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SCMP Reporter

Stunning Chinese-Indian model Sarika Cheung has a face and a figure that is the envy of most women, but until recently there was just one blemish to her beauty: dark rings under her eyes.

Her heavy work schedule left her with a problem that tens of thousands of busy women in workaholic Hong Kong fret over - circles under the eyes that give the impression that they have not had enough sleep.

Cheung was right to be concerned about the dark circles. Ninety per cent of women in a survey of 2,000 Hong Kong people said they considered dark circles under the eyes to be ugly.

A third of women questioned  were so anxious about the sight of bags and dark circles under their eyes, they said they were prepared to give up a 10-carat diamond ring or a job promotion to get rid of them.

It is not just women who notice then. Men find them a turn-off too; 80.7 per cent of men interviewed in the same study - nearly half of them professionals or senior executives - said it was important for a woman to be free of dark circles around the eyes.

More than 93 per cent of men found women with sparkling eyes the sexiest. They said women with bright eyes and a fair complexion around the eyes were the most attractive.

Clinical psychologist  Tommy Chan said  dark circles around a woman's eyes inevitably had a negative psychological impact on a man, even if the man was unaware of the effect.

'Dark circles usually give the impression of someone being tired, unhealthy, exhausted or old,' Dr Chan said.

'Dark circles around the eyes are also known as fatigue eyes. People believe that women with dark circles have an unhealthy lifestyle, and that might affect consideration of her as a lifelong partner.'

So far the only option for many women has been to use heavy makeup to cover up the dark circles, something that can be just as much a turn-off for men who  find women more attractive with light or no makeup.

Dark circles around the eyes can be avoided by adopting a healthy lifestyle and exercising regularly - not always possible with the long hours and high-stress working environment of Hong Kong.

Now, a therapeutic eye cream especially developed to remove dark circles around women's eyes has been launched in Hong Kong, and  it is already making a big difference to the looks of thousands of women in the city.

The makers of EyeMed Dark Circle Fix claim their cream can get rid of those dark circles in a matter of weeks.

The cream contains an exclusive ingredient called Eyeloxyl, which has been clinically proven to reduce the colouring of dark circles. And it is the first product on the market to specifically deal with the problem of bags and rings under the eyes.

Overseas studies show that dark circles under the eyes are caused by the long-term build up of haemoglobin in the form of deposits beneath the eyes. The essence of the dark circles therapy is to wipe out red, blue and violet pigment deposits in a similar way to a bruise treatment.

EyeMed, with its 9.5 per cent Eyeloxyl concentrate, is a state-of-the-art thermal penetration therapy that is a scientific extension to the traditional practice of applying hot boiled eggs to a bruise to stimulate circulation and get rid of the mark.

Bridal dress shop owner Noel Chu found that using the treatment made a big difference.

'I used to have to wear tons of concealer in the past to hide the ugly dark circles under my eyes,' she said.

'The problem with doing that was that the skin around my eyes became drier and drier. Most important, my boyfriend complained about my wearing heavy makeup all the time. He said he'd rather see me in less makeup or none at all.'

Her boyfriend is not alone.

A study conducted by a leading Japanese cosmetics brand found that 90 per cent of men preferred women in light rather than heavy makeup. They liked the 'naked' look in a girlfriend or wife.

Clinical tests have found that 72 per cent of women with serious dark circle problems who had tried EyeMed saw a significant improvement.

After using the cream for 56 days, 70 per cent of users reported a visible reduction and smoothing of the bags beneath their eyes, while tests showed the formula decreased the size of bags by 0.2mm.

These seemingly tiny changes matter a great deal to the women who have tried out the formula.

'I'm so happy with it,' said Utah Lee, a chief trainer for Nike. 'People have been complimenting me on my dazzling, bright eyes.'

Model Cheung has noticed the difference, too.

'I had to use heavy layers of concealer to cover it up before photo shoots,' she said. 'After three weeks of using EyeMed, the colour was reduced and I no longer needed to use any concealer at all to cover it up. It has made a tremendous difference to the way I look and feel.'

EyeMed is available at Mannings and retails for $499 for a 23ml bottle



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