Eye Rollers Are the Ultimate Skincare as Self-Care Tool

Roll into toned, lifted skin.

woman using a jade eye roller
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Skincare has long been associated with self-care. Not only is your skin health a crucial element of your overall health (it's the largest organ in your body!), but taking care of it also feels good. Personally, I consider my skincare routine a great opportunity to show myself kindness and self-love every day, not only via investing in high-quality moisturizers, serums, and eye creams, but also by incorporating tools that help me look and feel my best. In particular, I love using eye rollers and other face massagers as a means of both ameliorating puffiness and making my skincare routine feel extra luxurious.

"Eye rollers and any rollers are really for lymphatic drainage," explains professional makeup artist Jenny Patinkin. "Basically, what you're doing is moving any fluids that are being retained in the tissues under the eyes. You're rolling them out toward the lymphatic drainage points in front of your ears and by your temples. That's going to three things: It's going to reduce the appearance of inflammation and puffiness, boost your circulation, and give you a smoother appearance."

While this smooth, lifted appearance is temporary, it's definitely visible—particularly for those who struggle with inflammation.

"This is really for people who wake up puffy in the morning because they've had too much salt, or they've got allergies, or they haven't slept well," she explains, adding that salt intake, water intake, and the way one's body retains fluids can also impact puffiness. "When some trigger has caused inflammation under the eyes, rolling will help to smooth the appearance in those instances." She warns, though, that eye rollers can't mitigate the appearance of genetic festoons or age-related sagging. In those cases, consider under-eye creams for dark circles, retinol eye creams, or under-eye wrinkle treatments instead.

Ahead, eye rollers that reduce puffiness and feel luxurious. Plus, advice from Patinkin on how to use one.

How to Use an Eye Roller

Technique

"I prefer to roll on top of clean, dry skin first thing in the morning," says Patinkin. "That's when I see the most benefit." Then, she follows with makeup, saying that rolling is great for makeup prep because "it gives that much more taut appearance" to the face.

However, she says that the myth about rolling helping with product absorption is just that—a myth. "There are no clinical studies on it," she explains. "It's all anecdotal." Though, she admits, boosting circulation to the face can potentially aid absorption.

And because eye rolling can immediately decrease puffiness, she says that she often uses a roller over her makeup before appearing on TV, taking a Zoom call, or having her photo taken.

"The lymph system is just right underneath the surface of the skin, so you can roll very, very lightly and still get the benefit and it also won't lift your makeup away," she reassures.

In terms of how to roll, she says that there's no need to overthink. Unlike gua sha, which involves specific movements and has a more mind-body connection to it, an eye roller is a "quick-fix, no-brainer beauty tools. You don't need to look in a mirror. You can sit and just be absolutely mindless rolling your face."

Just be sure to stay consistent. Patinkin warns, "I should mention that you should only roll in one direction, out toward the lymphatic drainage point. If you roll back and forth, you're not moving that fluid to where it can drain."

Storage

When treating the eye area or de-puffing in generally, many skincare lovers opt for chilling their products and tools in the refrigerator or even the freezer. But does this actually make a difference, or is it more of a sensory preference? Patinkin says it's both.

"It is a sensory thing, and it does make a difference because of the vasoconstriction response in the skin," she tells us. "However, if you're using a natural stone roller or Gua Sha, you can leave it on a countertop and it will air chill enough for you to get the benefit. You can certainly put them in the fridge, and you can certainly put them on ice for a few minutes, but I never recommend keeping them in the freezer. You can, as it won't damage the tools, but the skin responds better to cold temperatures than frozen temperatures."

The Best Eye Rollers

Meet the Expert

Jenny Patinkin
Jenny Patinkin

Jenny Patinkin is a professional makeup artist and beauty entrepreneur. Products from her line have been featured on Oprah's Favorite Things, and she is revered for her sustainable approach to beauty. She is currently based in Chicago.

Gabrielle Ulubay
Beauty Writer

Gabrielle Ulubay is a Beauty Writer at Marie Claire. She has also written about sexual wellness, politics, culture, and fashion at Marie Claire and at publications including The New York Times, HuffPost Personal, Bustle, Alma, Muskrat Magazine, O'Bheal, and elsewhere. Her personal essay in The New York Times' Modern Love column kickstarted her professional writing career in 2018, and that piece has since been printed in the 2019 revised edition of the Modern Love book. Having studied history, international relations, and film, she has made films on politics and gender equity in addition to writing about cinema for Film Ireland, University College Cork, and on her personal blog, gabrielleulubay.medium.com. Before working with Marie Claire, Gabrielle worked in local government, higher education, and sales, and has resided in four countries and counting. She has worked extensively in the e-commerce and sales spaces since 2020, and spent two years at Drizly, where she developed an expertise in finding the best, highest quality goods and experiences money can buy.

Deeply political, she believes that skincare, haircare, and sexual wellness are central tenets to one's overall health and fights for them to be taken seriously, especially for people of color. She also loves studying makeup as a means of artistic expression, drawing on her experience as an artist in her analysis of beauty trends. She's based in New York City, where she can be found watching movies or running her art business when she isn't writing. Find her on Twitter at @GabrielleUlubay or on Instagram at @gabrielle.ulubay, or follow her art at @suburban.graffiti.art