Effective Ways To Keep Crow's Feet At Bay Under $100 (Without Injectables)

Before I begin this post, I want to make it clear that I am not opposed to getting older.

In fact, I have really embraced the idea of aging after I turned 40 a couple of years ago. It’s a perk to celebrate another day on this earth. But when it comes to my face, I want to take the best care of it as possible and keep it as “perky” looking as possible (in a non-scary or fake way!)

Accepting wrinkles does not mean I love myself more. Fighting the good fight to protect and keep my skin hydrated, plump, and less stressed, is the goal.

One of the very first signs of facial aging is wrinkling of the brows and AROUND THE EYES. (according to WebMD) If you’ve been around here for a while or follow me on Instagram, you know that Botox doesn’t work for me, I’ve tried it. I have a resistance to whatever the molecule in Botox is, so that is why I cut my signature bangs. They cover up my very deep elevens in between my eyes and the forehead wrinkles! Ugh, but life moves on.

Since I have never used Botox or fillers around my eyes, and I feel like my eye beds at the age of 42 are looking pretty good, I wanted to share some of the practices and products I have been using. These preventative measures are helping to keep my eye area looking as tight and soft as possible!

First we need to know the causes of crow’s feet, so that we can get the appropriate tools to fight from getting them or making them worse :

UV exposure to the sun
loss of collagen, elasticity, lack of oil glands that come with age
motor wrinkles related to face movement
sleeping on your side or face down on a pillow

CAUSE : Exposure to the sun + Motor wrinkles

FIX : Wear SPF every day and Wearing sunglasses when outdoors

These are eassssy ways to prevent any future wrinkles popping up around the eyes. We all know SUN damage is the #1 way to wrinkles. What fights sun damage? SPF. And it should include against UVA + UVB rays to be most effective. Be sure that when you use a facial sunscreen that you apply around the orbital bone (the area between your cheekbone and under eye area) so that it protects that thin area of skin.

You know what is even better to find, is an eye cream that also contains SPF ! Which is oddly hard to find, but this mineral eye cream one from Supergoop with SPF 40 gets high marks!

Shop My Fave Skincare with SPF

First Aid Beauty 5 in 1 SPF 30, $40 / Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen + Primer SPF 40, $34 / Paula’s Choice Resist Beauty Fluid SPF 50, $33 / L’Oreal Revitalift Anit-Wrinkling + Firming SPF 25, $14

Squinting constantly while in the sun or even while driving in your car can also cause those motor wrinkles (meaning the action your muscles around your eyes make when you squint to see). So wearing sunglasses and even adding an extra layer, a hat , will keep you from feeling the need to narrow your eyes in order to see! I keep sunglasses stashed everywhere. In my car, in my purse, in my pool/beach bag, because I never want to be without!

Shop My Fave Sunglasses

Madewell Belgrave, $65 / Amazon Aviators, $17 (available in multiple colors) / Quay Mini Aviators, $65 (my fave sunnies!) / Quay Cat Eye, $55

CAUSE : Loss of collagen, elasticity, and oil glands around the eyes.

FIX : Apply an eye cream every morning and evening that contains retinol or hyaluronic acid.

Eye creams with retinol and/or HA’s are some of your best ingredients for combating crow’s feet. Retinol has been known to stimulate collagen because of it being a Vitamin A derivative (I looked that up ;)). And if you use retinol consistently, it can really help firm and smooth the skin around your eyes long term.

Hyaluronic Acid is known for helping lock hydration into the skin which is necessary for thinning skin around the eyes. It’s also a popular ingredient found in dermal fillers because it attracts water which allows the skin to become more hydrated and plump.

Shop My Fave Eye Creams

Mario Badescu Hyaluronic Acid, $18 / Artnaturals Retinol, $14 / The Inky List Retinol, $10 / Neutrogena HydroBoost HA, $14 / ROC Retinol Correxion, $25

CAUSE : Sleeping face down on your pillow.

FIX : Lay on your back with your head raised or get a silk pillowcase.

I find it so comfy to sleep on the side of my face, not gonna lie. But after reading about how detrimental it is to my face, I constantly try to avoid doing so! When we lie on our pillows night after night, it can lead to fine lines and crow’s feet because of squishing our faces into our pillows and gravity taking hold.

Instead, we should be lying on our backs with two pillows for elevation – which I am good at doing. It’ll help us wake up looking more rested because sleeping upright encourages better blood circulation.

Shop These Silk Pillowcases

ZIMA Mulberry silk, $24 (comes in 20 colors) / LilySilk, $27 / Mommee Silk, $22 / Slip Pure Silk, $89

So of course some of those little lines are going to be inevitable as you approach 30, 40, 50+ when you catch yourself smiling in a mirror or in a photograph. But if you’re seeing them while you smile, you should remind yourself to be grateful for whatever it is that made you smile! Just remember that preventative and continuous care is the key!!