“In winter’s darker, longer days, I feel like my face always looks tired. It just seems droopier. How can I perk it up?” — Serena, Ottawa
Every season has a vibe, and though there’s a frenetic energy to wrapping up the end of the year and a crackle of anticipation as we look ahead to the next one, it can also be… exhausting. When the winter blahs are blahing, it’s only natural that they’ll show up on your face, in one form or another.
“If you’re feeling tired, it’s the eye area that’ll usually give that away to other people,” says Dr. Geeta Yadav, a board-certified dermatologist and founder of Facet Dermatology in Toronto. “However, overall dullness or more visible fine lines is often a sign of fatigue, too. When your skin doesn’t get the time it needs to restore itself overnight, dead skin cells can build up and dehydration can set in, making skin look dull, older, and tired.”
On groggy mornings, this latter sign of fatigue rings true for makeup artist Jodi Urichuk. “Dehydration is what I notice right away. There will be deep crevasses, especially if I’ve slept on the side of my face,” says L’Oréal Paris’s Canadian expert. “I’m happy to age, I’m glad to get a year older, but I try to sleep like a vampire, on my back, because I’m not going to see the dehydration lines as much.” As an in-demand artist for A-list events such as TIFF, Urichuk frequently revives celeb faces of all ages and stages, from Awkwafina to Dame Helen Mirren. “Anyone can bounce back; there’s lots of things that can help and ways to plump up the skin. That’s the beauty of skin care and the optical illusion of makeup — and you don’t have to know a million makeup artist tricks.”
Here’s what our two pros suggest.
Get skin glowing
Urichuk’s first step is to reach for a rinse-off chemical exfoliant. “You want one without any grit, so that the skin isn’t sensitive, irritated or red afterwards. It’s just completely rejuvenated,” she says. “I have psoriasis and my skin is getting thinner with age, so I can’t handle anything abrasive.”
Exfoliating with alpha-hydroxy acids (lactic, glycolic and mandelic acids) is also one of Dr. Yadav’s suggestions. “Dull, lacklustre skin is often a sign of slowed cellular turnover. Dead skin cells can inhibit skin’s ability to reflect light and make fine lines and wrinkles more noticeable,” she says. “A professional chemical peel can help rev up skin’s cellular turnover processes and remove those dead skin cells, leaving skin more radiant and with a more even texture.” If your budget won’t accommodate an in-office visit, you can DIY. “An at-home chemical peel is a great way to revitalize the skin with little effort; those acids are just found in stronger concentrations in professional versions.”
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Another ingredient with an energizing kick is caffeine. “It is one of the most used ingredients in ‘perk up’ skin care products, especially eye creams,” says Dr. Yadav. “Caffeine helps improve blood flow, which reduces the look of undereye bags and dark circles.”
Put it on ice
“I find that a great wake-up call for skin is anything cold!” says Dr. Yadav. “This can be a refrigerated ice mask, chilled face globes, a face roller or even a splash of ice water on the skin. Not only will the cold temperature wake you up, it’ll help de-puff and brighten, making skin look revitalized and fresh.”
Urichuk’s perk-up prep also takes a frosty turn. “I love using an ice roller on the face and neck. It’s a game changer that’s so simple and economical,” she says, adding that she uses one on any tired face in her makeup chair. While there are lots of elegant versions available, we’re aligned in our love for the basic, slightly bulky style for at-home use. In my experience it stays cold for a shockingly long time and the wide head covers plenty of face, which is quite satisfying.
Urichuk’s preference is to use the tool on bare skin. “Personally, I’ll do it after my shower while I’m making and drinking my coffee,” she says, “I think it works great on top of skin care, too. But I don’t want any product to attach to the roller — I don’t want to waste it.” An ice roller and a hydrating sheet mask is an effective combo: For the ultimate up and at ’em push, I’ll use my face roller over a sheet mask pulled from a stash in my fridge. Urichuk wraps up an ice roller session by applying a rich moisturizer to seal in hydration and enhance plumpness.
The droopy face factor
We all know a lack of sleep can bring down our mood, but does it do the same for our face? “Skin laxity, especially in the mid-face and around the mouth, can also make us look tired, though often that’s a sign of aging and not necessarily caused by fatigue,” says Dr. Yadav. Filler is an option if you’re looking for a long-term boost. “If you have deep hollows under your eyes, adding a small amount of volume with filler will smooth out those hollows, allowing light to reflect rather than create shadows,” says Dr. Yadav. “You can also use filler to plump up lines around the mouth, such as nasolabial folds and marionette lines, or flat, sunken cheeks.” After a treatment you can expect some swelling and bruising, so be prepared to wait a week to see final results. “It varies patient to patient, but filler tends to last up to a year for most people, depending on the treatment area,” she says, noting it can last longer in the cheeks.
Makeup magic
A well-rested face has a naturally hydrated and radiant quality, so Urichuk chooses cosmetics to replicate this effect. She uses an extra creamy concealer to spot correct under the eyes and around the nose, and a tinted illuminator infused with skin care ingredients to draw out the high points of the face, such as cheekbones. “Formulas are so finely milled now that everything looks more like skin, it blends better,” she says. “I’ll even mix L’Oréal Paris Lumi Glotion with moisturizer because it’s not too sparkly. It’s very light and makes skin look so fresh.”
Adding a subtle rosiness to cheeks will also give the impression you got (more than) 40 winks. A few dabs of a creamy pink lipstick blended onto cheekbones can do the trick, says Urichuk.
Attention to the eye area is the final perk-up checkpoint. “Everything needs a lift when you’re tired. Especially for me and my hooded eye shape, curling my eyelashes and putting on a lengthening and lifting mascara wakes everything up unbelievably,” says Urichuk, who swears by L’Oréal Paris Telescopic Lift Mascara. Be sure to brush your brows upwards, too. “You don’t have to get in there with individual hairs but fluffing them up does shape your face. It also makes you feel polished,” she says. Polished reads as alert: you’ll be playing the part of a well-rested human in no time.
Shop the advice
This ice roller only needs 10-15 minutes in the freezer to chill out. Beyond waking up an exhausted complexion in minutes, it can also be used to soothe minor skin irritations, including a blemish, razor burn or bug bite.
Not only will this sheet mask drench a dry, tired face in hyaluronic acid, but the packet is packed with the juicy serum. You can dip into it for a re-up of plumping moisture several times after opening.
Formulated to exfoliate and cleanse without stripping skin, this is and gentle enough for daily use and contains AHAs (lactic and malic acids) that remove dead skin cells as well as lactobionic, a polyhydroxy acid, which exfoliates and hydrates.
A dab of this light-reflecting, colour-correcting tinted stick (which comes in three shades) helps to neutralize blue and purple darkness around the eyes and add a touch of radiance. Caffeine and vitamin C go to work firming and brightening.
Here’s extra beauty sleep in a tube. Available in four shades, this radiance-boosting lotion contains glycerin and shea butter to leave skin with a hydrated, natural-looking glow. It’s highly customizable: try it as a highlighter, under foundation or mixed with moisturizer.
Don’t sleep on the revitalizing power of an outstanding blush. Packed with hydrating sodium hyaluronate, vitamin E and vegan collagen, this ultra-creamy formula is a perfect blend of lasting colour and luminosity. A few dabs and you’ll instantly look wide awake.
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