Now the end of the party season is finally in sight, and the January detox is quite literally days away, it’s time to start thinking about how to refresh your body, and skin, so you can start 2023 with a New Year’s glow.
We’ve all experienced it - waking up after a late night with a dull, lacklustre complexion alongside a banging headache and a delightful touch of nausea. Well, you can take Nurofen for the sore head, some Coca Cola to settle the stomach, and we’re here to tell you, with the help of biomedical scientist and physician Professor Augustinus Bader, how you can restore your skin to its former pre-hangover beauty, too.
First of all, it’s important to think about what it needs after an evening spent over-indulging. As explained by Bader, ”you want a cocktail of vitamins, minerals, phospholipids and humectants to rebalance the dermis”.
You can achieve this through a straightforward regime:”keep it simple after a night out so as to not inflict any further stress on the skin - a calming balm cleanser, a face mask, a nourishing serum and a soothing moisturiser.”
Bader’s top tips don’t stop there. He also recommends “a good fascia-focused and lymphatic drainage facial massage to stimulate microcirculation and the lymph system, helping to drain any water retention and toxins”.
If you don’t have a facialist on call when you’re feeling fragile, then using a jade roller or gua sha stone is a great easy alternative. Just make sure to keep it in the fridge to maximise its depuffing potential, and invest in a quality facial oil that will create a perfectly smooth surface for whichever tool you use in sweeping upwards motions for optimum drainage.
Then, if you’re targeting areas of redness, signs of fatigue, or want your complexion to look extra peppy, you can use targeted serums with ingredients like vitamin C, caffeine, or niacinamide which at once depuff, brighten, and balance.
We’ve compiled a step-by-step-process that will leave you feeling fresh by the time you’re heading back to work once the joys of the bank holidays are over.
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Step 1 - Cleanse
Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel
A buttery balm that melts beautifully into the skin whilst actively illuminating and nourishing for a balanced, radiant complexion, Oskia’s Renaissance cleanser is brimming with vitamins and enzymes your face will be craving after a night out.
Buy now £38.00, Oskia
Malin + Goetz Go Grapefruit Face Cleanser
While the exterior packaging gives an apothecary feel, don’t underestimate the pampering that the Malin + Goetz products provide. The cleanser has a light foaming - emphasis on the word light - where grapefruit extract acts as a natural antibacterial and gives a zesty invigoration when used as your morning cleanse.
Buy now £30.00, Space NK
La Mer The Cleansing Oil
La Mer’s reputation proceeds it and you can count on the brand to provide a totally luxurious and pampering experience with every wash of the face. But while it feels silky and soft on your skin, it combines nature and science to pack a real punch.
On first look, you may second guess your purchase as it seems to separate in the bottle. But, after a quick shake, it is ready to go where the marine oils and pearl powders combine to lift excess sebum, dirt and grime from the day with ease. Just one pump will do the trick and then massage into your skin to see the oil become a milky texture. The formula also contains the brand’s signature Miracle Broth that’s derived from hand-harvested sea kelp which is brimming with nutrients and minerals.
Buy now £75.00, Cult Beauty
Step 2 - Eye mask
Patchology Flashpatch Rejuvenating eye gels pack of 15 pairs
The undereye area is one that needs some serious attention post-party, so Patchology’s eye gels should be a staple living in your fridge, ready to cover up any signs of a late night in as little as five minutes. Wave goodbye to puffiness, signs of fatigue, and dryness, thanks to the caffeine and collagen which will leave you looking brighter, hydrated, and nourished.
Buy now £30.00, Selfridges
111SKIN Rose Gold Illuminating Eye Mask Box
111SKIN is widely regarded in the beauty industry as having some of the best masks on the market and this includes the label’s eye offering. There are eye masks in every range where each address a specific concern. The Celestial Black Diamond is for firming, the Sub Zero is for de-puffing and our personal favourite, the Rose Gold is for brightening. The packs come with eight hydrogel masks in the box and all have a satisfying cooling effect when applied. They are also all packed with concentrated powerhouse ingredients like pomegranate seed cell culture to counteract pigmentation, colloidal gold for soothing irritation and rose extract for hydration.
Buy now £75.00, Cult Beauty
Step 3 - Face mask
111SKIN Sub-Zero De-Puffing Energy Facial Mask
Sub-zero and de-puffing are two words that we love to hear when we’re feeling worse for wear. Put them together, and you have 111SKIN’s magical hydrogel mask which will reinvigorate tired-looking skin and boost its firmness. Supercharged with active ingredients including tetrapeptide-5, alpha glucosyl hesperidin, and caffeine, it will minimise dark circles, de-puff, and leave you looking revitalised.
