Updated: 2008-01-08 09:51

Eyes are the windows to the soul, and they are also where beauty resides. Every girl dreams of having a pair of shining eyes. Yet dreams are elusive. Eye bags can easily mar the beauty of eyes. What's more, lack of sleep, bad make-up removal habits and age can all give rise to the appearance of eye bags, which can never be dealt with easily. Working ladies feel annoyed with eye bags. Don't worry, help is on the way. With these small tips, eye bags are no more than a piece of cake.

Quick ways to weaken eye bags

Waking up in the morning to see eye bags under eyes is an experience familiar to most girls. How can we weaken these eye bags and show up looking great at the office? Basically, there are two ways: hot and cold packing. The former is best conducted at night before sleep and the latter in the morning.

**Hot packing

Formula I

Heat some olive oil and apply some under your lower eyelid using cotton sticks. Keep the sticks there for a minute and then pat the lower eyelid to help your face absorb the olive oil. A little massage will also help.

Formula II

Get a glass of hot water and add some salt to the water. The amount of salt required may vary depending on different people. Readers may try several times to find the best dosage. Just remember not to use exceedingly salty water the first few times.

Cut make-up cotton pads into the shape of eye masks and soak the masks in the salty water. Then wear the masks and keep them on for five to ten minutes.

**Cold packing

Formula I

Freeze two iron spoons in the refrigerator and take them out ten minutes later. Press the spoons onto the eye bags.

Formula II

First prepare your eyes by applying some olive oil to them, then lay cooled used chamomile or green tea bags on the eye bags. It will take five to ten minutes for the tea bags to effect.

Formula III

Get around half a basin (1/4 meters in diameter) of water and add a drop of rosemary oil extract a one drop of rose extract to the water. Soak a towel in the water and then dry the towel and lay it on your eyes. Keep the towel there for 15 minutes.

Small habits to prevent eye bags

Girls had better not drink water half an hour before they go to bed. Water before sleep harms blood circulation around eyes. A little massage may help drain extra water that accumulates in daytime and is left around eyes. Lie flat on your bed and close your eyes. Use your forefingers to press the dents under the heads of your eyebrows. Such massage will also help relax the eyes.

Be tender to your eyes when you remove the make up around them. Try not to pull or pluck the eyelids. If you do so too often, your eyelids will grow lax and eye bags will show up. When you wear or remove contact lenses or draw the eye lines, do so gently. Also, use special eye make-up removal liquids and soft cotton pads to remove make-up around the eyes.

Bloated eye bags don't indicate that you have too much water around the eyes. On the contrary, it means your eyes are too dry (due to lack of sebaceous glands, the skin around the eyes is normally drier than elsewhere). So if you have eye bags, opt for moisturizing eye creams.

Edited by: Alice Yang