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A couple of weeks ago I woke up and randomly decided it was avocado Sunday. Glancing at the number of products in my beauty cabinet with the hydrating ingredient, I figured it was no time like the present for a double dose of the green goodness. And when it came to my skin, I immediately reached for Kiehl’s Avocado Nourishing Hydrating Mask and Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado.

Brande Victorian Kiehls

Source: Kiehls / Brande Victorian

Fresh out the shower, I applied Aunt Jackie’s NOT YOUR AVERAGE CURL Bamboo & Avocado Protein Masque to my hair (you can read more about that here). While I waited for the mask to do its thing on my curls, I got to work applying the Kiehl’s Mask to my face. As you can see from the pic above, things can get a bit messy during this step. Pro tip: After you scoop up a good amount of the mask in your hands, work it between your fingertips until its smooth and creamy and then apply a thick later onto your face. Because the mask is formulated with Avocado Oil and Evening Primrose Oil, it easily transforms from a somewhat chunky texture in the jar (thanks to the concentrated Avocado extract taken from the pulp of the fruit) to a creamy paste once it emulsifies in your hands.

Brande Victorian Kiehls

Source: Kiehls / Brande Victorian

Fifteen minutes is all it takes for more supple, softer skin. According to Kiehl’s, in just that little time skin hydration is improved by 29%. After an hour, a study showed the skin’s barrier improved by 24%. That’s because our skin’s outer layer is made up of lipids and Avocado is rich in the compound, including essential fatty acids, so you’re not only nourishing the skin but also making it stronger.

Brande Victorian KiehlsSource: Kiehls / Brande Victorian

I let both my masks sit for about 30 minutes before I rinsed and moved on to the next steps. For my skin, that meant applying my standards: Drunk Elephant’s C-Firma Day Serum and Virgin Marula Luxury Facial Oil before moving on to the Creamy Eye Treatment. Dark circles run in my family so I’m doing everything I can to prevent/ward them off for as long as possible. Though bags, circles, fine lines and wrinkles are somewhat inevitable with age, those “issues” also tend to pop up as a result of dehydration. That’ what makes Kieh’s Eye Treatment so essential.

Brande Victorian Kiehls

Source: Kiehls / Brande Victorian

Like the name suggests, the eye treatment is literally the creamiest eye product I’ve found, thanks to avocado oil, Beta-Carotene, and every Black girl’s fave, Shea butter. These ingredients combine to improve the look and feel of under eye texture by de-puffing, hydrating, and even brightening. That last bonus is my favorite part about the cream which has been clinically demonstrated to de-puff by 32% and brighten by 11%. It also protects the eye area from digital fatigue caused by blue lights on our laptops and phones, and it’s suitable for all skin types, including sensitive skin, so you really can’t go wrong.

Brande Victorian Kiehls

Source: Kiehls / Brande Victorian

Because the formula is so rich and thick, I tend to use it at night or on days when I’m staying in without makeup (which is most days these days). Using the palm of my ring finger, I apply the treatment under my eye and around my orbital bone, which can get extremely dry if you neglect it, and instantly my entire face is beaming. After applying Cantu’s Avocado Hydrating Gel (more on that here) to my hair I was good to go and officially declared Avocado Sunday’s a thing.

The grand return of the Melanin Awards amplifies and honors the finest Black-owned beauty brands with honest reviews, and discusses the evolution of beauty in Hip-Hop culture.