Okay… no sleep can be a bit of a problem, especially for your skin.
First thing’s first: when you’re short on sleep, you might want to use some eye drops. Little to no sleep means red, dry and irritated eyes. My next favorite thing when my skin looks and feels tired? An ice bath.
I’ll fill up a small bowl with ice and some water and dunk my face in it for about ten seconds and repeat a few times: “give me all the glow!”. This tightens pores, helps with puffiness and makes me look more *alive*. If ice baths aren’t your thing, you can also try using an ice-roller or grab an ice-cube, wrap up in a muslin cloth and gently glide it on your skin.
Next, I’ll use a gentle cleanser. Tired skin can be a little sensitive, so gentle is the way to go. I love this and this drugstore cleanser and this one is my all-time favorite and one bottle lasts me over 6 months. If I have time I’ll use a quick face mask, something to boost my radiance. This one from Bobbi Brown has been a solid favorite for months now, specifically because a) it works and b) it only needs 5 minutes to dry completely. I can put it on and let it do the magic while I brush my teeth.
Chamomile tea bags that are slightly chilled in the freezer will also be the best thing that happened to those puffy eyes. Eye masks are great, too, but sometimes can be slightly irritating, and the goal is to get rid of the redness and puffiness, not to make it worse, amirght?
After a quick face mask, I always tone with an essence or a face mist– I sometimes put my mist or thermal water in a fridge for a few minutes- that way it feels even more refreshing. Before you put on that makeup, you want to work with fresh clean canvas so it’s important to pay a little *extra* attention to your morning skincare routine when you’re short on sleep.
Eyes are where it’s at your lack of sleep will first show there, so use a brightening cream, a good concealer or a brightening/illuminating pen.
Lack of sleep ain’t the only thing that will steal your glow- high salt intake, poor diet, alcohol, and dehydration all play a part here, too. Start your day with warm lemon water. The goal is to drink a lot of water on a regular basis and stick to a healthy diet all year long, making sure that you get all those skin-loving nutrients in. That way, when you do happen to have an occasional all-nighter, late-night catch-up date with a friend or you binge-watched Netflix all night, your skin won’t look as dull and tired. Keep a big jug of water on your nightstand so that you can sip on it before going to sleep and reach for it first thing in the morning.
I love getting most of my skin-loving nutrients in my morning smoothies. It’s the easiest way. Don’t like spinach? No worries, mix it up with a banana, some strawberries a plant-based protein powder, some natural peanut butter, and coconut water. Bam. You can’t taste the spinach, but you still get the benefits. I’ve also been loving this Skintox Beauty Food from Raw Complexions*– you get flaxseed meal, bee pollen, schizandra, amla berry, camu camu and pomegranate to protect, nourish and detox the skin. You can add it to your smoothie, juice or morning oatmeal.
If all else fails, giant sunnies should do the job, too. Whenever my skin isn’t looking its best I also HAVE to make sure that my hair looks good. I think it was my beloved Kate Moss who said, “Always clean hair. That’s a must. If in doubt, wash it.” Enlightening. Truly. But really, a good hair day is always a nice confidence boost. Even when your skin is all “yes-I-did-binge-watch-House-of-Cards-last-night-no-I-didn’t-get-any-sleep“.
*PR SAMPLE/GIFTED ITEM