds. Cooling treatments are great for reducing swelling and toning up our skin. Plan B: make a cup of green or black tea, let the tea bags cool in the fridge and then apply them to your eyelids. Tanin's decongesting, soothing properties will give your eyes an instant wake up call. Camomile tea also works wonders

The sure-fire way to zap dark circles? Dig out your concealer. Use a colour that's one tone lighter than your skin and apply a dot to the inner corner of your eyes and and two dots below. Gently pat it across your dark circles, working out from your inner eye. And kiss goodbye to your panda eyes!