So it was a great party or the baby (or a new date!) kept you up all night but somehow you still need to look presentable the next day. Late nights and early mornings (or worse, a night with no sleep at all) do nothing for your looks but you really can recover from a sleepless night if you know how. Just make sure you catch up on your beauty sleep the very next day, if you can!
Wake Yourself Up
If you have to get out the door, spending a bit of time getting yourself together is going to do you a lot more good than another 20 minutes lying in bed. So drag yourself out of bed and hit the shower. Alternate blasts of warm and cool water (as cold as you can bear) will refresh you and wake you up ready to face the day as well as you can.
Add Moisture
Your skin is the first part of you to suffer from a sleepless night so treat it kindly with a great moisturizer. If you have time, apply a moisturizing mask to your face. If not, just put an extra thick layer of your normal moisturizer on your face, let it sink in while you moisturize your body and work on your eyes, then tissue off any excess before you apply make up.
Soothe Red Eyes
Soothe tired eyes with a cooling eye mask (the kind you keep in the fridge) or make do with with a bag of frozen peas wrapped in cloth. Then, apply eye drops to reduce the redness. You can use these during the day to keep them more comfortable too, whenever your eyes feel tired and gritty. Follow the instructions on the pack.
Use Fragrance
A spritz of light refreshing scent can help wake you up and invigorate you and make you feel feminine and pretty rather than the monster that just crawled out of bed.
Apply Light Makeup
The whole idea behind makeup on a day like this is to improve your look, not draw attention to yourself so light and pretty is best rather than going overly dramatic. Use a light foundation to disguise the grayness that is a result of no sleep and an under eye concealer to cover dark circles. Then put on a light dusting of translucent powder if you have any oiliness in your skin. After that go for a natural look in eyeshadow with a touch of eye shadow, soft eyeliner and mascara. A little swirl of natural colored blush will give you a healthier look and finish off with a pretty rather than bright lipstick and touch of gloss on the lower lip.
If you have time a couple of makeup tricks can lighten up tired eyes:-
- apply a light colored shadow (nude, beige or white depending on your coloring) to the inner corner of the eye on either side of the nose. This can give you a more wide awake look
- apply nude or white eyeliner to the waterline on the lower rims of your eyes (if you eyes are not too sore) to make eyes look less red. See How to Apply White Eyeliner
Eat Breakfast
 And For the Days When You DO Get Your Beauty Sleep… |
You may not feel like eating much if you over-indulged the night before or you have a bit of a hangover. But it will help you feel better to eat something. A vitamin packed smoothie would be a great choice, if you have time to prepare one. If not, eat a juicy apple or orange or nibble on a crunchy carrot while you get ready.
You could load yourself up with caffeine to get through the day and drink strong black coffee – and you might need to, depending how tired you are and what you have to get done – but it is a bit like whipping a tired donkey to keep it going, so try and avoid it if you can.
Go For Comfort
This is not the day for 4 inch heels or tight clothing. Give yourself a break and choose something that is smart but casual to lift your look and make you feel attractive without adding to your distress. Knit fabrics, pants suits or wrap around dresses work well and can be dressed up or down with the right accessories.
Hydrate!
Keep yourself well hydrated during the day by sipping water whenever you can. Even if you need to keep yourself going with caffeine, alternate caffeinated drinks with water or herbal teas.
Fresh Air And Exercise
Get some fresh air at some point – in the morning, if you can. A walk outside will re-energize you, unless it is hot and humid outside. You may not feel like exercise but it can do a power of good, especially if it’s something gentle like yoga that is designed to boost your spirits as well as work your body.
Don’t Knock Yourself Out
If you have to work, keep yourself going with tasks that are not too onerous as far as possible but choose something that keeps you interested to take your mind off how tired you are. You will feel better if you get something done but leave early if you can, so you can get home and get some much needed shut eye.
Remember, don’t be too hard on yourself the morning after the night before for not getting your beauty sleep. No one looks back on their life and remembers the nights they got plenty of sleep! It’s just best not to make it too much of a regular thing of late nights early mornings if you want to look good. (And rest assured baby WILL grow up if that’s who is keeping you awake – believe me – I have trouble getting my boys out of bed now!)
