Tuuuurn Arouuuund, Briiiiight Eyyyyyes...

I recently received a very generous sampling of cosmetics from Neutrogena via BzzAgent.com. (Anyone can be a BzzAgent and get freebies! You should totally do it.) I’ll review all three this week, because it’s always nice to know about good stuff you can get at the drugstore, and it’s even nicer if you didn’t have to spend money on it to find out if it’s good or not.

Let’s start out with the fake-me-out Touche Éclat,Neutrogena Healthy Skin Brightening Eye Perfector, because, obviously! Everyone always wants to know if there is a good alternative to the pricey ($40) YSL luminizing pen, and I never have the answer, because I really love my Touche Éclat and never buy anything else. But I can tell you now, this is a reasonable facsimile, and it’s $13.99. (Actually, it's on sale at Drugstore.com right now for $11.19!)

Yes, I’m serious. I can’t say it’s just as good, but it’s ALMOST as good, and it’s definitely $13.99 as good. I’ll lay it all out for you, bad news first.

For one thing, the color options are limited. The Neutrogena pen comes in Fair, Buff, Light, and Medium, while YSL offers a dozen shades. Depending on your skin color, this may or may not be an issue. I am a #2 “Luminous Ivory” in YSL, and Neutrogena’s “Fair” worked well for me.

The other issue, and the biggest one, is Neutrogena hasn’t quite nailed the light-reflecting magic that YSL has. But it almost has, it’s kind of crazy. I put one product around each eye and looked at my face in different light, both indoor and outdoor. When my face is lit from the front, there is no difference between the effects of the two products. Nothing. But when lit from above— unfortunately, the location of most lights— YSL is the clear winner. Not that Neutrogena doesn’t put forth a noble effort! But in a side-by-side comparison, YSL is just better for me. I don’t have bags under my eyes, I have hollows, so I need something that is going to bounce the light around the right way, or I look exhausted. But if your eye socket situation is not as dire as mine, you win. Keep reading, because the good parts are coming up.

As far as texture goes, Neutrogena totally measures up. It has the same type of brush as Touch Éclat, goes on smoothly, blends easily, and doesn’t settle into fine lines. But get this: It has antioxidents that work over time to improve skin! Makeup+! Whether or not it makes a noticeable difference, only time (and your face) will tell, but YSL doesn’t even pretend to offer that.

Aside from being less than half the price of the YSL, Neutrogena’s product has broad spectrum SPF 25. But who cares about photoaging around their eyes? EVERYONE CARES. This is a huge bonus. Eye sunscreen-treatment-makeup! It’s like the BB Cream of the eye-holes.

So, YEAH. This!