Though we love a glass (or two) of Prosecco at this time of year it does come with a price.
Crazy head banging 'wineovers', dull lacklustre skin, queasy tummies, tired panda eyes and everything else that can possibly go wrong in the beauty and health department? Sadly, these are the consequences BUT fear not, we have all expert tips and tricks you need to know to keep you feeling great all season long.
Nutritionist and Natural Health expert, Nadia Brydon gives her top tips on how to avoid a hangover from the start.
- Drink all the vodka, sauvignon blanc and gin you want, but leave the rum and red at home. Nadia says, “Dark spirits such as whisky, brandy and red wine contain more congeners (a chemical which irritates the blood vessels and tissue) than white wine and pale spirits such as gin and vodka.” Which can make your hangovers worse!
- Investing in expensive alcohol isn't always a bad idea. “Pricier alcohol which has been distilled and purified to a greater extent tend to contain less congeners and therefore may help to contribute to a milder hangover," says Nadia. You get what you pay for.
- If you're feeling queasy, reach for a herbal tea. "A simple way to boost liver function and reduce nausea and vomiting is to have a herbal peppermint tea or a few slices of fresh ginger in a cup of boiling water.” Try Pukka's Herbal Collection with both included. It's a lovely natural remedy we all swear by.
- Hangovers usually start a few hours after drinking, when the liver struggles to detoxify and eliminate the excess alcohol in your blood stream. To help your body detoxify take Sun Chlorella ‘A’ which can help bind to the toxins and help flush them out. Nadia says, "it will help speed up the recovery process with the added benefit of providing extra energy and a wide range of natural vitamins and minerals". Life, sorted.
Uneasy tummy
Alcohol irritates the lining of your stomach so whether you're suffering from sweats, flushes or are completely at one with the toilet you need to give your tummy some major TLC come morning time.
This one is well known for mothers-to-be, but why not make the most of its medicinal benefits? For an uneasy stomach suck on a ginger pastille. Vitabiotics' Ginger Pastilles are infused with ginger root and blueberry extract to help soothe your tummy and help banish the nausea. Good-bye to your hangover!
Tired eyes
To help brighten and hydrate our peepers Optometrist Francesca Marchetti of the College of Optometrists says, "When you’re heading out for the evening and your eyes feel as though they are looking a little dull, you could try using some brightening eye drops, such as Murine Bright & Moist Eyes to bring back their sparkle. It’s formulated with a brightener so you will have ultra-white and dazzling eyes for the night ahead." And not a suspicion in sight!
If you're staying in the next day and you just want to show your eyes some love go for Murine's Irritation & Redness Relief Eye Drops which are specially formulated to clear blood shot eyes and soothe them after a heavy night's drinking.
Meanwhile why not give your eyes a facial? Our fave remedy is with chamomile tea. Just brew two bags of tea and allow them to cool. After, place the one tea bags over each eye and lie down and relax for 10-15 minutes. Promise those swollen, puffy eyes will be gone in no time.
Dull dark panda eyes
If you're having two nights on the trot sometimes you need a bit more than just eye drops. To help mend your eyes use a caffeine eye roller like this one from First Aid Beauty.
FAB’s Detox Eye Roller contains caffeine, which helping to restrain the fine blood vessels that cause dark circles while hydrating your eye area with hyaluronate and advanced peptides to keep them fresh and gorgeous!
Then ( nope we're not finished yet) to finish conceal your eyes and any other imperfections with Benefit's new trusty Erase Paste to help brighten and coverup with just one swipe. Trust, your boss will have no clue you were out the night before.
Rehydration
The chips, pizza and Diet Coke you're craving the morning after is your body talking. One of the main problems we face when we're hanging is dehydration.
Dr Roger Henderson says the first thing you need to do is replace lost salts. He says, "Before you go to bed, or as soon as you wake in the morning, take an oral rehydration therapy drink, to help replace lost sugars, salts and essential minerals which alcohol depletes from the body.
"The sugar helps the water and electrolytes to be absorbed from the intestines and it will help ease the symptoms the next day" Oralyte is your best bet. Keep it by your bedside to remind yourself to take it first thing. You'll be happy you did.
