Morning face is definitely a thing.
The same as our stomachs can bloat from eating certain foods, our faces can sometimes appear puffier and rounder than they usually are, particularly in the early A.M.
And with many us ditching makeup and the magic of contouring while working from home, knowing how to beat fluid retention and gain back your chiselled features (in as little as five minutes) is certainly a skill worth learning.
What causes face puffiness?
Aside from sleeping face down in your pillow, a lot of face bloating is actually caused by diet. If you’ve noticed your complexion looking particularly puffy after a hard night on the ramen, it’s because foods high in sodium are notorious for a bulging face the next day. This is because our body tries to retain water to make up for the salt content. Same goes for coffee and alcohol, due to being diuretic. Espresso martini, anyone?
How to de-puff your morning face
1. Use cold water to cleanse
A hard task on a winter’s morning, but switching out warm water for cold will help to wake your skin up, calm swelling and increase blood flow, all for faster depuffing. Kate Moss goes one step further with ice water every morning, but that’s just hardcore.
2. Perform a lymphatic drainage massage
With fluid retention the main puffiness culprit, helping to drain said fluid from your face will have instant results. A lot of our lymph nodes are located in the neck, so this is a great place to start.
Using your preferred method of fingers, gua sha or jade roller, make firm sweeping motions from just underneath the ear, towards your shoulder. Repeat on both sides of the neck.
For the centre of the neck, use a downward motion from your jawline to your collarbone, on either side of the throat. Try repeating these massage movements for two or three minutes after applying your serum or face oil, for an easier glide.
Salt By Hendrix Rose Quartz Gua Sha, $24.95 at adorebeauty.com.au
Tata Harper Beautifying Face Oil, $153 at sephora.com.au
3. Soothe the eyes
Placing cold spoons on your peepers isn’t just an old wives tale, the cold metal can help to relieve swelling, and the same thing goes for eye creams with similar applicator tips.
Try to also target some pressure points surrounding the eye for blood flow stimulation. Using your thumbs, apply pressure along the brow bone for five or so seconds. Start in at the bridge of the nose, and work your way out towards your temples.
4. Drink water!
Your face is holding onto fluid because it’s thirsty, so the best way to beat bloating is to ensure you’re also hydrating from the inside out. Because let’s be real, we’re not giving up ramen any time soon.
