Sick of waking up looking tired? This is EXACTLY how to make your skin look fresher and younger with only 6 products

By William On Mar 17, 2024

A large part of what Planet Beauty has to offer is about long-term, not immediately obvious results. And yet sometimes we don’t want an extensive, forward-looking regime; we just want to look alive in the morning.

Forget persistence, discipline and dedication. What I crave most often is a one-stop solution for a stressed-out middle-aged woman who hasn’t had enough sleep, something that delivers immediate “morning-after” results. Therefore, the following wonders should be on your wish list. (Don’t mention it.)

1. Budget fix

If you’ve been using retinol but don’t use it regularly, then the quickest way to look alive at 7am is to give yourself a quick, slightly OTT shot of Q+A’s gentle Retinol Facial Serum (£ 12 for 30ml, sainsburys.co .uk), then apply a layer of moisture.

I did this myself this week and no one believed I only had chicken for four hours, my skin was so clear and flawless.

What I crave most often is a one-stop solution for a stressed-out middle-aged woman who hasn’t had enough sleep (stock image)

There is a misconception that if you use a higher percentage of retinol products you will get better results. In fact, Q+A’s low irritation rate of 0.2 percent retinoid is powerful enough to make an impact without sending your face into a frenzy.

The formula also contains soothing bisabolol and facial nourishing squalane to keep sensitivity at bay.

2. Brightening mask

As we stumble towards the start of spring this week, our skin looks as gray and lifeless as the collective mood. Tula’s new Bedtime Bright Vita-charge Overnight Brightening Treatment (£54 for 50ml, old.tulaskincare.co.uk) banishes this gloom in one fell swoop.

This mask consists of five essential vitamins and minerals and locks in moisture to ensure that your face wakes up radiant.

3. Plush food

Athletia Phyto Sleep Cream (£86 for 30g, selfridges.com). Powerful, but certainly not heavy, it’s packed with botanicals, such as evening primrose, grapeseed, sweet almond and olive oils, plus Athletia’s cocktail of active leaf extracts, sake and glycerin.

The scent of lavender and cedarwood promotes sleep, as does MTA Natural Oil (the aroma of Athletia derived from myrtle oil). When you get into bed tired, but wired and with sore skin, you will greet the morning feeling fresh inside and out.

Sometimes we don’t want an extensive, forward-looking regimen, we just want to look alive in the morning (stock image)

If running for £86 is impossible, reach for Faace Stress Faace Moisturizer (£34 for 50g, wearefaace.com), an overnight restorer of dry, oily, dull and sensitive complexions.

Or, as the brand puts it: ‘Stress Face aka dry face, overwhelmed face, what-did-you-just-say face, need for a moment of calm face’.

4. Destroy irritation

The popular new problem solver Beauty Pie Happy Face 10% Azelaic Acid Skin-Clearing Gel-Cream (members, £19; non-members, £60, for 30ml, beautypie.com) is already a huge hit.

Fans rave about its ability to combat breakouts, rosacea, and sensitivity, or what I consider “the confusing midlife complexion that is becoming my new normal.” This cured my rushed, spotty post-vacation flare-up overnight.

I want something that provides immediate ‘morning-after’ results (stock image)

5. Redness on the right side

Nothing beats the iD-Stress Icy Gel Moisturizer from Dr. Brandts (now £49 for 50ml, drbrandtskincare.uk) for eliminating redness. It is made possible by Dr. B’s own ‘Energlow complex’, a mixture of lipopeptides and fig stem cells.

Lipopeptides improve radiance by improving microcirculation and oxygenation, where the stem cells fight the adrenaline cascade, while protecting against oxidative stress. The result: farewell fatigue, which is why celebrities love to banish jet lag.

6. Beauty boost

You’re supposed to apply Guerlain’s Midnight Secret Late-night Recovery Treatment (£26 for 15ml, cultbeauty.co.uk) before you lie down on the pillow. However, I have been using it as a pre-photo or pre-party primer under foundation for 25 years.

The nutritious soup of active ingredients is plump and perfect until I could pass for human.

Race there!

One TikTok trend I can totally get behind is Garnier’s new Vitamin C Daily UV Fluid SPF50+ Glow (now £8.66, boots.com). A tube is now sold every minute. Gen Z clearly knows that more than three quarters of UV exposure happens in everyday life, and not just in summer as many Brits think.

Store

Cosmetic desire

Charlotte Tilbury’s ad campaigns are always epic. However, the new Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Beauty Icon Lipsticks (£27, charlotte tilbury.com) really live up to the hype.

The collection consists of five KISSING Lipsticks in light pink and five Matte Revolution Lipsticks in red.

In theory I’m not a fan of either color, but the pink colors in particular are excellent: literally brilliant because they play tricks with the light.

Their pearly – but not pearly – shine makes lips look luscious and plump. Light radiates from them. Tilbury says they created Hollywood architecture and this is the effect. A flattering filling that can become indispensable in mid-life.

Store

My icon of the week: Jamie Lee Curtis

The 65-year-old uses Nivea Essentially Enriched Body Lotion (£15.05 for 500ml, amazon.co.uk), while make-up artist Grace Ahn prepped for the Oscars with Beauty Pie Youthbomb 360° Radiance Concentrate Serum (members £44; not members £185), plus Youthbomb Biologic Collagen Peptide Cream (£44; £175, beautypie.com).