Cheryl Shops

I've noticed a certain thing happening to my face recently, and that's if I've had anything alcoholic to drink the night before, I wake up in the morning with an alarmingly puffy face. If I've had, say, three glasses of red wine, my face looks like a pillow that someone sat on. This never used to happen to me, so I think we have dehydration, both the kind that happens naturally from aging and the kind that happens from drinking too much, to blame. While there's not a lot that you can do to prevent your skin becoming dehydrated as you age, you could, in theory, not drink—and I know plenty of women who have done that, or have at least seriously cut back. But I enjoy a glass of wine with dinner or with friends, and, as the saying goes, I'm not a quitter. Plus, your face can become puffy from eating too much salt, from allergies, and from a bunch of other things. Thankfully for all of us, I have devised a formula to combat puffiness, no sobriety required. Here's how to to depuff your face in 8 easy steps. 

Step 1: Liquid I.V. (Use code CHERYLSHOPS for 25% off!)

First of all, you are dehydrated inside and out, so pour yourself a drink. No, not that kind—that's what got you here in the first place. Liquid I.V. is a miracle powder that you pour into a glass of water, and it delivers three times the amount of hydration. If I've been drinking, I make sure I have one both before I go to bed as a preventative measure and first thing in the morning when I get up as a repairative measure. It comes in a bunch of flavors, but my personal favorite is watermelon. And P.S. use the link above and code CHERYLSHOPS for 25% off and free shipping! 

Step 2: Clarins V Facial Intensive Depuffing Mask

On the recommendation of Jess at the Love List, I recently picked this up during the Sephora sale and wowza, does this mask plump up your skin like no other. Now, I know that plumping sounds contradictory in that your face is already kind of puffy, but I've found that it kind of equalizes the puffiness and any lines that might have developed from said puffiness. In other words, it makes your skin look glowy and healthy, like you got a good night's sleep versus the tossing, turning, night-sweaty sleep you likely had.

Step 3: Klorane Smoothing & Soothing Eye Masks

Another thing that never used to happen to me: dark eye circles. To combat the Crypt Keeper look that comes from, again, dehydration and not sleeping well, I layer these on top of the Clarins mask. These patches are very soothing, and they work on both the discoloration and lack of hydration around the eyes. I love that they come in little pouches too—I always tuck one in my toiletry bag if I'm traveling to, say, a wedding. Note: Klorane recently updated the packaging, but it's still the same amazing little masks inside.

Step 4: Esarora Ice Roller

I was skeptical of this product, but it has over 16,553 rave reviews and let me tell you, this thing is a game-changer. You keep it in the freezer, and while the roller part is cool, it's not as freezing-cold as its name sounds. In fact, it is the most delightfully soothing thing ever. Not only does it help massage away the lymph fluid in your face, but it gives you a nice, healthy, rosy glow too. I roll it over the mask and eye patches to really work the treatment in, but I use it on regular days over my serum when my sinuses are bothering me too. If you only try one product from this entire post, this is the money. 

Step 5: Cosrx Snail 96 Mucin Power Repairing Essence

After you've rinsed off the mask, time to rehydrate your skin. Next is this K-beauty cult fave, which, yes, is actually made from snail mucin (96.3% to be exact), however no snails were harmed in the making of this product. The texture is slightly lighter than a serum, but is basically the same idea, and I like this one in particular because it's incredibly hydrating and gives you a nice glow. I've found that it works really well on redness and hyperpigmentation too—in addition to puffiness, my skin can also get a little splotchy after a night of drinking, and this helps calm it down, hence the "Repairing" in its name. 

Step 6: The Inkey List Caffeine Eye Cream

Remember those dark circles? Yep, they're still there. You want a nice, rich eye cream with caffeine in it, which is proven to help minimize the appearance of dark circles. I love this one from The Inkey List because it's super affordable and it works without feeling greasy or making my concealer look cakey. As a bonus, it has a light soothing effect, and at this point in the process, there's no such thing as too much soothing.  

Step 7: Cosrx Advanced Snail 92 All in One Cream

While its companion essence feels like a regular serum, the cream definitely feels like it came from a snail—the texture is a little gooey but amazingly not sticky, and if you give it a few minutes to sink in, your makeup will go on quite smoothly over it. Again, this cream has magical hydrating and glowing effects, and if you're wondering why I don't use it every day...that's a seriously good question. 

Step 8: Do your makeup

I know the last thing you feel like doing right now is putting on makeup, but skincare alone can't bring you back from your hangover. Bare minimum, some concealer and mascara is in order, and maybe a little shimmery blush along your cheekbones for extra color. For my full makeup routine, check out this post on my Sephora favorites—I'm wearing all of the makeup products that I listed in that post in this photo below. Ta-da! Who drank champagne until 1 a.m. the night before? This gal!

Just a reminder: most of these products are saved in the Beauty Finds section of my Amazon page!