Buy now £22.00, Cult Beauty
Augustinus Bader The Face Cream Mask
Whilst hydrogel and sheet masks have become popular in recent years, you can’t go wrong with a classic cream formula. Powered by the brand’s patented TFC8 complex, Augustinus Bader’s face mask will balance your complexion with the ingredients it craves. From providing hydration, elasticity, and brightness, to reducing hyperpigmentation, fine lines, and wrinkles, you’ll experience impressive results in as little as 10 minutes.
Buy now £165.00, Augustinus Bader
VOTARY Radiance Reveal Mask
VOTARY harnesses the power of natural ingredients to pack your skin with all the nutrients that it deserves. Each of the products are created in small batches in the UK and hand-blended so they are kind to the planet as well as your complexion. The Radiance Reveal Mask does what it says on the tin.
Mandelic acid plays a key role within the formulation, placed alongside lactic to gently resurface the skin and result in a glowy look. Use twice a week - say Wednesday and Sunday for example - and you’ll notice the reduction in fine lines, the lightening of hyperpigmentation and even less frequent breakouts.
Buy now £55.00, Cult Beauty
Step 4 - Massage
Herbivore Jade Facial Roller
Not only will a jade roller promote lymphatic drainage and detoxification, a key element of achieving the fresh-faced-look, but it’s also designed to bring harmony, peace, and dispel negative energy, which will certainly come in handy for the hangxiety. Herbivore’s design is one of the most popular on the market, and will reduce signs of puffiness, wrinkles, and facial tension.
Buy now £29.00, Space NK
FaceGym Multi-Sculpt High-Performance Gua Sha
Stroke this tool along the contours of your face to bring the FaceGym experience into your own home. The London and New York-based salon is changing up the facial game by offering a workout for the muscles, rather than a traditional lotion and potion-based treatment.
This is one of the pieces of kit that the brand uses with six edges for the ultimate multitasker. By adding into your skincare routine, you can lift, contour, remove tension, release blockages, aid in drainage, and even tackle fine lines and wrinkles. Keep in the fridge and the stainless steel construction will be a godsend for soothing and depuffing.
Buy now £45.00, Net-A-Porter
Step 5 - Brightening serum
Tatcha Violet-C Brightening Serum
Brimming with brightening ingredients like vitamin C and mild fruit AHAs, and antioxidant-rich Japanese beautyberry, Tatcha’s serum will soften, smooth fine lines, and leave you looking radiant - offering many a solution to your hangover-related-problems.
Buy now £80.00, Space NK
The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2% 30ml
Offering results without a hefty price tag, The Ordinary is beloved for its purse-friendly prices but don’t underestimate the power of the formula. The product has a somewhat gritty, exfoliant-like texture due to the L-Ascorbic Acid powder and is designed to be the last step in your beauty routine. The grainy texture isn’t for everyone but the price tag might convince you otherwise.
Buy now £6.00, Beauty Bay
Sunday Riley C.E.O. Rapid Flash Brightening Serum
The cult brand Sunday Riley’s C.E.O Brightening Serum is designed as a fast-acting solution to dull and tired-looking skin.
The lavish cream may appear thick on application but it absorbs quickly, leaving your skin looking fuller in just a single pump. Containing a derivative of Vitamin C, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, the formula helps fight against unevenness, hyperpigmentation and reduces your pore size. It also has a lovely orangey scent and is a knockout product for very dull skin and long haul flights.
Buy now £70.00, Space NK
Step 6 - Hyaluronic acid
VICHY Liftactiv H.A Epidermic Filler Smoothing 1.5% Hyaluronic Acid Serum
There has been a surge in the number of injectables in recent years but Vichy has designed this intensive product to save you from going under the knife - or should we say, the needle. While offering a superior level of hydration, it has also been proven to minimise the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines as well as dark circles, blemishes and pesky marks that won’t seem to heal.
The combination of active ingredients get to work nourishing, while remaining totally non-invasive. You’ll find Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin C and B within the formulation to support your skin’s natural barriers and giving it a soft, supple finish. The product can be used on all skin types including those with sensitive skin and is non-comedogenic.