Energy boost
Although you want nothing to do with anything health related when in this state of dread you need to try to give yourself the vitamins and minerals your body needs to help recover.
Dr Henderson says, "According to the Royal College of Chemistry, the best breakfast to help your hangover is toast and honey with a glass of fruit juice. This gives you potassium, sodium and fructose, which need replacing after a night on the town." It's easy, quick and require minimal effort. We like it.
To give your body an extra punch of vitamins sip on an immunity support drink such as Emergen-C’s delicious daily dose of 15 nutrients. Just mix with water and enjoy. P.S. It actually tastes good!
Skin brightener
When you really need to look your best the next day start the day with a power breakfast - for your face. Temple Spa's Power Breakfast is nutritious scrub and face mask in ONE, with honey, oats and fruit juices to help brighten, polish and nourish overworked skin . It you saves time, you have two options and it's exactly what your skin needs to look and feel fabulous.
To quench your skin's thirst follow with Rodial's Super Acids X-treme Hangover Mask to help hydrate and plump skin back into shape for super quick radiant boost!
Seal in the moisture with a good quality facial oil. Clarin's Blue Orchid Face Treatment Oil which is specially formulated for dehydrated skin contains 100% pure plant extracts to help tone, revitalise and restore radiance overnight. The perfect beauty regimen for skin in need!
Enhance your eye
It's all in the eyes ladies! One trick that works wonders for tired and hungover eyes is white liner. It may seem a bit odd to be lining your eyes with a white pencil but trust us, this tip is used up and down the catwalks every single season.
To mask last night's antics create an illusion by applying white liner smudged into the inner corners of the eyes and a swipe of nude liner across the inside of the lash line (don't forget to blend). Our go-to liner is Too Faced Bulletproof 24-Hour Eyeliner in White Lie and Mink. Finish with a bit of mascara, and voilà the perfect wake up effect.
If all else fails keep a skin brightener to hand such as Smashbox's Photo OP Under Eye Brightener which works to reflect light leaving you with a natural, fresh look all day long. Apply it on your cheek bones, under your eyes and anywhere else you feel needs a lift!
Create warmth
A dash of bronzer and blush will help keep your complexion glowing and conceal the hangover dullness. Our new favourite is Urban Decay's Naked Flushed Palette which contains highlighter, blush and bronzer in ONE so you never have to be without. Give your skin the healthy glow it deserves.
Feel good treat
Reebok Sports Club nutritionist, Tim Hart says, “The best hangover cure is not to drink too much. However, failing that help is at hand in the form of chocolate milk. Straight from the fridge it can help cool and settle an inflamed stomach and help to rehydrate too. The mix of sugars and milk proteins make it ideal at raising energy levels as well.”
Anything but water we say! Try Shaken Udder's delicious (tried and tested) milkshakes which are chock full of natural ingredients! Get one from Tesco, Sainsbury's and Waitrose. Yum.
Spoil yourself
When you wake up from a heavy night of booze your skin is sure to look tired, dry and overstressed but a nice facial never goes amiss! If you have another party to go to the next day a facial can go a long way...and we know just the one.
Delarom's limited edition facials (available from 16th to 21st December 2014) are the perfect post-party treat. The Delarom Suite, set in the beautiful treatment rooms of Urban Retreat at Harrods are offering up three beautifying facials; Instant Glow Facial, Skin Restructuring Facial and Firming and Lifting Facial. All promising to deliver impressive results!
So what have you got to lose? They're relaxing, cleansing, good for circulation and amazing for instant beauty. Harrods we've got you on speed dial.
Perk up your hair
For an instant makeover for your hair slather on Macadamia's Deep Repair Masque. With a combination of macadamia oil, argan oil, tea tree, chamomile, aloe and algae extracts this rich treat literally works to reconstruct every strand of dull, damaged hair to beautiful healthful locks.
But sometimes there's just not enough time to do it all. Skipping the hair mask today? Don't worry, dry shampoo is every girl's life saviour.
We're obsessed with Philip Kingsley's One More Day Dry Shampoo infused with zinc and other soothing ingredients to instantly lift, refresh and absorb oil. The result? Fresh as a daisy tresses.
Here's your party aid checklist...
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