Healthista brings you the best products for tired skin so you can fake looking like you enjoyed 10 hours of peaceful slumber when really you only snatched four
If there is one thing we sometimes all wish we could bottle up and buy, it has to be sleep. No matter how many hours you try and squeeze in a night there are always mornings where you wake up feeling like your head barely touched the pillow – and when the alarm clock comes a-calling, our black bags and puffy faces are always the first thing to give us away.
This month, Healthista set out to find the best products for tired skin to ‘fake’ a good night’s sleep. Promising to banish black bags, eradicate puffy eyes and put an end to tired looking skin, we tried and tested loads. Here is the creme de la creme of the sleep fakers
Best for waking up:
MADARA Deep Purifying Foam, £15
MADARA’s Purifying Face Foam is a rich and soft foamy formula designed to deeply and gently purify the skin. It regulates oily zones and soothes dry areas, and can also be used to remove make up. It claims to leave skin feeling refreshed and soft after use, so is great for a warm wash first thing in the morning when you wake up feeling like you’ve never even been to sleep.
Tester says: ‘The MADARA Purifying Foam was interesting because, unlike most products, it was applied to dry skin rather than wet. I used it day and night for just over a week, and found it left my face feeling cool and refreshed after use. It was also great for removing make up and brightened up my skin once I washed it off too. As a face wash it is a great way to fake sleep, as it awakened my face by cleansing it rather than covering it with chemicals and concealers.’
BeautyPro Collagen Infused Facial Masks (with Rejuvenating Green Tea extract or Brightening Vitamin-C), £24 for a pack of five
BeautyPro’s Collagen Infused Facial Masks are sheet masks designed to provide a cheap, effective alternative to luxury, high intensity spa treatments. They contain a collection of skin boosting and wrinkle-busting ingredients, and claim to tighten, brighten and hydrate the skin in just 15 minutes. Once left to work, the collagen, vitamins and herbs sink into the skin layers to give your complexion a one-hit intensive treatment perfect for a special occasion or in the morning after a night out.
Tester says: ‘The effect was instant in making my skin look warmer, as though the circulation had been increased. I used it before a dinner party when I was particularly knackered and two people said I was glowing. It was either the candlelight or this’.
Best for banishing bags:
Anatomicals ‘Puffy the Eye Bag Slayer’ under eye Patches, £6
Anatomicals puffy eye patches are enriched with moisturising elements and collagen to help reduce the look of signs of ageing brought on by too much partying. They claim to relieve dark circles and reduce puffiness in under 30 minutes, and go on to dry skin typically after showering.
Tester says: ‘The Anatomicals eye patches are cold when placed directly under the eye and have the consistency of soaked rice paper so they feel gently placed on the eye and cooling. I had that tired feeling behind my eye that you get from too much computer use and too little air and sleep and these instantly lifted that feeling. In terms of the way my eyes looked afterwards, they lost their puffiness and looked brighter and more alive, if only for the rest of that night!’
Oriflame Wrinkle Correcting Eye Cream, £11.95
The Ecollagen Wrinkle Correcting Eye Cream is a lightweight cream enriched with Plant Stem Cell extract to help stimulate collagen production and re-plump wrinkles. It claims to have great benefits in the long term, but also to reduce dark circles and puffiness in the short term. Apply morning and night.
Tester says: ‘Although I don’t have terrible bags, I often suffer from tired looking eyes and dark circles. I found this product really helped to brighten the skin around my eyes and also, after a few days of use, reduce the extreme apperance of any fine lines and wrinkles. After using the product my skin felt a lot smoother and healthier than it had previously been.’
Merumaya Intensely Youthful Eye Cream, £24.50
Merumaya’s Intensely Youthful Eye Cream is a combination of eight active ingredients that work together to help reduce the signs of ageing around the delicate eye area. It claims to reduce fine lines, firm baggy skin and reduce puffiness through the use of argireline (an expression line blocking peptide), which helps reduce the appearance of wrinkles as well as protecting against excess water loss.
