If ever there was a time when I needed some eye-brightening help it was last week, when I drove nearly 7 hours to Salt Lake City, enjoyed three days of trade-show mayhem and late-night parties, drove nearly 7 hours home, then unpacked and repacked for an extended- family weekend in Vail (where an on-duty Grandma/babysitter meant one very late night out in this  mountain town about two hours from my house). Lots of travel and little sleep equaled high susceptibility to bags under my eyes — more than usual, anyway.

To combat those bags and dark circles under my tired eyes, I packed Naturopathica Holistic Health’s Vitamin K Eye Brightening Serum. I thought the treatment might be cooling, similar to the gel-like cotton Vitamin C Illuminating Eye Pads I reviewed last year. But the Naturopathica product isn’t as refreshing as it is moisturizing.

In fact, when I put too much of the serum on under my eyes, without covering it up with make-up or powder, my husband asked, “What’s that shiny stuff on your face?” I quickly learned to only dab on a very small amount, especially when I also realized that the .5-oz blue bottle retails for $72. (Note to users: don’t push the pump down all the way, otherwise you’ll dispense much more than needed, wasting the precious formula!)

And, like the other eye treatment I tested, I didn’t notice any visible change to the skin under my eyes — though, the key ingredients (Vitamin K, Mica and Silica) are purported to reduce skin discolorations and refract light to even skin tone.

But what I do like about this Naturopathica product is that it does moisturize so well, and the chamomile oil — another key ingredient — reminds me of that fabulous, relaxing scent you get a whiff of when you enter a quality spa. (You know, when the smell of the spa itself begins to put you into chill-out mode before you even lie down a massage table.) So, psychologically, I liked putting the serum under my eyes; I’m also certain the silky finish is only doing good things to the sagging skin in that area of my face. Since I live at a high altitude and I’m exposed to the dry air on planes a lot, it just makes sense to keep my skin as lubed up with natural ingredients as possible.

I’ll keep using the Naturopathica Vitamin K Brightening Eye Serum; the small bottle is so easy to tuck into a toiletry bag. I’ll use it in moderation, though, to make the expensive bottle last.

Purchase the $72 eye serum on the Naturopathica website, along with cleansers, mists, moisturizers, masks and more beauty products.