If you’ve had a bad night’s sleep and the signs are showing, follow my 5-step guide to faking a great night’s sleep.
Here we go:
-
Improve Your Bedtime Routine
In this post, I’ll be sharing with you how to combat the look of tired eyes, but sleep is very important for our skin. It gives our cells the time to rest and regenerate from stress of the day gone. Because of this, it important that we optimise this time by applying replenishing products to our skin, so they can work their magic while we sleep.
Pre-bedtime I follow my skincare regime and apply my products from lightest consistency to the heaviest, therefore I always apply my eye cream before my face cream.
Eye cream is a must-have product to prevent the signs of aging, I am currently using BeautyCounter‘s Rejuvenating Eye Cream. This product is a BeautyCounter bestseller, and I can understand why! The formula made up of jambu extract, wild algae and caffeine, helps to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, dark circles and leaves your under-eye skin feeling silky soft.
In addition, to following my regime I have also invested in a silk pillowcase. This may sound indulgent (it kind of is), but having an extra pillow to elevate you higher this will prevent fluid from pooling underneath the eye, which is the cause of puffiness. The silk also helps skin maintain its natural moisture whereas cotton pulls it away, so by converting to a silk pillowcase you will also be preventing wrinkles.
-
Chill Puffiness
If you have not invested in a silk pillowcase yet (what are you waiting for?!) and are suffering from undereye puffiness, my home hack will help you ease the puffiness. Everyone – and I mean everyone – will have the utensils at home to take on this hack, you only need two things; a fridge and two metal spoons – simple.
All you need to do is put the spoons in the fridge overnight and if you wake up with swollen eyes, place the cold spoons on closed eyes for instant relief.
-
Eliminate Dark Circles
Noticeable dark circles become more apparent as we get older, and our skin becomes thinner. This makes it easier to spot the dilated veins under our eyes, which appear as dark circles. They can also be caused by other factors, which include allergies, diet, lack of sleep and stress.
To improve the condition of undereye skin and help to thicken it to prevent dark circles, I would again recommend using BeautyCounter’s Rejuventating Eye Cream daily alongside a serum as part of your skincare regime.
I currently use the BeautyCounter Rejuvenating Radiance Serum from the same range as the eye cream. This product is hydrating, firming and brightening, I put this down to the formula which contains Vitamin C. This is an ingredient which builds collagen, slows down the signs of aging and makes the skin less transparent.
In addition, to having Vitamin C in skincare to combat the dreaded dark circles, it is also beneficial to include it in your diet. Vitamin C rich foods are full of antioxidants that help to rejuvenate the skin and protect it from free radicals. Look for foods like leafy vegetables and nuts that are loaded with Vitamin C.
-
Wake-Up With Make-Up
The quickest way to fake a good night’s sleep is with clever eye makeup. Firstly, reach for your eyeliner. I use BeautyCounter’s Colour Outline Pencil and paint a thin line of eyeliner across your upper eyelid with a cat eye flick to finish, this will instantly open your eyes.
Secondly, grab your eyelash curler to crimp those lashes into place, followed by a layer of mascara. I use BeautyCounter’s Lengthening Mascara, it is created without harmful ingredients and instead with a formula of natural ones such as organic bataua oil and carnauba wax.
These ingredients help to condition lashes while keeping in place all day, while newly reformulated product delivers glossy black lashes with zero smudging and flaking.
-
Conceal Like A Pro
Last but not least, the fail-proof way to hide the signs of tiredness. Mask the purple tint of prominent circles with the use of a peach-toned concealer, which is also a shade lighter than your foundation, like the BeautyCounter Touch-Up Concealer Pen. I choose to use the shade fair, due to my light skin tone.
I would also recommend going in store to color match for yourself, its impossible to get the correct color online. To ensure the concealer stays in place and does not seep into the lines under my eyes, I use BeautyCounter’s Mattifying Powder.
This product is perfect for setting make-up into place. It also absorbs shine without leaving undereye white residue – the type that can REALLY show up in pictures, no one wants that. To apply the powder, I simply sweep it on with a powder brush for a matte finish.
What to do if you’ve had a bad night’s sleep?
Now we have you covered on concealing the appearance of a bad night’s sleep, now to the rest of you. Remember that having one bad night’s sleep is not catastrophic and working yourself up over a rough night will just drain more of your energy.
It’s important not to stress about your night because obsessing over not sleeping can lead to more trouble sleeping the next night.
When it comes to nutrition, it understandable you’ll be tempted to reach for a sweet pastry and coffee in the morning. However, sugar and caffeine will only provide a short fix. These foods will make you more likely to crash later in the day. Instead, try eating protein-rich foods such as lean meats and nuts, these will help to keep your energy levels up.
Most importantly remember to stay hydrated and drink a lot of water during the day, if you are dehydrated this will only make you feel more tired. Finally, take it easy and don’t push yourself too much.
If you’re exhausted, skip your evening workout for today and instead take that time to wind down for bed with a relaxing bath to help you to unwind and relax.