How To Look Well Rested On Your Wedding Day (Even If You're Not!)
In my experience I would say that most brides I see on a wedding morning have had limited sleep the night before. The good news is that one night of bad (or no in some cases!) sleep doesn’t do too much harm. However, it can make shadows and under-eye circles you already naturally have more pronounced and skin look lack-lustre.
A lack of sleep might make you look more hollow-eyed and paler, but the magic of makeup will help massively; a decent concealer will hide areas that perhaps aren’t looking their best and the right blush and lip colours will bring a healthy glow back. But before makeup, there are a couple of rituals that will help you look and feel a bit fresher so here are three tips on dealing with the aftermath of a sleepless night:
Cold Compress
- Dark circles and puffy eyes usually respond well to cooling; it helps reduce swelling and generally calm things down. There are plenty of ways to apply a cold remedy to the area but remember to be gentle as the skin around your eyes is very delicate. Here’s some ideas:
- Stash a gel filled eye mask in your freezer overnight and wear it for 10 minutes
- Pop two metal tablespoons in the fridge for half an hour and then apply to your eyes for 10 minutes
- Stick two used tea bags in the fridge for an hour and then enjoy the coolness but also the slight tightening of the under-eye area due to their mildly astringent properties
- And finally, my favourite is cucumber; they are usually in the fridge, mostly water and feel incredibly hydrating and cool when placed over tired eyes.
Wake Up Skin
- A limited night of sleep doesn’t allow the skin to renew and replenish itself as thoroughly as normal so needs a kick start to reduce the dullness. Avoid face masks or anything extreme, stick to gentle and nourishing solutions like the ideas below.
- Give yourself a DIY facial massage, starting at the top of your forehead and down towards your sinuses. This will help to drain any congestion causing skin puffiness or blockages in the nasal passages
- Exercise will instantly get the blood pumping around your body bringing back a healthy glow to your skin and helping you to feel more alert, 5-10 minutes is the perfect pep up. So, get out in the garden and do some star jumps, run up and down the stairs or go for a brisk walk/jog to the end of your street!
- Exfoliating will help to get rid of tired skin; use a creamy luxurious gentle formula (that you’ve used before, no new products on your wedding day just in case you have a bad reaction!) as this will improve texture, re-charge skin cells and rejuvenate lovely glowing skin.
Stay Hydrated
Water is amazing, it is the perfect tonic after a bad night of sleep. On waking splash your face and wrists with cold water and glug down a big glass full of it; this will help your body start to feel alive again and your skin revived. Keep getting water on board all morning, a glass of celebratory fizz is also allowed of course but make sure you keep hydrated. Not only is water great for your skin by nourishing it from the inside but it helps your brain work better by keeping you awake, energised and ready to go – pretty integral for the most important day of your life!
