I Tried New Luxury Skincare Brand HAOMA (& Its Eye Cream Is Now My Holy Grail): Review

I'm a skincare purist. A rule follower, if you will. After years of fighting an uphill battle against dry, finicky skin, I stick to the same routine, diligently panning one bottle of moisturizer at a time — regardless of any temptingly new products that are sent my way. Well, until I saw the new skincare brand HAOMA. Blame the moody, gothic packaging. Blame the fact that I saw a post for it on Hari Nef's Instagram. Either way, I was sold.

And when the first HAOMA products arrived at my doorstep a few days before the brand's official Nov. 4 launch, I gleefully swapped out my old routine for the black-jarred trio. Two reasons why: First, HAOMA's inaugural drop includes three clean, cruelty-free, and CBD-spiked skincare products — the Preservation Day Cream ($110), Recovery Night Cream ($110), and Soothing Eye Cream ($95). I've tried all sorts of CBD before, and knew it was an ingredient that works wonders for my skin.

Second: Embracing HAOMA's initial lineup feels like a return to simpler skincare times. Each of the three products has a time and a place to use it that hardly overlaps; save for the eye cream, which can be used morning or evening. It was a welcome reprieve from my 10-step skincare routine days, and as a bonus, all three jars stacked neatly in my overcrowded bathroom cabinet.

So, I went through one full day of HAOMA, applying the day cream in the early afternoon, and the night and eye creams before I went to bed. Honestly, I didn't expect much from the overnight duo; maybe plumper, happier skin when I woke up. This isn't a knock against HAOMA — any skincare product usually calls for an extended trial period.

Except for HAOMA's eye cream. When I woke up, I noticed for the first time in ages that I have freckles beneath my eyes. Why? Because my under-eye area wasn't its usual shade of dehydrated darkness. I could see my natural skin tone creeping up and over the fine line (aka tear trough) I've been slathering serums on since I turned 25. Which means yes, that line was still there — and yes, there was still a noticeable bit of stubborn dark circle gathered in the inner corners, closest to my tear ducts. But it actually looked as if I'd slept all night.

I would've seen spoilers for these holy grail-level results had I paid closer attention to the cream's ingredients. HAOMA's Soothing Eye Cream attacks dark circles from all directions: It includes skin-brightening licorice and mulberry, circulation-boosting and inflammation-cutting yarrow, and — of course — vitamin-rich CBD, which specifically is noted in the eye cream to repair UV damage.

The two moisturizers both hold their own, too. The Preservation Day Cream has a thinner texture that sinks in rapidly and leaves behind a makeup-ready smoothness (although I ran into some product pilling layering it under Dr. Barbara Sturm's Sun Drops). The Recovery Night Cream was my second favorite: It has a thick, cushiony cream feel, and smells like a splash of lavender aromatherapy.

And more is to come from HAOMA in the future. On Nov. 15, the brand will be arriving at select Neiman Marcus locations — with more products featuring more powerful plants arriving in December and throughout 2020. Until then, continue scrolling to shop HAOMA's first drop.