The Best Creams to Solve Your Eye-Area Issues

The news as of late has us tossing and turning during the night, with mornings bringing tired, puffy eyes and dark circles. So we've been on the hunt for the best balm to smooth away our worry lines. Our testers tried a ton of organic and natural creams and gels to target every eye-area complaint: puffiness, dryness, crow's feet, dark circles. Most delivered positive results, and we've rounded up four great picks for each problem category, with plenty of budget-friendly prices in the mix. Be sure to keep those peepers well-moisturized and above all, remember: the best natural remedies are plenty of sleep and H2O!

Eye Issue: Mascara Build Up

Solutions: After a long day of peering at a computer screen in a dry-air office or trekking around in the smoggy urban jungle, it's no surprise that your eyes are tired, dry and stressed. And when you get home, you just want to clean off the gunk and hydrate. The first step? Remove makeup and environmental buildup with a gentle, non-irritating cleanser. Our tester loved Ren's Conditioning Eye Makeup Remover, which wasn't oily but left the eye-area well-moisturized and "really did remove everything." If you prefer a liquid to a cream, try Garden Botanika's Bee Mild Gentle Eye Makeup Remover, which de-goops without stripping. On late nights when you just want to take it all off, Josie Maran's new Bear Naked Wipes are a tired girl's dream: these soft cloths contain soothing aloe and cucumber and can be swept all over the face and eyes.

Eye Issue: Dry Skin

Solutions: No matter how tired you are, before you turn in you should be sure to moisturize well. The cream can do its work overnight, giving stressed, delicate skin a chance to recover. For dry, crepe-y skin in need of hydration, try BeeCeuticals Bee Line Free Eye Cream, the new "best-ever" skin-softener of one tester, who said she noticed a difference in just two days. Drugstore-brand Weleda's Wild Rose Eye Cream with rosehip seed oil has a "nice, light texture," and Boscia's Enlivening Amino-AG Eye Treatment contains amino acids and jojoba for deep skin repair. For daytime, try Dr. Hauschka's plant-oil-rich Daily Revitalizing Eye Cream, a deeply hydrating yet light and silky option for under-makeup wear.

Eye Issue: Puffy Skin and Bags

Solutions: Allergies, stress, alcohol, hormones, a salty diet — these can all cause skin to puff up under the eyes. Not the prettiest thing to face in the a.m., so no wonder this turned out to be our most popular problem category. Our beauty product-obsessed friend — who usually opts for high-end (chemical) brands, but is slowly becoming a green convert — was delighted to see Derma-e's antioxidant-rich Pycnogenol Eye Gel put a damper on the morning puffs; we too had rapid results after a recent sleepless night. A co-worker swears by Burt's Bees non-oily Radiance Eye Crème, which "dries smooth and has a cooling sensation" and is rich with nourishing Royal Jelly. Paul Penders' Plantago Essential Eye Gel rushed to the rescue with a stimulating, moisturizing bounty of plants and herbs, and Kimberly Sayer's Cellular Extract Eye Lift Gel renewed our view with a toning plant-oil pick-me-up.