The party season is not so much fun for your well-being, skin and hair. Defend yourself from Christmas curses with ELLEs essential solutions: these six will help you spring out of bed and sail into the office looking bright eyed and bushy tailed.
The Curse: Dark Circles and Puffy Eyes
The Cause: ‘Too much alcohol in addition to salt and lack of sleep, along with eating an excess of rich foods can lead to puffy eyes and dark circles,’ explains Skincare Specialist Ole Henriksen.
The Cure: ‘Grated cucumbers, wrapped in gauze, is a great antidote for tired eyes and dark circles; leave them on the eyes for 10 minutes,’ says Ole. For a fuss-free solution try applying his Truth Is In The Eyes Eye Peel Concentrate, £55 at night. This product gently sloughs off dry, dull skin to regenerate and brighten the eye area. Use Ultimate Lift, £35, in the mornings (keep it in the fridge, the cool cream will help to bring down puffiness). Dark circles and puffy eyes can be a sign of too many toxins (read: alcohol) in the system, make sure to drink plenty of water during the festive season.
The Curse: Dull skin
The Cause: ‘Winter brings with it harsh weather, shorter days, less sunshine, higher stress levels (from all the Christmas shopping) and central heating, all of which has a direct impact on the skin,’ explains Noella Gabriel, Elemis Founder.
The Cure: ‘Luckily the skin works on a 21 day cycle so three weeks before your Christmas party or New Year’s Eve celebration is the perfect time to start conditioning and renewing your skin,’ adds Noella. Try Elemis’ Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing range (especially the facial cleanser, £27, and gel mask, £45) which use enzymes to ‘nibble away’ at dulling dead skin cells; amino acids to plump the skin and Acerola Cherry and white truffle to balance a temperamental complexion. Skin will look more radiant fast.
The Curse: Breakouts
The Cause: ‘Foods and alcohols that are high on the glycemic index (i.e. high in sugar) tend to crowd the party offerings, affecting the bodies’ insulin productions. This can increase the amount of cortisol in your system increasing your skin’s tendency to break out. Also, stress and lack of sleep increase inflammation in the skin which then causes blockages of the pores,’ says Dr Brandt.
The Cure: ‘To ensure you don’t get spots, always remember to remove your make-up before going to bed and always make sure to get a good night’s sleep,’ he adds. Team ELLE is hooked on his Blemishes No More Intensolution, £29.50, which should be used after cleansing. The Salicylic Acid and 'Active Impurity Shield' prevents pores from blocking by inhibiting both sebum production and bacteria from growing and spreading; it works astonishingly well in a short time and without drying out the skin.
The Curse: Lack of energy
The Cause: A bad diet and a stream of late nights can sap your energy leaving you susceptible to colds, flu and other niggling illnesses.
The Cure: ‘Drink an Emergen-C multi-vitamin sachet, £15 for 30 sachets, in a pint of water before you go out. This antioxidant super-hit not only gives you energy for the evening ahead, but it lessens the hangover the next day keeping your brain sharp,’ says Alexia Inge, Founder of cultbeauty.co.uk The high vitamin content also helps to stave off festive flu; it also has EBT’s seal of approval - Georgia Collins swears by these sachets when she’s rushing from show-to-show during fashion weeks.
The Curse: Fine Lines
The Cause: ‘Fine lines around the eyes are most commonly caused by dehydration and a hectic lifestyle, problems which are often exacerbated during the festive season,’ explains Fiona Brackenbury Head of Training and Development, Decléor UK The Cure: ‘Choose an eye cream that focuses on hydration,’ advises Fiona. ‘The skin around the eyes is ten times thinner than that on the rest of your face, so it is really important to use eye products that have been specially formulated to treat this vulnerable area’. Try Decléor’s Harmonie Calm Relaxing Milky Eye Gel-Cream, £26.50 it's a great hydrator.
The Curse: Lacklustre Hair
The Cause: It's not just your liver that gets a battering this time of year, your hair does as well. ‘Lacklustre, dehydrated hair is a huge concern during the festive season. These problems are normally caused by over tonging, over styling and back combing, as well as the combination of central heating and cold weather,’ explains Zak Burleigh - Creative Director - Aveda Institute Covent Garden.
The Cure: Aveda’s Damage Remedy range is ideal for combating tired tresses. ‘Use a small amount of Aveda Damage Remedy Daily Hair Repair, £18.50, on towel dried hair and spread evenly using a comb. It is excellent for dry frizzy and damaged hair as it coats and seals each strand to protect against daily damage and heat styling. Blow drying the hair after the product has been applied will activate the quinoa protein which works with the protein in your own hair to strengthen and repair ’ explains Zak. Te<
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