How To Look Well Rested

This post is coming to you the final weekend of the US Open. If everything over the last couple of weeks has gone the way it usually does, I’m exhausted right now from staying up every night in the UK to watch the evening session. After years of having insomnia, I’ve collected a few hacks and tips along the way on how to look well rested, and while I was in the process of pulling out the products I was expecting to need, I thought I’d share my favourite tips. 

Obviously, the reason I’m going to be using them is fully my own fault – I’d rather watch tennis than go to sleep. But these tips will obviously help if you have a more legitimate reason too, whether you’re a new parent just going back to work, been up all night with an ill relative, coming in off a long flight, or a bout of insomnia. They won’t perform miracles, but I find these steps make me look a little brighter and the process of doing them livens me up too. 

What happens to skin when you’ve had no sleep?  

Sleep deprivation hits your body in all kinds of ways, but if we’re focusing on the first impressions stuff, it can still impact quite a lot.  

• Dehydration – There are lots of reasons for this, from a possible increase in caffeine consumption to diving away on the salty snacks, routines are less likely to be as healthy when you’re pulling an all nighter, or surviving on the minimum. 
• Puffiness – And the reason for the puffiness are the exact same as the ones above, salt and water. However, eye fatigue also plays a part here. My eyes get puffy if I’ve looked at a screen for too long. If I’ve been awake for too long or they’re dry. This happens regardless of if I’ve been drinking water all night or scoffing Kettle Chips at 4am.  
• Dark Circles – if you don’t get enough sleep, the body enters fight or flight. Your stress levels rise, so your cortisol (stress hormone) levels rise. Cortisol causes blood vessels to swell, which means those blood vessels under the eyes can shine a little brighter than usual.  

These are the impacts over a shorter period, your body repairs itself at night when you’re sleeping. And the long term impacts of no sleep can interfere with hormone levels, collagen production and other body processes which can impact your immune system and speed up the development of things like fine lines. But nothing I’m going to suggest today is going to perform a miracle on long term impacts, but they can improve the appearance of the things listed above.  

Suggested Post: How Well Did You Sleep Last Night?

How to look well rested 

Do splash your face with cold water 

I know it sounds awful, but a splash of cool water can really help. Not only in terms of the cool water waking you up, but the cool water can also help relieve some of the puffiness. If you can’t face a splash of cold water, take a wash cloth and soak it in cold water and pat that over your face.  

Do use cooling gel products 

If you’ve been awake all night, you might be tempted to go in with heavier creams and inject some moisture. In my experience, this doesn’t always work. Sometimes tired skin doesn’t absorb products the way it usually does, and sometimes the dehydration in your skin can be confused with dryness.  

I like to use products with a gel formula, they always feel cooling on the skin, absorb quickly and help with some of that puffiness and the hyaluronic acid will help with hydration.   

An old favourite of mine for this was Clinique Moisture Surge. As that’s not CF, I now use one of the following:  

• Nutura Chronos Ultra Hydrating Aqua Gel (CF) 
• Glow Recipe Watermelon Sleeping Mask  
• SOS Serum (Previously Gifted)

Don’t use anything too thick or heavy  

As I said, they don’t always absorb the way they usually do. You’re more likely to get product pilling when you’re sleep deprived, and nothing you put on top of it will look right either.  

If your skin is genuinely dry and needs more than a gel moisturiser, opt for a thinner lightweight oil that you’re familiar with rather than a heavy cream. 

Do depuff your eyes  

This is the biggest thing for me when I’m sleep deprived. As I mentioned, my eyes give me away every time, so depuffing them makes the world of difference.  

I have a few suggestions for this one, and I’d recommend everything, but some of them require the luxury of time I know we don’t always have.  

So, if you do have the time, do some sort of facial massage with lymph drainage focused around the eyes. Preferably, use something like a jade roller for this for the cooling element too.  

I love eye gels and think they perform mini miracles sometimes. I usually save mine for things like long haul flights so I’m not reaching for them every time I have a self inflicted lack of sleep, but I always have some at home and make the world of difference if you have 10 minutes to use them. In a rush? Put them on while you’re grabbing breakfast or doing your hair. It won’t do you any harm if you accidentally leave them on a few minutes longer than the packet says to either.  

Lastly, a caffeine eye roller. An eye cream/ serum with caffeine can remove some of the puffiness, moisturise your undereye and help get those swollen blood vessels to look a little bit more like their regular size. You’ve probably heard of spoons under the eyes? This version is basically that with a couple more active ingredients. I use mine all around the orbital bone for a good minute or so on each eye if I don’t have time for either of the other two options. And you can get roller ball eye massagers too, so if you can’t find a caffeine eye serum that you love, use one of those with a caffeine eye cream.

Do opt for a light and fresh makeup look  

I know it’s easy to think a full face will hide the fatigue, but if your skin isn’t looking its best, a full face will also accentuate every flaw, bit of texture and look heavier in general. Focus on things that make your skin look fresher and healthier, light formulas and products, lots of creams. Leave the fuller coverage for the undereye concealer if you need it. 

Don’t forget your lips need hydrating too!  

A good lip balm is essential, when you’re dehydrated, your lips typically show it earlier than most other places. Remember to get a heavy duty one to apply at the start of your routine.  

Do you use any of these tips/ hacks to look well rested when you haven’t been sleeping well? Please share any others you’ve got for me in the comments. 

Until next time, 

Sophie 

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