Beauty Sleep strategies and makeup tips for faking it.
While it would be ideal to boast 7-8 hours of sleep nightly, for most of us with busy lives, it just isn’t a reality. Restorative sleep not only benefits your mood, coping capabilities, problem solving skills and overall health; your skin and eyes will noticeably give away your lack-of-sleep making you not only feel bad but look less than radiant when sleep is elusive for more than a few nights a week. This makes us not only feel groggy but we are visually reminded of our previous nights’ tossing and turning every time we look in the mirror.
Tips and home remedies to help you achieve restful sleep each night
Turn off blue light-emitting electronics at least an hour before bedtime. Or if you absolutely have to work on the computer you can download a blue light filter or try these blue-light-busting-glasses so you’re not sabotaging your circadian clock.
Drink a cup of warm tea such as Chamomile or Nighty Night about an hour before bedtime. While a glass of wine can take the days edge off, more than one can cause you to wake in the wee hours due to your body burning off excess sugar. Try this soothing anti-inflammatory drink that not only tastes great but lowers inflammation which will reduce puffiness and redness.
Soothing Anti-Inflammatory Milk – Makes 2 cups
2 cups of non-dairy milk of choice
3 star anise pods
2 cinnamon sticks
1 knob of ginger
Add all ingredients to a saucepan, bring to a simmer then let steep for a few minutes. Strain and enjoy!
Make sure you’re getting your magnesium. If you’ve ever been kept awake by restlessness a likely culprit could be a deficiency of magnesium. Try Calm Natural Vitality. Known to induce a state of Calmfulness. You can thank me later.
Tart cherries contain melatonin and are anti-inflammatory -a winning combination for sleeping throughout the night. Oftentimes I will mix a tablespoon of tart cherry juice with Calm for an effervescent and tasty sleep aid. Frozen tart cherries also make a guilt-free evening snack.
Dark and cool is the best way to keep your bedroom for optimal sleep. Black out curtains are excellent when you live in the city and setting your thermostat between 65 and 70 degrees is best for deep sleep.
Diffusers or cotton buds filled with lavender or ylang ylang will dispense a calming scent throughtout your room and promote relaxation. This diffuser is as beautiful as it is useful.
When beauty sleep isn’t an option use these makeup strategies to give you a wide awake appearance …even when you’re not.
Puffy eyes are women’s biggest complaint and are largely due to allergies and water retention especially if they dissipate within a few hours of being up. To speed up the deflation process try keeping eye cream in your refrigerator or a set of spoons and apply for a few minutes before proceeding with concealer. The cooling effect will de-puff by constricting blood vessels and diffusing fluids. Another option, try 100% Pure eye cream with coffee bean and green tea. It smells as good as it works and is exactly what the name implies -100% pure.
Dark circles are the most obvious and problematic result of not sleeping well. Banish them with a peach tinted concealer which counteracts the blue tone around the eyes. Be sure to blend concealer up into the inner corner on the side of the nose and only use where needed to avoid creasing in outer corners.
Open up your eyes by curling lashes and concentrating mascara on the middle lashes. This makes eyes appear rounder and more open. Try a product with a round spooley on the tip for detailing or use these disposables with your favorite brand -with the added benefit of keeping your pricey mascara germ-free longer.
Get the red out with a neutral liner applied along the lower rim of the eyes. Lack of sleep can cause redness in this area. Try this product to brighten the inner rim and revitalize tired looking eyes. Stick with lighter eye shadows as darker tones can add to the sunken appearance.
Keep it peachy on the lips to cancel out the blue tones under the eyes.
May you sleep soundly tonight. zzzzzz
