Christmas time and other holiday festivities are the perfect reason to celebrate being alive and the perfect reason to get together with friends and eat, drink, and be merry.
You'll come home with cracked makeup on the face, runny mascara, dehydrated from alcohol, if you partake, and with a puffy face from the delicious Christmas cake. And you'll be too full, too tired, and too unbothered so you'll fall right into bed.
So here are a few tips for repairing your skin the morning after.
1. Drink at least one glass of water with a rehydration tablet or salts, and add collagen with hyaluronic acid to it. You can find rehydration salts at your pharmacy. They are usually sold over the counter to treat stomach viruses.
2. Remove your makeup in 2 stages. Apply a face oil liberally and use a wet wash cloth to wipe away the dry and caked on makeup. Makeup is made with oil, clay powders, and mica colours as the main ingredients and oil attracts oil and will be the quickest way to remove oil and clay and colour. Then, use your regular/daily facial cleanser to restore your skin to a clean, neutral state.
3. If your skin still feels dry, itchy, and parched use a hydration fluid such as a water-based serum or a hydration mist. Add a wet cotton sheetmask for maximum hydration, then follow up with a face cream with hyaluronic acid so that your skin will retain the water particles you give it and stay hydrated for longer.
4. De-puff your skin with your gua sha tool (which you can make cool by putting in the freezer for 15 minutes or just use a cold spoon). Massage your face in upward strokes and around the eyes for 15 minutes or more.
5. Go outside. Get some clean, fresh air, and give your skin the oxygen it needs to refresh and renew. Go for a walk.