Ask Belle: Hangover Beauty Cures
Aug 27, 2015
Hi Belle,
Kind of an embarrassing question…what do you do to look good with a hangover? I drink a lot of cheap wine at fundraisers and even after just 2 or 3 glasses I feel terrible the next morning. I think my skin feels even worse than I do. You worked on the Hill, you must have some tips…please have some tips…
Love the blog, KF
Oh, I remember cheap fundraiser wine. When there’s an open bar, you can drink tonic and lime and no one is the wiser. But when it’s just wine and beer, it’s tougher to avoid that adult peer pressure. So what do you do to look your best after a long night or a short night filled with cheap booze?
Bubbles. To help move things along the next morning, I recommend lots of water and Alka Seltzer. For whatever reason, it works much better than Tylenol for me. In a pinch, Emergen-C will also work if I drink it hot.
Moisture. Your skin needs extra love to look its best the next morning. Belif makes an overnight treatment mask that is designed to prevent the pale, sallow skin that comes with a hangover. I’ve used it, an it does work, but it’s a bit of a unitasker.
If you want something with more versatility, I recommend Tony Moly Banana Sleeping Mask. It really gives your skin a boost of moisture.
Eye Spy. My eyes get so dry, I need something to moisturize and take the red out. The bleary-eyed look isn’t good on anyone. I like Clear Eyes.
Cover Up and Brighten Up. Covering up under-eye darkness becomes extra important when you are tired or hungover. I love Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer in the neutralizer shade. I just apply that liberally and then set it with a brightening powder like NYX Finishing Powder or Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder.
Blush It Up. A pink cheek can distract from an otherwise tired complexion. So hit those apples with a pop of color. I love Bobbi Brown’s Nectar blush.
Just a word of caution -Tylenol is terrible for you to cure a hangover as it is hard on your liver. Stick with ibuprofen!
Belle, I know you’ve recommended the Hourglass highlighter powder (in the “moon light”) shade before. Have you found it’s worth the extra splurge over cheaper drugstore powders?
I think it is, but for some it might not be. I would buy it, try it, and if you don’t see the difference, return it. Both Sephora and Nordstrom take returns.
Thanks, I’ll definitely have to try it out then.
Coconut water. Drink a bottle the night of and the morning after.
I’m very sensitive to alcohol and would be inappropriately tipsy after a full glass of wine. So I’ve learned to nurse one glass very slowly–take SMALL sips often and keep your glass looking about half-full.
Wine spritzers! People might tease you but they have half the alcohol of a full glass and definitely take some of the cheap taste out. Plus way less chance of a hangover. 🙂
Also a DIY wine spritzer is to take club soda (if the event has it) and pour it into a glass of white wine (diluting white looks less obvious than diluting red)…
However, drinking any alcohol with a carbonated beverage increases the rate of absorption into your blood stream- obviously it’s not a full glass of wine, but you have to be careful not to drink it fast, or it will have the same effect on your body! If you’re drinking liquor, it’s much better to mix it with juice or water to slow down absorption, rather than tonic or soda.
Makeup! Pale pale pink eyeshadow, and very little else. The best for me is MAC’s “Orb.” Also good – Trish McEvoy’s eye base in Sand, and her “Instant Eye Lift.”
Morning mouth: a very diluted rinse of minty mouthwash. Use lukewarm water to avoid shock.
Queasy stomach: a few sips of real (not diet) Coke. Keep a can or two in the fridge for emergencies.the Mexican Coke is best if you can find it, made with cane sugar, not fructose.
I suppose it is not being said because it is obvious that getting tipsy at a work-related function is not advisable as a career move?
That aside, the first thing is to rehydrate as soon as you get home and before you go to bed. Ideally with something with some vitamin C, as the alcohol will take this as well as water out of your system. Orange juoice is to acid, but apple juice seems to work (and it;s easier to drink a reasonable volume of that than of plain water).
Get an anti-puff eye roller. The cool roll-on makes you feel so much better, and it takes the tired look away.
I use a cheap one: https://www.amazon.com/Garnier-Renew-Anti-Puff-Roller-Packaging/dp/B001DPMETG
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