I'm 53 and I've just had an eye lift. Here are the 3 things that kept my eyes looking young before I went under the knife

Your eyes are the most revealing feature when it comes to ageing. Expressing every emotion, yet cursed with the thinnest skin anywhere on the body (with little collagen and elastin and few oil glands to boot), it's no wonder that crow's feet and tired-looking eyes are the first reminder for many of us that we're not 23 any more.

I can't bear looking exhausted - so much so that I've just gone under the knife, having spent years plucking up the courage to do so. But I also know plenty of bright-eye tricks, many of which I use religiously.

So what works? I've tested more options than most. In short: make-up can work wonders, eye creams do very little, and non-surgical 'tweakments' can be an investment that pays off for your under-eyes – but not so much for your upper eyelids. 

Here's my pick of beauty's best eye openers.

Inge van Lotringen has tested more eye treatments and creams than most - so why has she plumped more than £6,000 for surgery? 

Eye-brightening buys

Make-up legend Bobbi Brown rightly advises to 'put on under-eye concealer before you apply foundation – you may find you don't need the latter.' You need a deeply hydrating and pigmented cream just one shade lighter than your foundation, and smooth it on gently – never rub or drag, it worsens puff and shadows. 

Your eyes will light up and your whole complexion will seem more even. Gatineau Miracle Eye Contour Cream, £36, a cosseting eye cream as well as a concealer, is a firm favourite.

Curling your lashes before applying mascara is another game-changer for wider-looking eyes. 

And eye shadow-wise, you want a pale nudey tint on your lids (shimmer will puts sparkle in dull eyes) while a darker, matt taupe or brown in the creases will also make shrinking eyes pop back out. 

I'm obsessed with Clinique High Impact Shadow Play Shadow + Definers, £28 – two-sided eyeshadow sticks that perform this trick in a few simple sweeps.

Last but not least: well-shaped and tinted eyebrows optically prop up sagging, tired eyes. 

Get them professionally threaded (you can then tweeze new growth yourself).

Gatineau Miracle Eye Contour Cream, £36 and Clinique High Impact Shadow Play Shadow + Definers, £28

The only eye creams you'll ever need

Eye creams are good for maintenance, but precious few make a real difference to bags, circles, lines and least of all, the dreaded sag. 

Your best bet for holding back the years is daily SPF from an early age: Ultrasun SPF30 Eye Protection, £20, is a good one. If you haven't got a time machine and need to tackle existing signs of ageing, a retinoid offers your best hope but you really don't want inflammation around your eyes. 

Murad Retinal Resculpt Eye Treatment, £94, is both potent and gentle.

The best product I've tried for hoiking up saggy lids and smoothing under-eye puff is Peter Thomas Roth Instant FirmX Eye, £22: it forms an invisible, primer-like film that irons out your eye area. But there's a catch, it lasts just a few hours, and you can't apply make-up over it.

Murad Retinal Resculpt Eye Treatment, £94, is both potent and gentle

Ultrasun SPF30 Eye Protection, £20 and Peter Thomas Roth Instant FirmX Eye, £22

Tweakments vs surgery

Toxin injections do work for crow's feet – but not under eye wrinkles. 

Botox can also slightly lift some people's brows. In expert hands, judicious under-eye fillers help minimise dark circles and hollows. 

Injectable skin boosters like Sunekos and biostimulators such as polynucleotides can improve crepiness and enhance brightness, but the results are very subtle and to maintain them, you need costly jabs every few months.

As for sagging lids? Tweak results are often underwhelming and I really believe many heat-based eye procedures, such as plasma, cause more trauma than improvement in the long run.

So why have I plumped for for £6,000+ upper eyelid surgery? 

Because counter-intuitively, my surgeons, Dr Roos and Dr Murthy (facerestoration.com) told me it would have less downtime than many non-surgical options, with permanent and dramatic results. Two weeks after my op, sporting healed and ten-years-younger eyes, I know I made the right choice.

Race you to it! 

Out today, try to beat your teen to the chemist for this absolute steal. Smooth and light and with a flattering satin finish, e.l.f. Cosmetics Soft Glam Satin Foundation, £9 (superdrug.com) stretches over lines instead of sitting in them. 

Its medium coverage in 36 shades builds easily, feels hydrating, has protective plant extracts and no sickly synthetic smell. 

My cosmetic craving

Much like skinny jeans have seemingly been the only denim option for the past decade, matte lipsticks have for too long been pushing other options off the shelves.

This, while everyone over 40 knows that cream or satin textures are significantly more flattering (they plump instead of shrivel) and comfier (we need moisture).

Revlon's Super Lustrous Crème Lipstick, £8.99 (boots.com) delivers on lasting impact and the 12 punchy shades are packed with pigment.

And no, despite the creaminess, they won't run into fine lines.

 Icon of the week

Kylie Minogue Poured into a jewel-encrusted Diesel dress, Kylie Minogue made sure her hair and makeup at the Met Gala were designed to have the same wet-look effect. 

All by MAC (boots.com), she wore Studio Radiance Serum-Powered Foundation in NC20, £39, Colour Excess Gel Pencil in Sick Tat Bro, £22, and Red Rock MACximal Lipstick, £25, topped with gloss.