While You Were Sleeping
Boost the beautifying power of sleep with this arsenal of night-time wonder products.
The rewards of sleeping well cannot be underestimated. On the inside, sleep makes for a stronger immune system, higher cognitive function and a lower chance of depression. On the outside, it grants clearer, plumper skin, healthier hair, fewer wrinkles, and brighter eyes.
When it comes to beauty sleep, the statistics make for grim reading: one in four people suffer from some form of insomnia (“the inability to initiate sleep, maintain sleep, or waking too early”) and women are nine times more likely to suffer than men.
The good news? The beauty industry has been working overtime to remedy this problem. Beauty companies have come up with ingenious ways to promote better sleep and, when that’s not possible, hide our lack of sleep to make it look as though we’re well rested.
The Serum: 111 Skin Celestial Black Diamond Serum
This product uses their patented NAC Y² formula, which ups cellular regeneration, boosts radiance, and minimizes fine lines, and combines it with Hyaluronic Acid to moisturize and Arbutin to fight uneven skin-tone. Use it every night and you’ll witness its ability to smooth and plump skin within a few days of use.
The Mask: Sensai Cellular Performance Extra Intensive Mask
When you’ve been burning the midnight oil, sometimes only serious moisturizing and brightening will remedy a tired complexion. Sensai’s mask is a thick, velvety cream that, when applied to the face and neck using specific massage techniques designed to up lymphatic drainage, deflates exhausted skin and leaves you with a perkier complexion come morning. Our tip? If you’re headed to an event and your skin is looking tired, apply it for 10 minutes and remove using splashes of warm water followed by extremely cold water.
The Eye Cream: Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye
The original Advanced Night Repair revolutionized skincare when it launched in 1982. Thanks to the pioneering research behind it, the product conclusively proved that the majority of skin repair occurs during sleep. The latest reincarnation of their eye cream capitalizes on a further thirty years of research and tackles all of the usual eye concerns: puffiness, wrinkles, dark circles, dryness, and uneven skin-tone.
The Body Treatment: This Works Sleep Plus Dream Body
Famed for their sleep-promoting sprays, This Works Dream Body goes even further by taking a three pronged attack: the product promotes sleep with its clever mix of lavender and camphor oils, restores radiance and repairs dryness using moisturizing almond oil, and boosts cell renewal with amino acids and retinol. Apply in a circular motion (the oils are motion-activated) before bed to produce baby-soft skin come morning.
The Supplement: Moon Juice Goodnight Dust
Add this to any drink before bedtime to boost natural sleep and increase the liver and pancreas’ ability to detox overnight. Using a mix of chamomile and the stress reducing, detoxifying herbs Zizyphus and Schisandra, it helps regulate sleep cycles and stimulates melatonin release. The effect is clearer skin, better sleep and more energy.
The Accessory: Slip Silk Pillowcase
Ask any facial specialist, dermatologist and even hairdresser – chances are they use a silk pillowcase thanks to its ability to protect skin and reduce split ends. The rough texture of cotton can damage fragile skin, particularly around the eye area, which leads to more wrinkles and redness. Note, though, that not all silk is created equal. The crème de la crème is long strand mulberry silk. Slip is a pillowcase company that crafted a pillowcase from the highest quality (and therefore smoothest) mulberry silk, and has garnered something of a cult following since its launch.
A native Londoner, Amy discovered her love for health & beauty while working at Harper’s Bazaar in New York before returning home to work for Conde Nast, Shortlist Media and Net-a-Porter. Eight years later, the mission remains the same: to discover the products and treatments that really work.
Beauty companies have come up with ingenious ways to promote better sleep and, when that’s not possible, hide our lack of sleep to make it look as though we’re well rested.
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