Clinique - All About Eyes gift set (& short review)

Today I ran out of my All About Eyes cream. Normally I would relish the chance to try something else but instead I kind of panicked a bit and hastened to pick up another little pinky-peach pot later on this afternoon.

This is my third pot of the stuff. So here's the lowdown: It's a lovely lightweight gel-creme formula which soothes the eye area and is absorbed within seconds. It's very smoothing (probably due to the silica it contains) and this means it makes an excellent under-eye base/primer for concealer and foundation.

My main eye concern is my dark circles, I guess you could say I'm really more Panda than Pandora. Anyway, I've always had terrible darkness under the eyes, ever since I was a meer snip of a thing. I've not found anything that really makes a huge difference to them, although the obvious remedy of getting a good night's sleep does seem to make me look less like a 'consumptive heroine'.

All About Eyes does help too. It's not a miracle cream but it definitely takes the 'edge' off the purplish hue. I don't have a problem with puffiness so I can't really report on it's effectiveness in this area.
Previously to this I used Clarins' eye creams, the Contour Gel and the Eye Balm, both of which I liked and re-purchased but neither giving me the impetus to stick to them. This cream, however, is effective enough for me to want to keep using it, and with the lovely formula leaving my delicate eye area feeling great, it's a winner for me.

An even bigger bonus was finding this cute little gift set at the department store (Galeria Inno) today.
Containing a full size All About Eyes cream, a 5ml size of the All About Eyes serum roll-on, a mini High Impact mascara and a gorgeous little make-up bag, it was the same price as the cream alone. Plus I got a whopping 30% off as it was a weekend special so the set cost me only €27. Bit of a bargain methinks.

Clinique 'de-puff & define eyes' gift set

It does feel a bit odd buying a gift set for oneself, and I always feel a little guilty when a sales assistant asks me if I want it wrapped. My "Non, c'est pour moi" is answered with a look of mild bemusement mixed with a haughty disdain....
 

To be honest though, what really sold it to me was the make-up bag. I LOVE mesh bags for practical reasons. I like to see my stuff. I'm not so keen on the transparent plastic ones as they get so grubby from the inside and start looking manky. Mesh can somehow survive the grubbiness as it's by it's nature a see-through fabric.
I'm not making any sense am I? I'll shut-up now.

Suffice to say, I think this would make a lovely little Christmas gift!

Have you tried this? What are your eye creams of choice?