Sometimes it's the simple low cost tips that really work - as Helen Mirren knows.

You may have forked out in the past on expensive eye masks to reduce puffiness around the eyes - and many of them are excellent. But you may not have been aware that there's a great home made remedy sitting in your store cupboard.

Tea bags!

Before you click away - let me reassure you I am totally serious and it works! And if you don't believe me take a tea leaf out of Helen Mirren's book.

"All the makeup has been irritating my eyes, so I stayed in bed with used tea bags on my eyes"

Helen Mirren talking to USA Today, Jan 2007

It's not often you find a low cost celebrity beauty tip.  So if, like Helen Mirren you love your tea - don't throw those used tea bags away.

Save the wet tea bags in a covered bowl or plastic container in the fridge and in the morning use them as a lovely cooling and astringent eye mask.

Really - it feels a lot better than it looks or sounds.

Take 10 mins resting with the tea bags on your eyes and you'll be amazed at the results. It's even worth doing if you are a coffee drinker. Just make some black tea using a couple of tea bags - save them in the fridge and you've got your "restorative eye mask" ready to go in the morning.

It's the caffeine and tannins in the tea that act as a natural astringent and in my experience it's a very effective treatment - more so than some sold on the beauty counter.  If you do want to splash out on a more luxurious treatment to cool and refresh your puffy eyes try Babor Sensational Eye Pads - great before a special night out.

Puffy eyes are often caused by fluid retention and as fluid builds up while you sleep your eyes are at their most puffy when you first wake up. Unfortunately puffy eyes are also more noticeable as you get older as fat pockets build up in the eye socket.

Good to know that we can do things to look younger without it costing the earth.

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