Tester says: ‘This eye cream goes on smoothly and is incredibly light. It moisturized the area above and below my eyes right away. I have really bad dark circles and felt that this cream relieved that almost overnight. I immediately felt a cooling effect around my eyes that almost dried and tightened the skin out, but it wasn’t overbearing. My eyes were slightly puffy from the long week and even 30 minutes after the skin around them began to tighten up. It almost immediately reduced any puffiness I had and made me look much more awake. This is perfect after a long weekend out or after a work-filled week with no sleep. This is a super reputable brand and I found that over the course of a few days, this product worked insanely well.’
Perricone MD Blue Plasma Orbital, £53
Perricone’s Blue Plasma Orbital is a non-acidic daily peel gentle enough for use on the eyes area. It has two powerful yet gentle modes of action aimed at eye-brightening, attacking only dead surface skin and re-balancing skin’s hydration. When used daily, it claims to prime the skin for make up while also brightening the delicate eye area, reducing puffiness as a result and allowing you to look fresh-faced and fully rested after a long, hard week.
Tester says: ‘I have dark circles under my eyes that concealer and foundation just won’t hide – but this stuff was great! While it is supposed to reduce signs of ageing in the long term, it actually works in the short term to brighten and hydrate the skin. I woke up the following morning with healthier, less tired looking skin under my eyes. The product feels really nice to apply and has an instant cooling effect on the skin, I also found it worked well at reducing puffiness when applied in the mornings after a sparse night’s sleep.’
Best for covering tired skin:
Eyesential Under Eye Enhancer, £39.95
Eyesential’s Under Eye Enhancer claims to be a super-quick fix for eyes, taking just three minutes to smooth out fine lines and wrinkles and lift sagging skin. It also claims to dramatically reduce dark shadows for up to ten hours. The enhancer works by forming an invisible film under the eye which camouflages fine lines, dark circles and puffiness, perfect for use first thing in the morning after a night out on the town.
Tester says: ‘I used Eyesential’s Under Eye Enhancer every morning before I applied make up. It feels cool as soon as it touches the skin which is really refreshing for the delicate eye area in the morning, and tightens the skin almost instantly. It is very thin so goes on evenly and easily, and doesn’t leave any obvious marks as it is clear. I felt it really hid my eye bags and dark circles well and definitely made my eye area look more awake. The only problem I had was that it was quite difficult to apply make up over the top. As the instructions stated, any rubbing in or wiping made the product crystallize on my face and left blobs and blotches of it under my eyes. For this reason I would hesitate to wear it under make up again, but would definitely recommend it for faking sleep on mornings where you’re going make up free, like at weekends or on holiday.’
Sheer Cover Studio Conceal and Brighten Trio, £22.95
The Conceal and Brighten Trio from Sheer Cover features a creamy duo-tone concealer for coverage that hides flaws in seconds, along with an eye brightener that perks up tired eyes. It can be worn alone or under foundation, and claims to camouflage blemishes and brighten eyes for a wide-eyed, luminous complexion.
Tester says: ‘I am a concealer connoisseur as I am chronically sleep deprived. I liked that I could play with the flesh shades to get the right one for me – I mixed the two to match my olive complexion – and use the white for my brow and cheekbones to highlight. But mostly, I loved that it stayed put and didn’t dry in my crow’s feet. I’d never heard of this product before but am now a believer.’
TanOrganic Duo Bronzing Powder, £29.99
The Duo Bronzer from TanOrganic claims to add natural radiance to tired looking skin, giving it a natural and healthy glow without any chemical intervention. It contains organic jojoba and coconut oils to prevent the skin from drying out, and combines warm chocolate with a golden caramel hue to compliment and enhance all skin tones.
Tester says: ‘This pressed powder goes onto the skin smoothly and is very easy to spread using either your finger or a fine make up brush. It gives a good coverage and the colour is quite intense so you can really see the areas of light and dark it creates. When applied to the right places it definitely gives the eye area a lift, and as a result makes the overall complexion of your face look brighter and more awake. The product was good for me as I have sensitive skin, and the natural nature of the product meant my face wasn’t irritated by the powder. I found the product to be a nice alternative to creams and serums which add chemicals to the skin, and thought it covered eye bags and dark circles well.’
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