We’ve all been guilty of OD’ing on cocktails and dancing through the night ever so often. But have you noticed how your skin looks dull and sallow after a night full of boozy beverages? What makes everything worse is all the alcohol. The sugar content in all those cocktails causes your skin to become puffy, dry and dehydrated. Our 6 hangover skincare hacks will ensure that your skin (just like your memory) shows no telltale signs of anything that happened last night. You can have beautiful skin after a hangover no matter how many cocktails and how little sleep you’ve had!
The key to avoiding a strong hangover is to drink a lot of water. Have a glass of water between your drinks, you’ll thank yourself the next day.
1. Don’t Skip Your Makeup Remover
No matter how drunk or how exhausted you are, the number 1 tip is to ensure you cleanse your skin well. The best would be a cleansing balm or a cleansing oil but after one too many LIIT’s you can barely make it to your bed. We get it! For days like these, makeup remover wipes are your best friend!
POPxo Recommends: Innisfree Green Tea Cleansing Oil (Rs 1,400) or the NYX Professional Makeup Be Gone! Makeup Remover Wipes (Rs 1,025)
2. Sleep With Your Head Elevated
Put one or two pillows under your head and sleep with your neck elevated. This helps to reduce any swelling on your face and eyes caused by all the binge drinking. All the sugar in those cocktails is responsible for your post-hangover bloat. An easy way to keep the swelling away is to use a memory foam pillow that’s designed to keep your neck elevated.
POPxo Recommends: The House of Quirk Space Memory Foam Neck Relief Pillow (Rs 999) or just two fluffy pillows under your neck like the Recron Fiber Dream Pillow (Rs 476)
3. Deep Cleanse The Morning After
Chances are you’ve ended up using a makeup remover wipe and your skin is still left with traces of product. On days like these, it’s always important to deep cleanse the morning after. A good scrub followed by a deep cleanse will ensure that your skin has no residual product clogging your pores.
POPxo Recommends: Kama Ayurveda Kumkumadi brightening Ayurvedic Face Scrub (Rs 1,195) The Face Shop Rice Water Bright Cleansing Foam (Rs 590)
4. Masking Is Key
If you manage to give your skin a deep cleanse after coming home at night, put on an overnight mask before you hit snooze. It will make your skin plump and hydrated the next morning without giving away too much about your night. Even if you forget, don’t fret. Wake up in the morning, or afternoon and give yourself 15 minutes of pampering before you set out for the day. If you’re feeling a little unloved, you could also put on a sheet mask. Keep it in the freezer for 15 mins before you plan to apply it, it will give your skin a refreshing boost.
Start light, apply some lightweight serums before applying a light moisturiser and then finish off with a hydrating mist. Your eyes usually tend to get puffy and give away the night you’ve had. Use some ice cubes, or some frozen tea bags to massage your eyes and bid goodbye to any puffiness. I’m usually super lazy the day after a hangover so I have an eye mask that lives in my freezer for days that follow nights like these.
POPxo Recommends: The Clinique Moisture Surge Overnight Mask (Rs 3,250) or the Laneige Water Sleeping Mask (Rs 2,379) and The Body Shop Oils Of Life Intensely Revitalising Facial Oil (Rs 2,795) are all great overnight solutions to wake up to happier skin.
The Face Shop Real Nature Cucumber Face Mask (Rs 100) and DearPacker Gold Collagen Eye Patch (Rs 200) will give your skin and eyes that quick burst of hydration it needs to start the day. If you don’t have ice cubes handy and you’re a party girl buy the Garnier Skin Natural White Complete Eye Roll On (Rs 199) and store it in the refrigerator!
5. Go Easy On The Makeup
Don’t go overboard the next day with a full face of glam. Just stick to concealer and BB cream. A good concealer will make it look like you’ve had a good night’s sleep! If you want an all over even skin tone, a BB cream will do the trick.
POPxo Recommends: L.A. Girl Pro Conceal HD (Rs 535) and the L’Oreal Paris True Match BB Cream (Rs 650)
6. Hydrate On Repeat
Drink a good amount of liquids through the day. Ditch the caffeine and sodas and have water, lime juice or coconut water. This will not only help your body release toxins but hydrate it well too.
