Are you feeling the effects of a bad night’s sleep and want to know how to look less tired? Leading beauty experts reveal their best-kept tips.
We all know how not enough sleep can affect the body. Whether it's repeatedly waking up early or struggling to fall asleep, poor quality slumber can leave us slow, sluggish and feeling exhausted. Yet whilst we can often conceal these consequences, sadly our skin cannot - with us often reaching for a good eye cream for dark circles following a bad night’s kip.
As celebrity facialist and aesthetician Abigail Oleck notes: “Lack of sleep, stress and tiredness all cause the skin to look dull, as well as accelerating the ageing process.” Abigail and other beauty gurus swear by a number of smart skincare swaps to help target the initial tell-tale signs and we've shared their results below.
1. Try facial massage
Why you can trust GoodTo. Our experienced Consumer Editor & parent reviewers spend hours testing products to help you make the best choice. Find out how we test and review products.
The benefits of facial massage are three fold, especially when enjoyed as part of your pre-sleep or morning routine. It’ll not only help to reduce puffiness, but help you to unwind too. And, when adopted in the mornings, it'll help boost circulation for wider awake appearance.
“At its core, facial massage uses the potent power of touch to help transform a person’s face, giving a sense of deep connection and peace,” says massage expert Beata Aleksandrowicz. “Face massage boosts blood circulation, firms the skin, and tones the muscles. It relieves tension and stress too. It also helps to encourage the flow of lymph and releases endorphins, which is one reason why, after a facial, we look, and feel younger.”
All you need is a facial oil or moisturiser and five minutes. A quick YouTube search will reward you with a barrage of how-to videos and guides, but the following is a great place to start.
“Gently press the flat part of the fingers of each hand into your temples and start to make mindful circles breathing regularly,” advises Beta. “Go slowly and intentionally - you will feel the tension release with every movement. Any soothing strokes that use the fingers of both hands in long brushing motions across the face will also bring a sense of calm. Make sure that your hands are light and you stroke gently.”
Our beauty editor recommends:
2. Consider your eye cream
The skin on our faces is thinnest around the eye area, and really takes the brunt of a bad night’s sleep. While the experts are in agreement that everyone should be treating this delicate skin, they’re divided as to whether this needs to be with a dedicated eye cream, or your normal moisturiser.
“A dedicated eye cream will help to reduce the look of puffiness, illuminate the appearance of dark circles under the eyes, reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and crow’s feet,” says Abigail Oleck.
“There’s no reason why you can’t use your regular moisturiser around the eye area if you choose to do so, assuming there are no active ingredients which may cause irritation such as exfoliating acids,” adds Dr Anjali Mahto. “However, many people opt to have a separate eye cream because the formulation is often lighter and therefore better for the delicate skin around the eye area. An additional reason why someone may opt for a separate eye cream is you’ll often find ingredients specifically included for their benefit for the area, such as caffeine.” Look out for nourishing ingredients such as vitamin E and hyaluronic acid too.
Our beauty editor recommends:
3. Rehydrate your skin
Dry skin tends to be low in lipids, the fatty acids that help give skin its bounce. “You can tell if your skin is lacking in oil or lipids by the following characteristics: dull, irritated, flaky, and lacking in glow,” explains Abigail Oleck. Not only are these characteristics frustrating and at times uncomfortable, but they serve to make you look tired too. The problem then becomes two-fold, as fatigue can cause you to neglect your skincare regime, exasperating these issues.
“To remedy this, we need to use products such as hyaluronic acid, take supplements such as Omega 6 and Omega 3 and eat foods such as oily fish, fruit, vegetables and seeds,” continues Abigail. Drinking plenty of water will help too, working from the inside out.
Our beauty editor recommends:
4. Rediscover blusher
If you’re not using a blusher, you’re missing a trick. “Our skin is made up of a multitude of shades and tones,” says Kaytlin Scott, Senior Pro Artist at MAC Cosmetics. “When we apply foundation and concealer we are blocking this variety of tones from being visible. This is why we have highlighter, bronzer, contour and blush: to bring that dimension and life back to our faces! Blusher replicates the natural blood flow we get when our cheeks are flushed and so makes us look perky and youthful. For a lifted look, apply your blusher starting just behind the apple of the cheeks and blend up to the temples.”
Powder formulas are the longest lasting, while cream and liquid formulas provide a softer, more diffused pop of colour.
Our beauty editor recommends:
