Not getting your full 8 hours worth? You’ll be surprised at just how many people don’t get anywhere near the amount of quality sleep that they need at night, and it can be really tough to forget about those lost hours when they show right there on your face.
I’ve got a bit of an ongoing issue with sleepless nights (and it comes in the form of a very small, very cute 8 month-old who prefers snuggling to snoozing) and, like lots of people for whom slumber is being cut short, my skin is suffering badly. I have fatigue face. So while I crave plumpness, smoothness and hydration, I have sallowness, imperfections and a texture that can only be described as a close cousin to sandpaper. Ouch.
Don’t feel lumbered with tired skin, though, because no matter what it is that’s keeping you up at night there are some brilliant quick fixes that will instantly perk you up. It’s time to wake up to radiant skin at long last. Who’s with me?
Fight tired skin
Time-poor? Looking for a quick fix to ward off the people who remind you that you look as tired as you feel? Then you need an instant boost. An instant boost is what I like to think of as a skincare SOS; it’ll help you out of a skincare emergency by quickly perking up the look and feel of the skin, and can be used alongside your established skincare routine. Add it in and or leave it out – it all depends upon how your complexion is feeling that day!
#1 – Smooth
bareMinerals Mix. Exfoliate. Smooth. Add-To-Cleanser Skin Polishing Grains
One of the easiest ways to boost the appearance of tired skin is by giving its desquamation process a nudge. Desquamation is the action of ridding dead skin cells, which can make your complexion appear dull and even scaly if left for long enough. If the canvas that you’re working with is rough and uneven, then anything that you put on top of it won’t be absorbed as readily, so it’s important to slough away those skin cells and start anew. My favourite for the job is the bareMinerals Mix. Exfoliate. Smooth. Add-To-Cleanser Skin Polishing Grains, a combination of orange peel, black rice grains and sea salt that is nicely gritty but not harsh on the skin, and can be added to any of your existing cleansers to achieve exfoliating bliss.
#2 – Rehydrate
REN Flash Hydro-Boost Instant Plumping Emulsion
Dullness isn’t limited to slowed-down desquamation; it can also be linked to a lack of hydration. When skin is sallow, thin and lacking in water it can seem all the more tired. A brilliant instant pick-me-up when you’ve had a night of interrupted sleep is the REN Flash Hydro-Boost Instant Plumping Emulsion, which makes skin feel cushiony in a flash. It does so by drawing water in and circulating it through the skin, before locking it in with hyaluronic acid. Your face appears smoother, fresher, plumper and altogether healthier-looking in mere minutes. Sandwich it in between your serum and moisturiser for an immediate boost.
#3 – Reenergise
If you’re looking for an instant blast of energy for your tired skin, then the Caudalie Beauty Elixir should be your first port of call. It’s so easy to fit into your existing skincare routine; you literally just spray it all over the face whenever you fancy a boost! This iconic spray-on toner reinvigorates the complexion with a medley of plant oils including rosemary, peppermint, myrrh and rose, which give the skin a gentle radiance. Spritz the Beauty Elixir between cleansing and moisturising as a toner, mist it on again to set makeup, and finally spray it intermittently throughout the day for a mini boost of energy whenever you need it most.
#4 Transform Overnight
Vichy Idealia Peeling Night Peeling Care
This one isn’t an ‘apply and go’ fix; instead, it does its thing overnight so that you wake up to skin that looks and feels revitalised, meaning you get your day off to a great start with minimum effort. Vichy Idealia Peeling Night Peeling Care is a radiance-enhancing treatment that is enhanced with a 4% concentration of glycolic acid, an ingredient that reinvigorates the cell turnover process in a different way to physical exfoliation (see the difference between chemical and physical exfoliation here). Simply apply to a cotton pad and sweep over your face, as you would do with a toner. Follow with your usual moisturiser if you err on the side of dryness, and use a moisturiser with SPF protection in the morning.
#5 – Bright Eyes
REN Keep Young and Beautiful Instant Brightening Beauty Shot Eye Lift
There are plenty of eye creams that do a brilliant job of moisturising overtired eye contours, but there’s nothing that tautens ‘I’ve been up all night’ eyes quite like the Instant Brightening Beauty Shot Eye Lift from REN. This serum-like quick fix works to immediately tighten, brighten and lift the eye area with its liquid matrix of hyalurons, and it can be used over and over throughout the day to top up its eye-opening results (even over makeup, it’s magic). No one will ever know you only got 3 hours of sleep last night!
