Fake a good night’s sleep with these products, tips

Right now, your brain is under the influence of coronavirus. 

Every aspect of your life is ruled by COVID-19, including your sleep patterns. In addition to vivid dreams, we’re not sleeping as well if we’re even sleeping at all.

Thanks to this global pandemic, our brains are always in fight-or-flight mode which translates to many restless nights. I wish I could grant you the beauty sleep you so deserve, but I can do you one better.

Here are a few tricks that will help you fake a full eight hours.

 

Get ahead of it

If you know it’s going to be a late night, the best thing you can do to prep your skin for the next day is to slather it in a nourishing oil. I love something like Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate to deeply hydrate, which is exactly what parched, sleep-deprived skin needs. Packed with botanicals, it also works to restore the skin’s appearance while you sleep, no matter how short your night may be, and its calming lavender scent may help you drift off to dreamland more easily.

 

Take your vitamins  

One of the tell-tale signs of a good night’s sleep is glowing skin. Thankfully, vitamin C serum is that in a bottle. Use this in your AM routine in between toner and moisturizer (and before other serums since vitamin C should directly on your skin) to brighten your complexion. Also, vitamin C helps to kickstart collagen production, which over time helps your skin to look bouncier and firmer. I like Summer Fridays CC Me Serum.

 

Brighten eyes

Eye drops (Visine Original Redness Relief) have become the single most important product to me during quarantine because they immediately make me look refreshed. Use drops before applying any skin care products so nothing gets into your eyes and irritates them, defeating the purpose. Using a rich eye cream with vitamin C and peptides such as Drunk Elephant C-Tango Multivitamin Eye Cream is a must, or try OleHenriksen Banana Bright Eye Crème. Also made with vitamin C, it contains tiny pigments to reflect the light and instantly brighten undereyes. Store eye cream in the refrigerator for de-puffing effects.

 

Bump up hydration

Something that will look parched after a restless night we don’t talk about? Your lips. Use something like Glossier Bubblewrap Eye + Lip Cream for a shot of hydration to your pout. On the rest of your face, lack of ZZZs can disrupt your skin’s moisture barrier, leaving you looking rough since dehydration accentuates fine lines and wrinkles. A hyaluronic acid serum will help draw moisture into your skin and plump it up, giving it a really good drink. Some serums also will contain B vitamins, which help skin to better soak up that moisture and retain it, such as Glossier Super Bounce. Just make sure to always layer a moisturizer over your hyaluronic acid serums. Without this layer of moisturizer to act as a barrier, hyaluronic acid can backfire and actually make your skin drier. Any moisturizer will do the job, but I’m a big fan of using one with peptides such as Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream, which helps to support skin’s strength over time to keep it looking firm and healthy.

 

Dew it up

Sometimes, even when our skin care routine is on-point, lack of sleep can make us look sullen and dry. To give your skin an extra boost, layer a product like Touch in Sol Pretty Filter Glassy Skin Balm (made with ultra rich hydrators) or Glossier Futuredew (a blend of nourishing oils and light-reflecting minerals) over your final skin care step. This will give your complexion immediate radiance. Use these under something with sheer coverage, like tinted moisturizer (Neutrogena Healthy Skin Radiant Tinted Moisturizer is nice), to give you a lit-from-within glow all day.

 

Try this concealer hack

Reaching for concealer, especially one intended to brighten, is the sure-fire way to look like you got your beauty sleep. However, a stark, bright swoop under your entire eye can look garish — especially if you’re already tired. Implementing two shades of concealer into your routine can help you look even better, according to celebrity makeup artist Colby Smith. First, dot a super creamy concealer (I love NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer) in a lighter shade from the inner corners of your undereyes to just under the pupil aka where your undereyes will be the most bluish-purple. Use a flat brush to blend (This ELF one is great and affordable) the concealer out, staying within the line you created. Next, use a concealer in a similar color to your skin tone or makeup base (my favorite is Fenty Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Concealer) to blend out from under the pupil to the outer corner, also using a flat brush. Finally, use your ring finger to pat around the edges to soften any harsh lines and set like normal.

 

Make-up to wake up

When we’re tired, our eyelids can look dark and shadowy, so apply a tiny bit of concealer to your lids and pat it in with your fingertips for a seamless finish. (The warmth of your fingers always will give you a perfect melty-blended finish.) Curling your lashes helps to make your whole face look bright and awake, and swipe on a coat of a lightweight mascara that won’t weigh down lashes such as Glossier Lash Slick. Use a rosy blush with hints of golden shimmer (try Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso) on your cheeks, slightly higher up than normal, to immediately illuminate your face. Remember our lip prep? Swipe on a bright pink hydrating lip balm like Fresh Sugar Dream Advanced Lip Therapy over smooth lips to complete the look.