Holiday Season Skin Care: 7 Tips to Keep Your Skin Looking Merry & Bright

From travel plans to food preparation to finding the perfect thing to wear to your in-laws for dinner, the holidays can—without a doubt—be stressful all around. And, although we can’t help you book flights or pick up apple pie ingredients from the market for you, we can help you—and your skin—feel prepared for the festivities ahead this season. Below we share seven holiday season skin care tips to keep your skin looking stress-free and beautiful this year!

CLEANSE YOUR SKIN

No matter how early your alarm went off—or how busy you might be—start your morning off on a good foot with a little facial cleanse. This can not only help remove sweat and pore-clogging debris from your complexion, it can create a nice clean base for the day’s makeup, too! Try Shu Uemura Porefinist Gentle Foaming Cleansing Water.

APPLY ICE

Speaking of early wake up calls—and late nights for that matter—lack of sleep is causing your eyes to look fatigued, try applying cold spoons or ice cubes to your under-eye area—this can help to temporarily de-puff the look of the delicate skin under your eyes. Looking for more tricks to help minimize the appearance of  puffy-looking eyes? We share a few dermatologist-approved hacks here!

PICK A PRIMER WITH SKIN BENEFITS

Holiday festivities can be long—especially if you’re juggling plans—and chances are you’re going to be spending a few more hours in your makeup than normal. To ensure that your “face” stays in place (and your skin looks flawless) pick a makeup primer that can give you better makeup application and simultaneously benefit your skin. We share a roundup of our favorite primers with skin care benefits here.

DON’T FORGET YOUR LIP BALM

If your holiday plans are being spent away from home, be sure to toss an extra lip balm in your handbag or carry on. Travel can be especially drying to skin—especially if you are traveling by air—and your lips are often one of the first places to show signs of dehydration. Keeping a hydrating lip balm on hand and applying often helps to moisturize your pout and prep it for the season’s gorgeous dark lipsticks.

TAKE YOUR MAKEUP OFF

Whether you’ve been prepping your side dishes and basting the turkey since the crack of dawn or you had one too many drinks and you’re simply burnt out from the day’s festivities, taking your makeup off at the end of the evening is an absolute must. Plan ahead and leave a bottle of makeup removing micellar water and your facial moisturizer by your bedside table. This way, when it comes time to hit the hay, all you have to do is give your complexion a few swipes and you’re done.  

STAY HYDRATED

Holidays are the perfect excuse to indulge in a couple extra cocktails—especially if your in-laws are coming to town—but alcohol can take a toll on the appearance of your skin. Imbibe responsibly and be sure to drink water in between glasses of wine or cocktails to stay hydrated.

GIVE YOUR SKIN A DETOX

On the morning after a holiday get-together or party, treat your complexion to a face mask formulated with charcoal. We like L’Oréal Paris’ Pure-Clay Detox & Brighten Treatment Mask. Formulated with fatigued skin in mind, the Detox & Brighten Treatment Mask from L’Oréal Paris’ line of Pure-Clay Masks works like a magnet to pull impurities from the surface of your skin. In addition, the mask works to rebalance the skin and can leave you with a brighter-looking, more illuminated complexion.

For more on L’Oréal Paris’ Pure-Clay Detox & Brighten Treatment Mask ($12.99) and the other Pure-Clay masks in the collection check out our full review.