Tuesday, January 7, 2014

10 ways to wake up gorgeous

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Sometimes looking in the mirror first thing in the morning can be… challenging. Messy hair, dark circles, puffy face. Unless you’re Karlie Kloss, chances are it’s not a pretty sight. But it doesn’t have to be that way, check out our tips for looking sexy when you wake up—even if it’s 6 AM.

1. Change Your Sleep Style

Bad news for stomach sleepers.
The average head weighs 7 to 8 pounds—that’s a lot of pressure to be putting on your face night after night. In fact, most dermatologists can tell what side of the face you’re sleeping on by the number of wrinkles there. Eek.
If you just can’t sleep on your back, try sleeping on your side with a body pillow. Your face won’t be as smashed into the pillow.
For those of you who are fortunate enough to be back-sleepers, try throwing an extra pillow under your head. Gravity helps lymph and blood flow so fluid won't accumulate. In other words, wake up without any puff in your eyes.
 

2. Whiten Your Teeth

Long gone are the days of sitting around waiting for sticky strips to whiten your teeth. Products like Crest Night Effects are formulated for nighttime use. Simply paint a bit of the product on each of your “smile teeth” and wake up with a whiter smile.
 

3. Moisturize Your Feet

What better time to sleep with comfy socks than winter? Slick a coat of super thick moisturizer onto feet—or even better, Aquafor or Vaseline. Slip on socks to lock in moisture. Feet will be pedicure-soft in the morning. 
If you’re a deep sleeper, you can also apply lotion to your hands and wear gloves while you sleep. You may feel silly, but you will wake up with hands that are soft and beautiful.
 

4. Try Frownies

Wearing Frownies—which you would never wear in public—while you sleep helps prevent lines and wrinkles around the eye and mouth areas. Of course, you can stick to your regular ol’ night cream, but chances are it rubs off during the night.
 

5. Add Volume

Piling hair on to the top of your head with a soft hair tie (scrunchie, anyone?) will add major volume in the morning.  Be sure to use something soft to pull hair up to avoid crimping and kinking.
 

6. Treat Your Hair While You Sleep

Once a week, try sleeping with a deep conditioner or night-time treatment on your hair. 
Frederic Fekkai’s Nightime Follicle Boosting Treatment claims to energize the hair follicle with oxygen, marine glycogen, and caffeine while you sleep to stimulate the growth of thicker, fuller hair. 

7. Wake Up Glowing

Mix in a drop of self-tanner with your night cream, or try using a moisturizer that already contains a bit of tanner. This is best done a solid hour before bed, so nothing rubs off when you sleep.
 

8. Sleep on Satin

To minimize the dreaded morning bed-head, sleep on a satin pillowcase, or tie a silk scarf around your hair. It’s a much softer material than cotton, so there's less friction to cause frizz.
 

9. Sleep in Your Makeup

You heard us. Bare Escentuals’s Rare Minerals line makes a Skin Revival Treatment, which is basically a foundation that treats skin. Said to renew skin, fight lines, and reduce pores, this is one makeup you can fall asleep while wearing.
 

10. Lash Out

Said to increase the appearance of lash length by 152 percent (!), Tarte MultiplEYE Lash Enhancer is the perfect before-bed eye treatment. The best part? The $65 price tag is a lot more affordable than Latisse.

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