Perhaps “dupe” isn’t quite the right word to use here; “alternative” is far more accurate, but it doesn’t sound as good in my title! The Eye Duty Triple Remedy Gel Cream from First Aid Beauty isn’t by any means a copy of Sisley’s amazing Eye Contour Mask – it isn’t a mask, for a start – but its texture and intense hydrating effects put it firmly into the same category. And seeing as though one (the Sisley) costs over £80 and the other (FAB) is £26…well, it would be rude not to do a comparison!
Sisley’s Eye Contour Mask is an old favourite of mine. Despite its heart-stopping price (although do see below for a cost-justification/enabling moment) it’s one of the original – and best – eye masks for instantly pepping-up saggy, tired eye areas. I used this mask throughout my most intense modelling years (by intense, I mean lots of modelling mixed with lots of travelling and lots of going out!) and it didn’t ever fail to make me look better. I’d apply it to my undereyes before bed or at the start of a flight and then remove it when I was about to have my makeup done.
Watch a very old video where I transform my hungover face…
The only problem with this little routine was that the eye mask was so moisturising that if I didn’t leave enough hours between applying the mask and getting to a shoot (ie, I went to bed in the early hours!) the makeup artist would find it difficult to apply foundation or concealer around the eye area. The slightest bit of residue from the mask meant that makeup slid about and refused to settle in. The only way to ensure that makeup went on was to remove the eye mask with cleanser and then re-moisturise, which used to annoy me because I felt as though I was washing away the mask magic!
So I’ve always been on the prowl for a sort of lesser Sisley mask that could be used directly before makeup – one that didn’t need removing. Which I suppose, strictly speaking, is not a mask at all but an eye cream. Moving on…
The moment I tried the First Aid Beauty Triple Remedy I knew that I’d found a nice little alternative. The same thickish, glycerin feel, the same sensation as wearing those jelly stick-on eye masks that cost a fortune per wear… Deeply hydrating, incredibly refreshing and with a firming, cooling effect that is just brilliant for groggy mornings. And (this is where the Sisley point-of-difference comes in) it is relatively quick to absorb, so no residue, but the hydrating effects last just as long.
Now I do think that the Sisley mask, with its rose and arnica and antioxidants and the like, seems to be more effective as a leave-on product; the longer you have it on for, the better it works – but the FAB Gel Cream is just excellent in all other ways. Quick, convenient, sits brilliantly beneath makeup and really does feel comforting around the eyes – all of this for £26.
I said I’d address the price issue, and here it is: Sisley’s Eye Contour Mask is a hefty £81.50, but (and here’s the crucial part) you do get twice as much product than almost any other eye cream or treatment on the market. The standard is 15ml, Sisley give 30ml. So to compare in a fair and true manner, you need to double the price of whatever you’re doing the comparison with. In this case, FAB’s Gel Cream is £52. Still a truckload cheaper than Sisley’s, but it’s definitely food for thought…
First Aid Beauty’s Triple Rescue Gel Cream is on Amazon here or LookFantastic – don’t mix it up with the one in the tube with concealer mixed in, I have no idea what that one’s like – and Sisley’s gorgeous mask is here.
