So last night got a little out of control—you danced your booty off, downed one too many cocktails and got sent home in a taxi by your loving BFF, all before 2 a.m. But hey, at least you had a blast, right? That is until you woke up with a pounding headache, makeup smeared across your face and ugly little bags underneath what were party perfect peepers a mere 12 hours ago. We consulted the experts to get the lowdown on the top 10 hangover cures for those awful morning afters. Lesson learned? Overdoing it ain’t pretty!
1. Prepare for the Aftermath
If you know you’re going to be out boozing, take preventive measures. Before you leave the house, place a high dose multivitamin and large glass of water next to your bed, says Constance Dunn, natural beauty specialist and author of the book Practical Glamour. “The water will help with dehydration and the vitamins, particularly the B vitamins, will ward off the beating that alcohol takes on your system.” No matter how sauced you get, don’t forget this crucial step, warns Constance.
2. Show Your Lips Some Love
Sipping on alcohol all night definitely won’t do your lips any favors. It’s fun, of course, but you know what we mean. To banish any telltale red wine stains the next day, try a good lip exfoliator like Skinlogics Lip Appeel, recommends Gary Jones, Vice President of Marketing and Research & Development at BeautiControl. Don’t forget your lip moisturizer either—that poor, dry pout of yours will probably need it after all that alcohol.
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3. No Hair of the Dog That Bit You
Sure, pounding last night’s libations at 8 a.m. to feel better sounds awesome, but the reality is, it’s the worst possible thing you can do for a hangover. Instead, try a nice cool glass of fat-free milk the morning after, says Jackie Keller, nutrition and health expert and Founding Director of Los Angeles’ premier healthy food company, NutriFit. “It will help your body by providing protein, moisture and calcium, which gets depleted with alcohol.” Keller also recommends drinking a cup of green tea to help your body fight the lowered resistance that comes with drinking.
Sleep deprivation + booze is never a winning combination. To reduce those inevitable undereye dark circles the morning after, skincare expert and owner of Queen Bee Waxing Salon and Spas in LA, Jodi Shays, recommends placing chilled and sliced English cucumbers on the eyes for several minutes. Got tired, puffy peepers and wanna wake them up? Try Lather’s Toning Eye Gel with Vitamin K to help restore elasticity and firmness, improve your skin tone and continue fighting those pesky undereye dark circles. Chill in the fridge the night before to maximize results.
5. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate
After a long night of drinking, the best beauty gift you can give yourself is a whole lot of hydration. “Drinking enhanced water will help rehydrate and replenish the body,” says celebrity esthetician Scott Vincent Borba. “Look for drinks with skin-nourishing ingredients such as lychee extract, green tea extract, vitamins K, E and A, papaya, and guava.” Also, don’t forget to hydrate the exterior of your skin, notes Borba. Use a great moisturizer, even if you’re too tired to remove your makeup. “Any cream will do, but an anti-aging cream will work best to help you achieve that brighter, not-so-hung-over look you’re after.”
6. Just Say No to McDonald’s
We know, we know, a delicious bacon, egg and cheese biscuit is all you really crave post boozing. But it turns out grease isn’t exactly a miracle hangover cure…or any sort of hangover cure at all. NYC-based aesthetician Andrea DeSimone agrees, noting that salt and grease will only add to inflammation and puffiness. So what do you eat to cure that nasty little feeling called hangover? Well, for starters, try adding a little cantaloupe to your breakfast followed by a lunch of dark orange veggies, says Lead Esthetician Tina Cappiello of Miami Beach Plastic Surgery Center & MedSpa. “This will help to replenish the Vitamin A in your system.”
7. Fake It With Makeup
Hungover with no time to get ready? “Take a concealer one shade lighter than your skin and apply it to the inner corner of your eyes, under your eyes and under the brow bone,” suggests Bodyography Professional Cosmetic’s Creative Director, Lori Leib. “This will give you a wide-eyed look in no time, and no one will ever guess you had such a crazy night out!” Try Bodyography Skin Perfecter Concealer, which contains vitamins and mineral seaweed extract to revitalize and hydrate your skin.
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8. Work It Out
Ok, working on your fitness may sound like the worst thing in the world hungover, but if you can muster up the energy, go for a brisk walk or jog, says DeSimone. “This will get your circulation moving, diminish inflammation, give a healthy glow, and clear your mind.” Ah, so ambitious but so necessary.
9. Get All Angelina Jolie
Still look like a train wreck? Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do at this point, except grab your coolest, biggest pair of sunglasses and make like Angelina Jolie, says celebrity makeup artist and the man behind Skinn Cosmetics, Dimitri James. “Angelina’s a mom of six, and I don’t care how many nannies she might have, somebody is definitely keeping her awake at night.”
10. Don’t Make Needing These Tips a Habit
“Faking it long term is never a good idea,” says makeup artist Dimitri. “Long term sleep deprivation hurts our weight loss efforts, causes premature aging and cognitively impacts our ability to make decisions, manage stress and perform at our best.” It’s called beauty rest for a reason. Plus, don’t you think being hungover kind of sucks?
