vision quest
The most beautiful eye attribute may be that twinkle of wit, but a line-free, depuffed under-eye never hurt. ELLE beauty editors from around the world weigh in on their go-to products and tips for ageless, alluring eyes
ELLE beauty editors from around the world reveal their secrets to look-at-me eyes.
Eyes are known as the windows to the soul – but in Japan, it’s said that “the eyes are as eloquent as the tongue”, which may be truer still. Those ineffably lovely, complex orbs transmit as much information as they receive, about everything from the state of our health to whom we love (our pupils dilate when our eyes are on the prize).
A sustained gaze is a sign of trustworthiness in the West, but can signal disrespect in the East – yet despite such cultural variations, we all tend to rate a person who meets our eyes with theirs as more likeable, intelligent and dominant than someone who avoids eye contact altogether. Seeing eye to eye – literally – is a powerful thing: when two people lock looks for a prolonged period of time, their brains release phenylethylamine, a neurochemical that amps up attraction.
Is it any wonder, then, that eyes are such a focus of beauty? Women have been drawing attention to them for hundreds of years, defining them with graphic lines of kohl and softly smudged shadows (the oldest known palettes – Egyptian, naturally – date back to the 4th century BC).
When ELLE surveyed beauty eds from editions across the world, we learned that while different cultures may have different approaches – for example, Chinese students are taught exercises and massage techniques for eye health in grade school – most of us share the same concerns, regardless of geography: chiefly, how to keep our eyes looking bright and beautiful, no matter what our age.