If your holiday calendar’s looking as full as an A-lister’s, it’s time to plan like one (or like an A-lister’s personal assistant). Winging it won’t work — not for your schedule, wardrobe, gifts, or your skin. Successive late nights take their toll and makeup can do only so much to hide stress acne and eye bags. Follow these tips for glowing skin, flowing energy and a festive mood, and you’ll be the toast of the town instead of plain burnt out!
Step 1: Plan Your Appearances.
Be your own manager: which invitations are important to accept (close friends, family, major work functions), and which can you decline with a thoughtful note or gift? If you’re still left with a slew of events, cherry pick when you really party it up (hint: every night is not a good idea). Some nights, leave early. If you can’t make it an early night, try this trick: keep a drink in your hand and nurse it aaaallllll night. Even trickier, swap it out for a fresh drink every hour or so. This keeps people from thinking you’re not participating in the festivities and urging you to party more than you can or want to.
Step 2: For Freshness, Just Add Water.
Alcohol, stress, cold weather and indoor heating all dehydrate, which contributes to hangovers, puffy eyes, and inflammation, and makes skin appear tired, duller and older. For each glass of alcohol, drink a full one of H20. Down another glass before bed.
TIP: After a night of over-indulgence — particularly if there's been lots of, um, "elimination" into the toilet — coconut water is a great alternative to sugared, coloured sports drinks to rehydrate and replenish electrolytes and nutrients.
Step 3: Schedule In Recovery.
It’ll be challenging, but get 8 hours of sleep whenever possible, and nap for 7-10 minutes to reenergize without longer-nap “sleep inertia.” An incredible many-birds-with-one-stone tip: weekly facials. In one hour, you get a nap plus stress relief plus a renewing skin treatment!
Step 4: Keep It Clean, Not Mean.
So much makeup and such drying weather...the last thing you want is to over-cleanse. Use a makeup remover prior to washing your face — this removes most makeup so cleansing with a facial wash can be shorter and gentler. When cleansing, choose an ultra-gentle, non-drying cream cleanser for you skin type and skin concerns (don't use soap; due to the way soaps are made their pH levels are naturally higher than cream or liquid cleansers, making them drying and denaturing to skin) …
…and don’t ever go to sleep without taking your makeup off.
Step 5: Prep Your Party Arsenal.
Stock up on emergency fixes and your "glow-to" beauty tools:
a) Keep those eye bags deflated: Re-Everything Eye Serum.
b) Despite our best efforts, an errant pimple or full-flush flare-up can happen. Keep your "skin emergency" tools handy: Red Better Spot Corrector or Red Better Flare-Up Balm;
c) Power camouflage: Skin-The-Bluff Concealer for dark circles and blemishes;
d) The Big, Brave Boo-Boo Balm for everything from flyaway hair taming to ultra-dry lips, shoe blisters, and even highlighting!
e) Perfect one makeup look that works for all events to save yourself loads of prep time. Classic, filled-in, well-shaped brows, defined eyes, and bright colors last longer, are easy to touch-up, work in every party, and frame the face beautifully so you look amazing in photos and videos no matter the lighting or the state of the evening!
Step 6: Health Is Never Off "Dew"ty.
A social life in full swing doesn’t mean fitness is on furlough. With so many late nights, cocktails and rich treats, it’s more important than ever to stay healthy. Exercise daily to hasten recovery, fight stress and boost your mood; be strict about your daily skin care regimen (simplify with a SuperSkin Care system); and eat more fruits and veggies than usual (cocktail garnishes don’t count).
With these 6 steps, you’ll not only sail through the festivities beautifully but start the new year right, too!
