Over-indulging across the festive period is as inevitable as your feigned happiness at yet another pair of oven gloves from your sister-in-law. Instead of worrying about trying to cut down on alcohol, treats and late nights or hiding away, learn how to cover-up the effects each of these evils leaves upon your complexion.
Here are the products and tips to get you through until New Year’s Day.
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If you’re suffering from Booze Face….
Does brandy butter count as an alcoholic unit? Although, even without those three scoops you probably still managed to be reach your weekly limit over the last couple of days.
The symptoms: Skin redness, dehydration, puffiness.
The solutions: Firstly, put some moisture back in with a heavy hitting hydration mask. If you can’t spare a minute to yourself, make use of your unconscious hours with an overnight treatment, such as Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask, £24. If you can escape to the bathroom for ten minutes, try Liz Earle’s Intensive Nourishing Treatment Mask, £16, and give yourself a mini facial massage while the formula gets to work. Place your thumbs under your chin and sweep towards the ears to encourage the fluid to drain from your jawline.
If you’ve got to leave the house (the fact that the biggest party night of the year falls at the end of a week long appearance onslaught is terribly unfair), then minimise redness with a green tinted primer. Smashbox Photo Finish Correcting Primer Green, £26, looks scary but immediately takes out red tones and can be used without foundation or layered underneath. For on-the-go touch ups, Max Factor Colour Corrector Stick, £8.99, is great popped in a handbag. Both of these also work well for hot flush management too.
If you’re suffering from Sugar Face…
When Quality Street chocolates are a perfectly acceptable breakfast and you’ve shifted the time-frame for After Eights to the A.M, chances are you might have lost a little bit of your glow.
The symptoms: Grey, pasty complexion, breakouts.
The solutions:Triple dose your illumination with a holy trinity of radiance-boosting moisturiser, base and highlighter. Start with Elemis Pro Radiance Illuminating Flash Balm, £37 – it gives a subtle but perceptible glow without being sparkly or too dewy. Layer this with Laura Mercier Candleglow Soft Luminous Foundation, £35, which does exactly what it says on the tin and gives you a lovely brightening, soft-focus effect.
When it comes to highlighter leave the strobing, caking and baking to the teens and for a look that’s sheen rather than sweaty, a dab of Nars Illuminator in 413 BLKR, £22.50, on the cheekbones can be instantly transforming.
For breakouts, Charlotte Tilbury’s The Retoucher, £25, is a grown up version of your teenage Rimmel Hide The Blemish, treating and concealing your imperfections.
If you’re suffering from Sleepless Face…
The uncomfortable guest bed at your relatives, or your own house if you’ve been kind enough to sacrifice your bedroom, means your eight hours has gone out of the window
The symptoms: Dark circles, pallid skin, dehydration.
The solutions: Your nigh-time skin regime is even more important when you’re not getting your forty winks, so it’s worth spending a few more minutes on your face. Elizabeth Arden Flawless Future Night Cream, £42, has been proven by MRI scan to induce relaxation and happiness with its scent, so a slather of this will give you double benefits. Add to this with a spritz of the cult This Works Deep sleep Pillow Spray, £16, (if Ben Fogle can use it to drift off in a hammock on the edge of a ravine, it’ll do you for the in-laws sofa bed).
Still look like you’ve been dug up the next morning? Benefit’s Fake-Up Under Eye Concealer, £18.50, is as hydrating as it is covering, so it won’t get stuck in lines under your eyes. Finish by giving your eyes an extra shot of awakening with a little highlighter above and below your brow arch.
If you’re suffering from central-heating face…
You haven’t left the house since, well you can’t remember what day it is today so you’re not entirely sure, but it’s been a while and the heat has been cranked right up
The symptoms: Dryness, dullness, increased sensitivity
The solutions: Give your skin some fresh air without leaving the house by giving it five minutes with Bliss Triple Oxygen Energising Foaming Mask, £42. It’s super quick acting and it offers a glow in a flash. Then, if you don’t already use a serum now’s the time to add one into your regime. Pick one high in hyaluronic acid, such as Vichy Aqualia Thermal Serum, £22.50, which is also excellent at soothing and calming skin should the artificial temperatures have left your face as stressed and irritated .
If neither of these make a difference, it’s time to bring in the big guns. Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Oil, £85, may have a price tag that’s not terribly compatible with post-Christmas funds, but it’s one of the few things that makes a real and noticeable difference to dry and dull skin from the very first use.
If you’re suffering from Stress Face….
Guests that have passed their best-before-date, toys that didn’t come with the requisite batteries, divorce-inducing rows over the Queen’s speech. The list of festive stresses is endless…
The symptoms: All of the above.
[“source-ndtv”]
