Fake a Good Night’s Sleep With This Simple Skin Routine

“Sleep is sooooo overrated.” - No one.

No, seriously. No one has ever said that because sleep is objectively excellent. And without it, your skin will likely (and annoyingly) punish you with puffiness, dullness and dark circles. But that doesn’t mean you can’t fake a good night’s sleep with a few clever skin essentials when you need to.

Whether you’ve been up late working, parenting or hanging out with friends (the TV show kind, or the real-life kind), this is how you can trick people into thinking you’ve had a full eight hours.

Extra tip before we start because we’re feeling generous: Wait at least a minute between each step - unless otherwise noted (looking at you, sheet masks) - to ensure your skincare has a chance to thoroughly sink in.

7-step simple skin routine to fake a good night's sleep

1. Cleanse

First things first, you need a fresh canvas. Overnight, things like sweat, grime and skincare residue can build up on your skin. Getting rid of all of that will prevent congestion and breakouts, and will allow the rest of your tired-skin-saving products to sink in and do their best work.

If there’s any makeup hanging around from last night (no judgement), go in first with an oil cleanser to gently remove it all. If you just need a light cleanse, opt for something gentle and water-based (like a cleansing mousse, gel or milk) to quickly freshen your face up.

2. Sheet mask

Sheet masks are serum-drenched face masks that quickly deliver a potent boost of ingredients to your skin. In other words, they were pretty much made for reviving tired skin. When you’re low on sleep, look out for ones that are made with niacinamide, vitamin c and hyaluronic acid, which calm redness and instantly leave skin plump, juicy and alive-looking.

Apply it on clean skin, and leave for 10-15 minutes before removing and gently patting in the excess serum. Bonus tip: if you have an extra few minutes, exfoliate beforehand to give your sheet mask the best chance at penetrating your skin.

3. Face oil

Sheet masks should always be followed with something nourishing and occlusive, so your next step is to follow on with a face oil (and/or moisturiser) to firmly lock everything in and leave your skin soft and glowy. Massage your face oil onto your face with a chilled facial roller to help cool and soothe your skin as it does its lovely, replenishing thing. Double win.

4. SPF

If it’s daytime, then you need to be wearing SPF. Simple as that. It’s essential to protect your skin from UV damage and premature ageing. Even better if you can find one that also has antioxidants in it to boost, brighten and give that sleepy face of yours an extra hit of glow.

5. Fresh, glowy makeup

Almost there! Your skincare has done the heavy lifting and now all there’s left to do is add a few finishing touches with a bit of makeup. Keep it simple with a creamy concealer under the eyes (a peach one will quickly counteract any dark circles), a touch of cream blush and some tinted lip balm to complete a full-fake-awake-illusion

6. Powerade/Coffee/Berocca

Less for your skin, more for your mood. Dehydrated skin is also a certified glowy skin thief, so be sure to guzzle some water in addition to your triple shot espresso to keep your face healthy and radiant.

7. Rejoice! You’re done!

You’re all ready to go and have successfully avoided having to hear people say “you look tired!” all day. You’re welcome.

Head to Go-To for more skincare tips and tricks.

Want more skincare tips? Here's the most simple nighttime skin routine for glowing skin.