Even on the nights you do everything right — go to bed early, turn your phone off, sleep on lavender-scented pillows — it’s hard to make sure you’re getting enough beauty sleep. And if you stayed up all night to hit a deadline (or the bottle), chances are the sleep deprivation is going to show. If you can’t grab a power nap at work, try some of these tricks to give yourself an energy boost and fake a well-rested look.
1. Get some sun. Go for a walk outside — or at least open your blinds. Natural light is a good way to reset your body’s internal clock, so get that (vitamin) D! (Photo via Getty)
2. Chug some water. Drinking a glass or two of water right when you get out of bed is a great way to make you feel more awake and rehydrate your body. Bonus: Some experts believe this habit can jump-start your metabolism! (Photo via Getty)
3. Eat some protein. You may be tempted to follow up a long night out with a muffin or donut, but that early morning sugar spike will make you crash before it’s even 10am. You may not be in the mood to cook a full breakfast burrito special when you’re already exhausted, but you can still get a good, lasting morning meal out of easy whole grain and protein breakfast combos like peanut butter and bananas on toast. (Photo via Getty)
4. Take the Ice Bucket Challenge. OK, maybe you don’t need to go that extreme. But as simple as it sounds, a quick splash of cold water at the sink will not only give your tired brain a jolt, but also help constrict the blood vessels in your face to bring some life back into your skin. And it can’t hurt to spend a little extra time exfoliating and moisturizing during your morning refresh, either. (Photo via Getty)
5. De-puff those eyes. You can conceal under-eye dark circles, but bags are a little trickier. Keep soaked green tea bags in the fridge at all times, and after your next hard day’s night, rest them over your eyes for 15-20 minutes to bring down the puffiness. (Photo via Getty)
6. Get your eyes in line. After tea time, grab a white or pale pink eyeliner and go to town on your lower waterline for a subtle way to make your eyes look more open. It’s the grown-up version of taping your eyelids open to stay awake for a late-night study session.
7. Brighten up your lips. Nothing says “I have it together and I am on top of this!” like a bold, bright lip (after you brush last night’s shots out of your mouth). A really “wow!” lipstick might even perk you up more than your first morning cup of coffee. Speaking of which… (Photo via Getty)
8. Go caffeine-free. Or, at the very least, wait an hour after you’ve woken up until you have your first espresso. Your cortisol levels (correlated with stress, but also alertness) are at their highest first thing in the morning, so if you have coffee right away you’re hijacking that energy at its peak rather than getting a boost from it later on. (Photo via Getty)
What are your go-to tricks for faking a good night’s sleep? Tweet them to us @BritandCo!
