Unless you have really oily skin, it’s best to always apply moisturiser, so as to help keep the skin’s protective barrier in tact and the natural moisture within your skin from evaporating. Also, when you sleep the skin is at its most regenerative, so it would be a shame to miss this opportunity to deep-treat skin. If you want to scale back the number of skincare products you use, that’s fine – just go for one gently anti-ageing night cream that can double (actually, quadruple) as a treatment, neck & décolletage cream, and eye cream (some derms believe that eye and night creams are basically the same deal). For example: Prevage Anti-Ageing Night Cream ($200 from selected Myer stores) or, for a cheaper option, Nivea Visage Anti-Wrinkle Q10 Plus Night Care ($18.98 from supermarkets, pharmacies and variety stores).
Deep-treating hair while you’re deep-sleeping is just about the easiest way to care for your hair. And there’s a slew of hair treatments out there now, all formulated especially for use at night-time. Simply comb into dry hair, hit the satin pillow, and say good morning to gorgeous soft hair. Four to try: Schwarzkopf Professional Seah Spa Beauty Sleep Night Mask ($33.95, from selected salons), Kérastase Paris Noctogenist Serum Nuit ($46.50, from selected salons), ghd Rejuvenation Cream ($45, from selected salons), which comes with a ‘halo head wrap’, and John Frieda Overnight Crème Serum ($23.99, from selected pharmacies and supermarkets).
Tired all the time? If you can stay awake for another couple of minutes, it’s worth reading on, because there’s a reason it’s known as beauty sleep …
How Much is Enough? The ideal amount of shut-eye differs from person to person. Studies have shown that teenagers need at least nine hours’ sleep. For everyone else, eight hours is the general rule of thumb. But, most importantly, your perfect sleep time is the time your body needs naturally, without having to rely on an alarm clock to wake up. Work out what this amount is, then plan your week and activities around your sleep schedule – not the other way around. (more…)
If you usually wake up to beauty nightmares like puffy eyes, frizzy hair and sleepy skin, here’s some news to get out of bed for: It’s easier than you think to look like the girl of your dreams. Make just a few simple changes to your pre-bed pamper ritual and, hello, sleeping beauty.
Dream Skin: While you sleep, tucked away from the UV and other free-radical assaults of the daytime, your skin can focus on what it should be doing: regeneration. Night creams are formulated to pep this process along, so are well worth the investment. Before you apply a night lotion, cleanse skin thoroughly of makeup and daytime grime; exfoliate, too, every few nights, which will not only extra-clean but make skin most receptive to the nutrients in a night cream. Consider also investing in a specialised treatment. If, say, you want to treat general signs of ageing, apply a prescription form of vitamin A (see a dermatologist for the best one for you). Or, if your main concern is problem pores, target affected areas with a salicylic acid-based gel, such as Neutrogena SkinClearing Fast Acting Gel ($9.99 from pharmacies). (more…)
