One of the most popular requests for our recent series on reviews by category is eye cream. I've received dozens of email asking about the best eye creams for puffiness, dark circles, fine lines, wrinkles, premature aging, and on and on! This week's reviews include a few of the better eye creams/gels I've come across recently. Enjoy!

MAC Fast Response Eye Cream ($25 for a .5oz. tube)
MAC has hit the jackpot with this eye cream. It's no miracle worker - what can you expect from a cream anyway? - but it's incredibly fast-absorbing, silky smooth on the skin, lightweight but effective for dryness and fine lines, and smells deliciously of cucumber. If fines lines are starting to creep up on you, this is a nice moisturizer to keep them at bay.

See the new MAC skincare at maccosmetics.com.

Molton Brown Eye Rescue ($36 for .5oz)
If you suffer from puffiness, this gel is for you. It's delightfully cooling and refreshing, but also soothing so you could use it day or night. One small pump is plenty for both eyes, and you can use it all around the eye area - under, on the lid, in the outer corners. I have very sensitive eyes and I've had no problem with irritation. It also works well under makeup and doesn't ball up or make your eye makeup smear.

I got my Molton Brown Eye Rescue from Beautydoor.com.

Dr. Dennis Gross, MD Skincare Firming Eye Gel with Vitamin C ($25 for 1oz)
First, I have to say that I'm not quite sure why they labeled this a gel, since it is clearly a cream, and quite an interesting cream at that; its ingredient list includes cucumber extract, emu oil (anti-inflammatory and has better moisturizing properties than mineral oil with a lower incidence of pore clogging), vitamin E, salicylic acid, vitamin C, and caffeine. Firming Eye Gel has a slightly thicker and more emollient texture than the other eye creams reviewed here, so it will feel best to someone with normal to dry skin.

You can find MD Skincare at mdskincare.com.

Garden Botanika Skin Renewing Triple C Eye Treat ($15 for 1.12oz)
If you are looking for a good, basic eye cream at an attractive price, this is a nice choice. The vitamin C benefits are not as strong as many of the higher priced brands, like Cellex-C or SkinCeuticals, so in a sense you are getting what you pay for here. The main active ingredients include anti-oxidants like algae extract, acidophilus/grape ferment extract, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, vitamin E, and green tea extract. The cream has a light texture that absorbs quickly, feels silky and works well under makeup.

Shop for Garden Botanika online or find a store near you at gardenbotanika.com.

Peter Thomas Roth Power K Eye Rescue ($110 for .5oz)
Many of the Peter Thomas Roth products I've tried have become instant favorites, but I think this one is simply more eye cream than I need at my age (approaching 30), and it's so expensive! This is jam packed with everything but the bathroom sink: vitamin K, citrus bioflavonoids, kojic acid (good for lightening dark circles), co-enzyme Q-10 (for those pesky wrinkles), chamomile extract, green tea extract, horse chestnut extract, and superoxide dimutase (an anti-oxidant protein enzyme). The only problem I had with this cream was applying it effectively - the beads of "caviar" don't spread or soften very easily, so you almost have to warm the cream in your palm first and then apply it to the eye area, which is a bit of a pain. The caviar is gimmicky and should really just be incorporated into the rest of the ingredients.