How to Wake up Beautiful – PART 1

How to Wake up Beautiful – PART 1

As much as we all wish we could wake up from a slumber looking Sleeping Beauty-flawless, the reality isn’t always as pretty (read: not even close). After all, it seems like even the most effortless beauty looks involve some dedication and time spent in front of the mirror (or a talent with the blow dryer, at best). This works on the mornings when we miraculously avoid hitting snooze, but let’s be real – between all of our late nights and early mornings, the snooze button has become a close friend we’d rather not ditch. So what’s a busy girl to do? The answer is simple: Prep the night before. Your nightly routine can easily – and quickly – help you avoid looking less than your bright-eyed self. Follow these 15 rules to get gorgeous overnight.

Rule #1: ALWAYS Remove Makeup

This seems like a given, but a recent study found that only 50% of women wash their face regularly. According to Assistant Professor at Yale Department of Dermatology Mona Gohara, “leaving makeup, sunscreen or smog residue on your face can lead to unwanted acne and even wrinkles.” Use removing wipes to start as a minimum, such as Garnier SkinActive Micellar Makeup Removing Towelettes or go all out with a more hardcore remover for stubborn, waterproof formulas, like La Roche Posay Respectissime Makeup Remover or Urban Decay Makeup Meltdown Remover Cleansing Oil Stick.

Rule #2: Double-Cleanse Skin

If you have the five minutes, cleanse skin thoroughly at night—there’s no easier way to wake up with clearer, brighter skin than to rid it of a day’s worth of grime, pollution, impurities, sebum and more. Start with an oil cleanser on dry skin to remove surface-level dirt, such as Giorgio Armani Beauty Crema Nera Extrema Supreme Balancing Gel-in-Oil Cleanser, then follow up with a surfactant-filled foaming cleanser to remove any leftover oil and impurities, like La-Roche PosayToleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser. Alternatively, there are now double cleansers worth trying, such as L’Oreal Paris Pure Clay Exfoliate & Refine Cleanser, a mousse-to-foam formula applied to dry skin.

Rule #3: Boost Moisture With Hyaluronic Acid (H2)

Hyaluronic acid is another ingredient to look for in your nighttime regime. “"It's a potent skin hydrator that keeps things smooth and supple," says Elizabeth Tanzi, M.D., an associate clinical professor of dermatology at George Washington University. Hyaluronic acid is found naturally in the skin, and it has the ability to physically encapsulate and hold H2O. Products with these molecules allow just the right amount of moisture to bind to the skin without feeling greasy or heavy, and hyaluronic acid won't contribute to potential zits or breakouts, either. Apply Vichy Mineral 89 Fortifying and Plumping Booster or SkinCeuticalsH.A. Intensifier post-cleanse, pre-night cream or oil to wake up with fresh, dewy skin.

Rule #4: Add in Retinol, the PM Wunderkind

Did you know that the term “beauty sleep” comes from the fact that your skin cells actually regenerate at night? Gohara recommends helping your skin’s recovery process by choosing a retinol-based product, like SkinCeuticals Retinol 0.5 Refining Night Cream. (A concentration of one percent, though, which is also available, is twice as strong—so start slowly with this stuff.) Retinol helps with basically everything: It aids in reducing the appearance of inflammation and henceforth breakouts, decrease the appearance of the size of pores, and reduces wrinkles.

RULE #5: Reach for an overnight oil

Consider your overnight oil the luxurious cherry on top of your sleep sundae: Keep a bottle next to your bed, so you can apply it right before you hit the sack. Try Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate. Not only does it have humectant oils to seal in all the active ingredients you’ve used during your skincare routine, but it also contains aromatherapeutic ingredients to help you snooze, such as evening primrose oil and lavender extract.

Rule #6: Spot Treat With a Face Mask

Use the time you snooze smartly, and get in the benefits of a face mask without having to worry if someone’s going to ring the doorbell while you’ve got green glop on your face. But instead of putting on a face full worth of it, try spot-treating or multi-masking, treating specific concerns with formulas that address them. For example, The Body Shop Himalayan Charcoal Purifying Glow Mask is ideal for dotting onto any zits before bed thanks to its detoxifying ingredients.