Is your skin dull and dehydrated after drinking? Here’s how to tackle your ‘hungover skin’ from just £6
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December is one long exercise in overindulgence: too much booze, not enough water, and late-night binge eating at Quality Streets. It’s no surprise that when we look in the mirror, many of us notice changes in our skin, such as tightness, dullness, flaking, or simply an alarmingly worn-out face. Hangover skin is real and no amount of desperately running water will solve the problem.
The good news is you don’t need a £90 serum to look human again. The right products can do a lot of the heavy lifting, especially when they focus on hydration, soothing, and barrier repair. Think facial sprays that revitalize on contact, masks that eliminate damage overnight, and creams that lock moisture back where it belongs.
These are the ten buys I’m restocking on to help soothe and repair my hungover skin this festive season. They’re hard-working, effective and best of all, they’re all under £15 at such an expensive time of year; Because your skin may be suffering, but your bank account doesn’t need it either.
Inkey List Hyaluronic Acid Serum is like a glass of water for your face. It uses supramolecular hyaluronic acid to draw moisture back into dehydrated skin, helping skin look plumper, smoother and less wrinkled after a late night. Added glycerin further boosts moisture, softens dryness, and relieves that taut, tired feeling so your skin looks fresher and more alert. – Even if you’re not.
This oat gel moisturizer feels super lightweight and absorbs quickly, but still provides great hydration to your skin. – what exactly After drinking and bad sleep, you want to suck the moisture out of your face. It’s packed with prebiotic oats, which help soothe irritations and strengthen your skin’s moisture barrier, and calming feverfew, which helps with redness or tension, so your skin looks much less tired. It’s fragrance-free and gentle on sensitive skin, so it’s perfect for those prone to acne. Our top tip? Put it in the refrigerator 10 minutes before application. Happiness.
If your eyes are giving you ‘too spicy edges’, these patches are a quick fix. The cooling gel formula hydrates the under-eye area using hyaluronic acid and sodium PCA, helping to reduce dryness and soften fine lines caused by dehydration. The added collagen and trehalose help skin look firmer and cushioned, while the cool sensation helps soothe puffiness so those dreaded eye bags are less noticeable.
This feather-light moist milk is all about adding some moisture to your skin without feeling heavy; It’s just what you need when alcohol and poor sleep leave your face dull and dehydrated. It uses hyaluronic acid to attract water to the skin and squalene to help lock it in, so your skin feels softer and looks more hydrated and refreshed instead of dull and dried out.
This is the perfect product to throw in your bag after a big night out and spritz on when you need to wake up. Hyaluronic acid helps skin retain moisture, while peach extract and coconut water give a soft, fresh finish, leaving your face looking more hydrated, healthier and brighter than ‘ahhh, I’m exhausted’. Place it in the refrigerator before applying for extra cooling and soothing refreshment.
This two-step rubber mask is more like a full facial than a sheet mask. First, apply a concentrated hyaluronic acid serum to infuse skin with moisture, then press on the cooling rubber layer that locks in moisture and helps your skin absorb it properly. This cooling effect also instantly wakes up dull, puffy, winter-dry skin, leaving skin feeling softer and plumper after a night of drinking.
Everyone knows the pain of waking up the next morning with cracked, dry lips that look disgusting and feel like crispy bacon. This intense lip balm is designed for exactly this type of damage; It uses glycerin to draw back moisture and panthenol to help soothe and repair sore, flaky skin. It soothes irritations, softens cracks and makes lips look human again quickly, without any pain.
This is a rescue mask suitable for dry, tight and slightly damaged skin after a late night. It is full of moisturizing ingredients such as hyaluronic acid and glycerin to hydrate dehydrated skin, while barrier-supporting actives help lock moisture back in. Leave it on and it handles the tough work throughout the night, so you wake up feeling calmer, fuller, and more worn out.
This cute looking little moisturizing stick is like a shot of coffee for your skin after a late night. The formula is built on icy water to quickly replenish lost moisture and leave skin looking plumper and brighter on the go; Perfect for those mornings when you need some freshness without a full routine. Glycerin and sodium hyaluronate help attract and retain water, so your skin will not only feel temporarily cooler, but also appear less dehydrated.
This is the perfect overall rescue cream when your skin feels dry and dull after a night of alcohol and no water. It’s made with a blend of skin-conditioning ingredients like lanolin (a super-rich natural moisturizer) that mimics your own skin oils to help lock in moisture, Vitamin E that nourishes and protects against irritation, and milk and nut oils that leave skin feeling soft instead of tight. For a visible injection of moisture, use it on your face, hands, or any rough areas that look dull and dehydrated.
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