Life
They say to seize the day, but when it comes to your beauty rituals, nighttime is the best time to act. Yes you can layer on the lipstick and apply a proper foundation during the day, but these only accentuate your already amazing features. In order to really improve on your complexion (i.e. smooth your skin and de-puff your under eye area) you should enlist the help of some overnight beauty products that are specifically targeted towards perfection upon awakening.
Okay, maybe perfection is setting an unrealistic goal, but the right products will get you pretty damn close if they’re given the time to do their thing. Consider lip treatments, which can be a little frustrating if used during the day. You can slather it on, sure, but as soon as you bite into that Chipotle, that treatment is gone, girl. Same goes for hand cream, which feels so creamy and restorative when you put it on… only to literally go down the drain the very next time you wash your hands. Of course, some night products could theoretically be used during the day — if you want to go to work with your face slathered in face cream, that is. Which you don’t. Which is why a nighttime beauty routine is the way to go. Here are seven products that will make your beauty regimen work overtime at night, so you can seize the day.
1
Night Cream
Keeping your skin dewy is a 24/7 job. Even if you’re perfectly happy with your daytime moisturizer, night creams tend to be more hydrating. So you might as well ditch the SPF when it’s not needed and go with something that will really quench your skin’s thirst. As with your regular daytime moisturizer, choose a night cream according to skin type; oily or combination types won’t need as much hydration as dry skin.
Try: Clinique Turnaround Overnight Radiance Moisturizer, $39.50, clinique.com
2
Hand Cream
It’s frustrating to moisturize during the day only to see the effects negated the moment you wash your hands. Take advantage of the nighttime hours to really soak your hands in some hydrating hand cream.
Try: L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream, $12, loccitane.com
3
Foot Cream
During the spring and summer, we tend to indulge our feet so that they’ll look good in various sandals and flip flops (or, in their bare form). But during winter, when dryness abounds, where does that attention go? That’s when your feet need you most, so make sure to show them some TLC come bedtime.
Try: Dr. Scholl’s For Her Ultra Overnight Foot Cream, $6, drugstore.com
4
Eye Cream
The area under your eyes has its own special needs, whether it’s brightening dark circles or relieving a puffy appearance. But wearing creams during the day often interferes with eye makeup, forcing you to choose between dolled up or au natural (in the end, the eyeliner usually wins.) Luckily, you can cure your eye ailments at night with a preventative cream. Just lather on before bedtime and prepare for at least the appearance of a bright-eyed morning.
Try: Benefit Cosmetics It’s Potent Eye Cream, $34, ulta.com
5
Hair Mask
Whether deliberate or accidental, we put our hair through the wringer. Try and make it up to your long-suffering locks by indulging those dry, damaged strands with a rejuvenating hair mask.
Try: Pantene Pro-V Overnight Miracle Repair Serum, $7, drugstore.com
6
Lip Treatment
Lip balms can sometimes feel ineffective, as eating, drinking, and kissing do a number on your pout. Unless you’re a really active sleepwalker, you likely aren’t doing any of these activities in bed, so use the time to smooth and repair your lips.
Try: Josie Maran Argan Lip Treatment, $18, sephora.com
7
Intensive Moisturizer
You rarely see your elbows, so you might not think to include them in your beauty regimen. But take a look at them in the mirror and you’ll realize that they need attention, too. Dermatologist Roberta J. Hawk told Real Simple that elbows have a, “thicker top layer of skin, which is easily disrupted by the loss of moisture.” Add constant movement and you’ve got dry, discolored elbows. You can use your regular moisturizer or hand cream to treat the area, or use an intensive treatment to really zone in on the problem.
Try: Kiehl’s Intensive Treatment and Moisturizer for Dry or Callused Areas, $26, kiehls.com
Images: Clinique/Instagram
