We're best running (don't walk! Too slow!) because one of K-Beauty's most coveted skincare products can now be scooped up at Priceline for a humble $32. That's precisely the cost of five takeaway iced coffees.
This Korean beauty cult product has a curious name: AHC Essential Real Eye Cream for Face. A real eye cream? But for your... entire face? Okay, hear me out.
The product is actually low-key genius as it combines the specific ingredients typically found in an effective eye cream but to streamline and simplify your beauty routine (yes please!), you can apply it to your entire face.
AHC is the number one aesthetic skincare brand in Korea with AHC Essential Real Eye Cream for Face selling once every three seconds in Korea. So yep, it's a BIG deal.
What is AHC Essential Eye Cream For Face?
It doesn't take a beauty expert to know that K-Beauty is on a whole other level when it comes to the world of skincare. Known for their supercharged formulas, some of these products can also be notably quirky, using ingredients like snail slime or even 24k gold foil (truly).
AHC Essential Real Eye Cream for Face is a product originally developed for use in aesthetic clinics. This ingenious two-in-one face moisturiser was designed to be as gentle as an eye cream, while delivering an all-over-face moisturiser proven to improve skin hydration by 82 per cent.
Sensitive skin girlies, this is the product for you. It's also ideal for lazy gewls, as it serves as a one-and-done moisturiser and eye cream.
The product's origin is steeped in a rather fascinating history. Back in the late '90s, a Korean actress reportedly came back from a post-divorce spa trip with her skin looking younger than ever. She shared her secret to skin immortality: she had been using her AHC eye cream all over her face.
After that, a cult beauty product was born.
AHC then designed a product with all the benefits of a concentrated eye cream to boost hydration and reduce fine lines and wrinkles, but without clogging pores or making your skin too oily which can often lead to breakouts.
The logic around the product is that the skin around the eyes is more prone to dehydration than the rest of our face, so eye creams are formulated specifically to boost collagen and elastin for more hydrated, youthful and resilient skin.
This all-in-one moisturiser encourages collagen production through 12 peptides that create bouncier-looking skin, patented vegetable proteins to firm the skin's appearance, and AHC’s exclusive VITAMIDE Complex which allows the product to absorb into the skin with active ingredients like vitamins and peptides with microsome technology. Fancy.
Luckily for Aussie buyers, AHC finally reached Australia's shores late last year. But does it actually work?
So, how did I go trying it?
First up, the bottle is so cute, it's giving Y2K futuristic with its sculpted lid and space-silver packaging. The scent is lightly floral but fresh with a hint of cucumber – it's really pleasant and not overpowering.
I tried the AHC Essential Real Eye Cream for Face as the final step in my skincare routine after firstly cleansing, exfoliating, and applying retinol and serum.
The texture of the formula is silky smooth and thin – though a little goes a long LONG way.
It absorbs immediately which I loved because I don't enjoy moisturisers that leave me feeling oily or sticky. This is more like a gel moisturiser than an overly rich and creamy one that can give me breakouts.
Once absorbed, it feels light on my skin, cooling and my skin already feels noticeably softer.
The thin texture of the product means it's perfect for layering in drier areas that need an extra boost of hydration. This is ideal for someone with combination skin (like mwah!) because I have an extra oily nose but I'm as dry as the Sahara around my chin and forehead.
Once soaked in, it feels intensely nourishing on my skin, like almost how your face feels after a super luxe facemask once it's absorbed.
I also tried the brand's Luminous Glow variation of the product ($25), which is richer, creamier formula full of antioxidants to brighten skin and blur fine lines. It gave me an extra boost of hydration and left my skin super supple. Who is this dewy queen in the mirror?
The verdict.
The morning after application my skin felt simultaneously softer and firmer. As I head towards 40, I'm being drawn more to products that improve my skin's texture and leave it nourished, and with AHC Essential Real Eye Cream for Face, I could already feel a noticeable difference.
As far as simplifying my skincare routine, this is the perfect product. What makes it so good is its versatility: I could use a thin layer as the base for my makeup or as my daily moisturiser, or layer it as a night cream. The fact that it's a day/night cream and eye cream in one also makes it an ideal product to travel with, as it can be easily slipped into your hand luggage without having to pack loads of different products.
Some K-Beauty products have such a huge cult following they don't live up to the hype IMO, but based on the high quality of this product paired with its affordable price – it's exceeded my expectations. Big fan.
AHC Essential Real Eye Cream for Face and more from the AHC range at your nearest Priceline.
Feature Image: Supplied.