One evening, I caught my reflection in the bathroom mirror. At first, I thought it was just bad lighting, but as I leaned in closer, I saw it—tired, puffy eyes staring back at me. The dark circles looked deeper, fine lines were more pronounced, and no amount of concealer seemed to make a difference anymore.

It wasn’t just one rough evening. This had been happening for months, maybe longer.

I used to wake up looking refreshed, but now my eyes told a different story. No matter how much sleep I got, they looked exhausted—like I hadn’t rested in days. The puffiness wouldn’t budge, and the skin around my eyes seemed thinner, making every little crease and dark shadow stand out even more.

I chalked it up to stress, to getting older. “This is just what happens over time,” I told myself. But deep down, I wondered—was there something more I could do? Was it possible to bring back the bright, youthful eyes I used to have?

One afternoon, I was venting to a friend about how no matter how much sleep I got, my under-eye bags and dark circles wouldn’t budge. The fine lines around my eyes seemed to be getting deeper, and my eyelids? They started to droop in a way that made me look constantly exhausted.