That Time I Tested Eye Cream at A Rave

A few favorite ways to wake myself up: Grady's Cold Brew coffee, some fun music or a podcast, bright accessories, and an energizing eye cream.

Daybreakers

The scene

When Clinique first asked me to partner with them and take their newest eye cream for a test run, I was thrilled! I've used Clinique for years--long before I became a beauty editor--and they've always been a favorite brand. 

Then, I found out where I'd be testing it: At a rave. On a Wednesday. At 7am. 

It made sense though. The new product, Pep-Start Eye Cream, is designed to instantly make you look more awake, so I'd sure as heck need it for a crack-of-dawn dance party. (I mean, let's be honest, I'm a mom, I work, I stay up far too late and wake up far too early--I'd sure as heck need it any day.) I was game.

That morning, my alarm went off at 5am. (I live in Jersey, so I had to leave my house by six to make it to the far west side of Manhattan in time for the party.) I realized that it was probably the first time I'd set my alarm in a non-flight situation in years. (I usually rely on my no-fail alarm that's better known as "kids.") I dragged myself out of bed and slept-walk through my shower, then slapped on some moisturizer. 

Next, it was time to eye cream it up. The texture of Pep-Start is awesome--super light, almost serum-like, perfect under makeup--and the ball-shaped applicator is fun and smartly designed. You pull it out until it clicks, then use it to massage the cream on. (This helps to de-puff.) 

Plus, the ingredients are the real deal. There's caffeine (which helps to rev up the skin and get rid of puffiness), algae extract (to calm irritation), and seven different peptides to brighten and boost collagen over time. Having been a beauty editor for many years, I've truly seen it all. That's why, I hate gimmicky ingredients (just give me the stuff that works!), and why I'm totally into peptides, which have a ton of science behind them. Derms love them! So I do, too. (And can I just say? I was also seriously impressed that this eye cream costs under $30. I had to do a doubletake when I saw that!) 

Then, it was off to the party. If you follow me on Snapchat (and if you don't, what are you waiting for?? @alyssahertzig), you already got a peek at my morning at Daybreaker, the crazy pop-up dance party. It looks identical to a club or a rave atmosphere when you're in there, but it takes place from 7 to 9 in the morning. So for that reason, it's much more of a fitness, pump-yourself-up-before-work activity and less of a get-crazy-and-hook-up kind of thing. 

Still, there were 900 people there that morning. And, yes, I'm pretty sure I was the oldest one.

Luckily, 7 a.m. raves are a rare occurrence for me. But tired days, alas, are not. And if an eye cream can get me through a morning like this looking good, something tells me school dropoff will be a piece of cake. ;)

So what do you guys think? Would you try Clinique Pep-Start? And tell me: What's your favorite way to wake yourself up in the morning?

This post was sponsored by Clinique, but all opinions are my own.