Buy now £28.50, lookfantastic
CeraVe Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid Serum All Skin Types
CeraVe is a drugstore brand from the US that delivers in the ingredients department without costing an arm and a leg. With the combination of the named powerhouse - Hyaluronic Acid - paired alongside three variations of ceramides and vitamin B, you are fortifying the skin’s natural defenses by providing relief to irritation and dry areas and increasing moisture. The formula has been enriched with a unique patented MVE Technology to provide continual hydration throughout the day.
Buy now £13.60, lookfantastic
Step 7 - Eye serum
Typology Eye Serum with 5% Caffeine + 5% Niacinamide
Whether it’s puffiness or dark circles, your eyes are the first giveaway of a heavy night. A formula infused with both caffeine and niacinamide, Typology’s serum will at once de-puff, reduce redness, and brighten the area, solving all of your tired-eye-concerns.
Buy now £13.20, Typology
Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Advanced Retinol + Ferulic Triple Correction Eye Serum
Dr. Dennis Gross founded his namesake label on the basis of his many years of expertise as a dermatologist. The Advanced range takes the level of potency that he uses in clinic and makes it possible for everyday use without sacrificing on the benefits.
This serum is designed specifically for the eye area to offer three-in-one benefits. First and foremost, visible sign of ageing. The trademarked Phyto-Retinol Blend firms the likes of crow’s feet. It has also been created to reduce the look of wrinkles and last but not least, offers a good level of hydrating properties in order to balance out the often drying vitamin A powerhouse retinol and antioxidant-rich ferulic.
Buy now £70.00, Space NK
Step 8 - Moisturiser
Tata Harper Fortifying Moisturiser
Tata Harper’s cult favourite Superkind range is exactly what your face needs when it’s looking a tad run down. Designed specifically to rebalance the skin’s natural barrier, provide nourishment, and keep your complexion in check, the brand’s super silky moisturiser will leave your skin protected and glowing thanks to its 28 high-performing ingredients.
Buy now £116.00, Cult Beauty
Kate Somerville HydraKate
If you’ve noticed an increase in breakouts or your complexion is looking duller than usual, it may be down to a lack of hydration. Give your skin a moisturising boost with this latest innovation from Kate Somerville.
The HydraKate collection is made up of a Water Cream and Recharging Serum that is designed to give skin the H2O hit that it needs - increasing hydration by 81 per cent in just 20 minutes with long-lasting effects over the course of the day.
The formula is made up of the brand’s AquaPort Hydration Technology that takes inspiration from the dermatologist’s in-clinic treatment and stimulates aquaporin in the skin for immediate plumping results. There’s also rosemary peptide complex to encourage natural recovery, marigold flower for elasticity, hydration hero hyaluronic acid and blue-light shielding algae extract.
Buy now £65.00, Kate Somerville
La Roche-Posay Effaclar H Moisturising Cream
When you are tackling dry and sensitive skin, the options can feel very limited but with La Roche-Posay in your protective arsenal, you can be sure you are getting a product that won’t cause irritation and packs a punch too. It should also be on hand to follow harsh ingredients like retinol or scrubbing that can disturb the moisture balance.
The product is soothing from the get-go. It gets to work balancing the microbiome, soothing, hydrating for up to 48 hours and calming redness. It doesn’t feel overly thick and applies like a dream. You will also notice a minimising in the appearance of acne scars and marks.
Buy now £14.80, Boots
Step 9 - SPF
Ultra Violette Queen Screen Luminising Sun Serum SPF 50+
As the clever name suggests, sun protection is this Aussie brand’s bread and butter. Referred to as ‘skinscreen’ by its adoring fans, the products combine suncare with a host of powerhouse ingredients that will delight skincare lovers. There are mineral, chemical and even an SPF lip balm to choose from.
For the Luminising Sun Serum, the formula contains a huge radiance boost from the vitamin C-rich kakadu plum that is found in the label’s native country and is said to have 50 times more of the glow-getting ingredient than an orange. The silky serum texture absorbs seamlessly into the skin and can be layered up with ease. It has broad spectrum and blue light protection with SPF50. Bonus points go to the very light rose aroma.
Buy now £36.00, Space NK
Kiehl’s Ultra Light Daily UV Defense Aqua Gel SPF 50 PA++++
Kiehl’s has always excelled in the suncare category, and their newest gel formula is their lightest, most comfortable yet. Ideal for normal to oily skin types, this effortlessly glides onto skin and absorbs quickly, without feeling greasy or leaving a white cast in its wake. As well as UVA and UVB rays, it also protects against pollution, and has a non-shine finish ideal for everyday wear.
Buy now £30.00, Kiehl’s
