How to wake up more beautiful than you went to sleep

By charleston
September 30, 2021September 30, 2021
alpha h chanel creme glow recipe
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Here are two things about me that are undeniably and quite unfortunately true: I’m very lazy with my beauty routine and I don’t get enough sleep.

Of all the cardinal beauty rules I’ve broken, probably the one where I sometimes don’t wash my make-up off before bed, or do a quick and desultory wipe with micellar water, is the worst.

Especially since it’s true that our skin cells do the best hard work of turning over and renewing overnight. Beauty sleep really is a thing.

As Charlotte Clague, retail and education manager at Alpha-H (the brand recently added its first overnight treatment to its cult range) puts it, “Your body shuts down at night so it can get to work renewing and replenishing all your systems—including your skin—while you sleep.”

Beauty sleep really is a thing. Image credit: Paramount Pictures

This is the time, says Clague, to amplify your skincare with the really potent stuff.

“[W]hen it comes to your evening/overnight skincare routine, you want to be reaching for products that work to regenerate and repair the skin. Think ingredients like glycolic acid, lactic acid and salicylic acid that speed up your skin’s natural exfoliation processes to remove dull, dead skin cells and congestion, and ingredients that work to promote skin renewal and collagen production like Vitamin A retinoids),” she says.

“Overnight is also a really great time to feed your skin with hydration and nourishment so it can replenish moisture stores. Reach for serums and moisturisers rich in vitamins, ceramides, and humectants like hyaluronic acid.”

Understanding how your body restores, protects and rejuvenates overnight is important too. Gemma Rogers, national education manager at Estée Lauder says we should note that skin has its very own circadian rhythm.

“[D]uring the day, skin is in protection mode against pollution/UV/blue light etc. At night when skin is not busy defending itself from the environment, skin switches into repair and renewal mode—repairing the damage from the day and boosting its natural functions, such as collagen and elastin production. Between the hours of 11:00pm and 2:00am, natural skin recovery is at its peak, but this is also the time when skin experiences its greatest moisture loss,” she says.

To mitigate this Rogers suggests seeking out skincare products that specifically support these skin processes throughout the night.

Her pick? Estée Lauder’s Advanced Night Repair Serum.

Which, as this lazy beauty routine person can attest, will help skin look rested and even radiant even if you didn’t get close to your eight hours.

And if you’re similarly lacking in ‘ZZZ’s, or just want to supercharge your overnight beauty regime, keep on scrolling for products that will help you fake a good night’s sleep.