There's nothing like the canned environment of an airplane to do a wallop on your complexion, but I just came off of a ten day bi-coastal tour, jumping from super-humid Southern Florida and ultra-dry Las Vegas and man, my skin is a wreck. I still haven't entirely unpacked but the worst luggage is the dark bags I'm carting around under my eyes! Time to do a little Drugstore Cowgirl showdown!

First up: I've been seeing Olay's Definity Eye Illuminator everywhere and hells yes, I'm not one to back down from a trend. The product has a pearly, light-reflecting lotion that's swirled in with a silicone gel and looks super Star Trekky in the package. I hooked into the vortex of potential gorgeousness and hit a black hole. Sadly, after a week, the product was starting to sting when I applied, but the killing blow was when I noticed that my fine lines were worse. What's more, it seems that something in the product was clogging those super small pores near my eyes, giving me the pebbly skin that I've worked so hard to avoid. Eeesh. I'm really surprised, because this is the first clunker I've tested in the usually reliable and affordable Olay Definity line, although at the $26 price point, one has to wonder if it's really a Drugstore Cowgirl choice anyway, considering that you could get Clinique's All About Eyes for about the same price (although, granted, half as much product).

Moving along, I picked up the Avalon Organics Lavender Eye Revitalizing Gel. A super light gel, it smells great and a super bonus for being organic. And while it was light enough to not clog any pores or do any damage, I honestly didn't notice a speck of difference after several days and started to feel like maybe the gel was just a bunch of lavender-scented Evian. Blah. Strike two.

I was THISCLOSE to dipping into my sacred tub of La Mer Eye Concentrate, but I persevered. After all, I wholly believe in the philosophy of being a Drugstore Cowgirl, and I refuse to believe that the cheap stuff would fail me in the eye department. Remembering Erin's advice and my good luck with Aveeno's Eye Serum, I grabbed Aveeno Positively Radiant Eye Cream out of my product closet and went to town. It's the cheapest of the three products, but how would it measure up? Voila, dark circles gone after three applications (although, granted, my body could have finally gotten enough post-trip hydration and rest) and those temporary fine lines disappeared, along with the crêpe-y weirdness that I noticed after several days using the Olay. Vindication! I couldn't find it on Aveeno's website, but I confirmed with Aveeno's rep that it hasn't been discontinued, so you should be able to locate it at your neighborhood chemist, and, if nothing else, you can score a two-pack on Amazon for a lot cheaper than list at Walgreens.

But really, when it comes down to the cheap eye fix, maybe I should have just gone with the little MD Formulations eye slices. At $8 for a reusable pair, it's definitely Drugstore Cowgirl territory and the results are immediate! Duh. Next time I won't screw around and break out those bad girls right on the plane trip home.