Waking up after a massive night out is never fun.
Your head is pounding, your mouth is dry and your whole body feels like one giant bruise. On top of that, you're supposed to meet up with your college friends for brunch, and you just KNOW they're going to want to take a group picture.
But the thing is, you do NOT look cute. Even oversized glasses and the most incredible concealer won't be able to completely hide the aftermath of a night of mixed drinks and tequila shots -- no matter how hard you try.
Sure, your friends will probably tell you, "No! You look great, trust me," but they're lying to you: You really aren't looking good.
Along with a migraine, three random guys' numbers and a new tattoo, you woke up with a face that will not photograph very well.
Alcohol is the reason you made stupid decisions, and it's the reason you never look your best after a night out. Here's why.
Your skin is craving water.
When you're hungover, all you want is a greasy brunch and water. So much water. Because alcohol decreases the amount of anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) your body makes, your skin, like the rest of your body, gets dehydrated.
But you have to remember dehydrated skin is not the same as dry skin. If your skin is dehydrated, it may feel tight, but it can still produce oil.
So slathering on your face lotion won't completely solve this problem.
To avoid a completely dehydrated face, try alternating your Redbull vodkas with big glasses of water. You, and your skin, will feel better in the morning.
It also needs vitamins.
Thanks to those three strong whiskey gingers, you lost your wallet and your Vitamin A. Vitamin A plays a big part in the renewal and turnover of cells.
Without Vitamin A, your skin loses its glow. Sure, you might look shiny, but that's probably just the tequila-flavored sweat pouring out of your skin.
To get some Vitamin A back in your system, make sure your brunch includes dairy, meat or colorful vegetables, like squash or carrots.
It looks and feels puffy.
You aren't still drunk; your face actually does look fatter. Without water or vitamins, your skin begins to swell.
Plus, with all that drinking, your sugar intake most likely far exceeded the suggested amount. According to LiveStrong, chugging a drink that is heavy in sugar can lead to water retention, which causes your face to bloat.
Your face is red.
Oftentimes, the flushed face you had at the pregame can carry over to the morning after.
You can try to blame it on hearing the embarrassing things you did the night before, but it's definitely still the alcohol's fault.
One of the effects of alcohol is increased blood flow. This can cause dilation in your face's blood vessels. And if you aren't careful, excessive drinking can lead to lasting damage.
And you probably didn't get very much sleep.
Dancing until 4 in the morning and downing drink after drink don't make for a good night's sleep. Alcohol is the enemy of a restful night.
It reduces the amount of REM (rapid-eye-movement) sleep you get, making you even more tired the next morning.
You may think sleeping until noon left you well-rested, but you're wrong. Dark circles, puffy eyes and dull skin are all signs of not enough sleep.
Unless you're an expert makeup artist, I don't think you're going to be able to successfully hide that damage.
