If there’s one beauty product I’ve used consistently in recent years and which has become a valuable part of my daily routine as a woman in my 40s, it’s under-eye patches. I’ve written about them many times because of their ability to reinvigorate the under-eye area, which is increasingly becoming a focus point for me as I get older.Good under-eye patches can hydrate, smooth and brighten, but they can also depuff, soothe and cool. They also feel very satisfying to apply. Because of both my frequent use of and deep affection for under-eye patches, I’m also fairly withering in my criticism of those that don’t deliver. I’ve tried many that miss the mark. Some seem to contain little to no serum. Others don’t sit properly, slide down the face, or are overpriced for what they deliver.One brand of under-eye patches that has received plenty of hype since launching is Rhode, but they did very little for me. Founder Hailey Bieber is a Gen Z queen, and the brand targets a younger demographic; perhaps that’s why my perennially dehydrated under-eyes recoiled at the sight of them. They felt sticky on the skin, appeared to contain little product, and left my under-eye area feeling quite dry. Beyond making me look momentarily trendy thanks to their cute design, they didn’t do much.On the other hand, I’ve written many times about the products I genuinely love – hydrating patches packed with great ingredients and dosed generously that deliver on their promises to brighten, smooth, depuff or otherwise. Standouts include Poco Beauty Dreamglow Hydrogel Eye Patches (€36 from pocobeauty.com), Pestle and Mortar Pure Hyaluronic Hydrogel Eye Patches (€34 from pestleandmortar.com), and one of my oldest favourites, Pixi Beauty and its various under-eye patches – my most-reached-for being DetoxifEYE Depuffing Eye Patches (€27.50 from Boots).Now, joining that line-up is Irish brand Skingredients’ first foray into the category: Eye-Light Eye-Bright Arbutin Under Eye Pads (€35 from skingredients.com), which prove that even in an overcrowded beauty category, there’s always room for a genuinely great product.The brand, founded by Jennifer Rock in 2019, doesn’t tick off product categories just for the sake of it. Its vitamin C serum was brought to market only last year – but it was worth the wait; in my view, it is one of the most affordable and well-formulated vitamin C products available.Poco Beauty Dreamglow Hydrogel Eye Patches; Skingredients Eye-Light Eye-Bright Arbutin Under Eye Pads; and PiXi DetoxifEYE Eye Patches Pestle and Mortar Pure Hyaluronic Hydrogel Eye Patches (€34 from pestleandmortar.com) Back to the eye patches. The ingredients include glycerine, niacinamide and, rather interestingly, arbutin. Primarily known for its brightening and pigment-correcting abilities, when paired with the other two, you end up with a smart formula that delivers an immediate hit of hydration while also targeting brightness and uneven tone. On the skin the patches feel thick, cold and intensely refreshing. And, perhaps most importantly, they don’t attempt to slide off your face seconds after application. Removing them after 20 minutes or so is like what reality TV people call a reveal – because the results elicit an “ooh” from me every time. Brighter, fresher, more hydrated looking under-eyes. This week I’m loving ... Sol De Janeiro Jelly Balm PerfumeSol De Janeiro Jelly Balm Perfume The award for the cleverest (and arguably, cutest) pre-summer launch goes to Sol de Janeiro and its new Jelly Balm Perfume (€25 each from Brown Thomas). Available in three bestselling scents – Cheirosa 40, Cheirosa 62 and Cheirosa 68 – these palm-sized jelly perfumes deliver, according to the brand, up to 1,000 on-the-go applications. The jelly formula is very enjoyable to use – not sticky, not greasy and pleasing to apply. Better still, the jelly balm format makes these perfumes ideal for travel as they won’t count towards your liquids allowance.