We all know prevention’s better than a cure, but sometimes the horse has already bolted. If you’ve been partying hard this silly season, keep these handy hints at bay. You may not be fresh as a daisy, but nobody else needs to know.
Before bed
Repeat after me: “No matter how many Mai Tais, I WILL remove my makeup before bed.” If you can’t be bothered with the usual multi-step rigmarole, at the very least give your face a few swipes with a cotton pad soaked in uber-gentle micellar water.
For dull, dehydrated skin
Do you listen to nothing I say?? If you skipped the cleanse before bed, now’s the time to make up for it. Or even if you did remove your makeup (in which case, we can still be friends), it’s time to wake up with an invigorating face washing sesh. This White Tea & Chamomile Face Wash is free from aggravating nasties, and soothes, calms and uplifts while it gently exfoliates the party-season detritus from your mug.
Next up, while you’re sipping on a pint of water, give your parched visage a long, cool, drink too. A hydrating mask, like Payot’s Hydra24 Masque, will quench dry skin and leave it refreshed, nourished and a hell of a lot more radiant.
Your regular foundation just doesn’t cut it after a night on the sauce. You need something that will help add a little lustre back to frazzled skin. Opt for something illuminating, like Maybelline Dream Liquid Mousse Foundation.
Or, if a lighter coverage is more your style, pop on a radiance-boosting beauty balm. Thalgo’s BB Cream, with SPF 15, has a lovely, light, velvety finish and breathes life back into the complexion with Vitapulp, and complexion-correcting micro-prisms.
For partied-out eyes
All that booze can lead to dry, irritated, red eyes. Relieve your peepers and reduce redness with a stash of single-use eye drops. (Also handy for calming any sudden overnight visitors, aka savvy b-induced spots).
About those bags…
I’m pretty sure you’re not going to be complaining about an extra ten minutes of shut eye. Pop on a soothing eye mask and recline while it does its hydrating, puff-reducing and rejuvenating wizardry.
Conceal the damage
Hide any morning-after dark circles, redness or sudden spots with a hard-working concealer like this creamy Bobbi Brown duo. To fake wide-awake eyes and dewy skin, apply an illuminating product like Sleek Makeup Luminaire Concealer under the eye area and along the top of the cheekbones. This glow-getter also contains moisturising ingredients to treat your peepers as you primp.
If you really want to fake a full eight hours, apply Chella’s Highlighting Pencil in ivory to the waterline of your eyes for an instant eye-opening effect.
Add some colour
There’s nothing like a splash of colour to make you feel better. LAQA & Co’s Cheeky Lip crayon is all you need to pep up your cheeks and lips. Say bye-bye to that ghostly palour with this creamy, dreamy wonder.