Depuffing the Holidaze
Tried-and-true for the morning after
It’s December 23rd, and my to-do list still entails tons of wrapping, food prep, and home chores (not to mention all that needs to get done before year end for my day job!). And, like many of you, the last few weekends have offered a panoply of socializing opportunities, full of food and drink. I love all of it…the outfit planning, the opportunity to wear red without irony, the hot hors d’oeuvres, and the smell of pine permanently lingering in the home. Despite my love of all things Christmas, the one thing I could do without is the puffy face that seems to emerge the morning after such events (I blame the salty hors d’oeuvres that I love so much and lack of sleep!).
Assuming some of you, dear readers, have been met with a caricatured puffy version of yourself the morning after, I have a few tried-and-true tricks that help me look somewhat refreshed the next day.
Cold compress for the face: If you live in a cold climate (I do not), you know there’s nothing better than emerging from your abode the morning after a bender to feel a blast of cold air on the eyeballs. My husband calls it “fresh eyeball air.” It’s an instant wakeup for the circulation and the face. I don’t know that it de-puffs, per se, but it always seems to perk up my skin just a bit. I mimic this at home with two things: I roll an ice cube over my undereyes and around my smile lines and then blast my face with the coldest water possible. Paul Newman once claimed he started every day with an ice cold face bath. Not going to argue with that face! I’ll have what he’s having, thanks.
Gua Sha: I do this daily regardless of the season; but I spend extra time on gua sha during the party season. After a party, I’ll drink a big glass of water and then gua sha for an extra five minutes before bed. Try doing it on one side of your face and tell me you don’t see a difference from the other side (I dare you!) I’ll follow that up with more gua sha time the morning after, spending extra time on my neck for lymphatic drainage too.
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Serums with Niacinamide: Niacinimade is a Vitamin B3 and acts as an anti-inflammatory, so it’s good for rosacea and eczema. It also helps with depuffing! I like this serum by Skinceuticals and this one by Neutrogena for a drugstore version.
Cold green tea bags for the undereyes: Your jonesing for caffeine the morning after has a purpose - it’s masking your tiredness - but there are other benefits. The constriction of blood vessels that results from caffeine can be leveraged topically too. Apply a couple of green or black tea bags that have been steeped over the undereyes for a few minutes to reduce puffiness and swelling. Even better if you chill them for a bit for added impact.
Undereye patches: If the tea bags are a little too homespun, you can always use the undereye patches from cosmetic brands to undo some of the prior night’s NaCl and C2H5OH (I see you, chemistry friends). I like these from Peter Thomas Roth, but you can find variants from Amazon and drugstores that are just as effective in my opinion.
As the holidays wrap and the dawn of the New Year is upon us, I’m excited to try some new skincare routines. As of ~45 days ago, I did a deep dive into face yoga and am excited to share my findings. My sister thinks the jury’s out. I’m pretty sure it’s working.
Stay tuned. Healthy and Happy New Year to all of you!