Sleeping beauty: Skincare products that work while you sleep
Wake up to radiant skin every morning with these nighttime skincare products that take your beauty sleep to the next level.
Are you sick of waking up to dull, dry or tired skin? Our skin is constantly exposed to a wide range of environmental aggressors daily, whether that’s dust, pollution, or hours of air conditioning that dry out the skin. Coupled with the stress and fatigue of our busy work lives, it’s no surprise that we often find our skin looking worse for wear.
One of the best solutions, and possibly also our favourite solution, is to simply get more sleep! It is called ‘beauty sleep’ for a reason! To make sure you’re doing more than just catching 40 winks, take your beauty sleep to the next level by providing your skin with the replenishing ingredients it needs to restore that radiant glow to your skin. Next, ensure that you provide your skin with replenishing ingredients that combat the daily aggressors it is exposed to.
The science is simple. At night, cell regeneration takes place at full speed, which means your skin is more receptive to replenishing and restorative ingredients. Nighttime is thus the perfect opportunity to use skincare products that are full of rich, nourishing ingredients that can be slowly absorbed while you sleep. There are also certain ingredients such as AHAs and retinols that are best used at night.
Putting on a sleeping mask, night cream or eye mask before you sleep takes just a few minutes, and you reap tremendous benefits the next day. It’s time to say goodbye to dull and tired skin and hello to a fresh and radiant complexion when you wake up. If you’re not sure where to start, we recommend the best nighttime skincare products that will ensure your skin looks its best.
Using an eye cream or mask allows powerful antioxidant and restorative ingredients to work on your skin while you sleep so that you wake up to radiant and supple skin.
Our recommendations:
For something extra hydrating, try Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado. It’s rich and nourishing, making it everyone’s favourite nighttime eye cream. An alternative is Clinique’s All About Eyes Rich, a moisture-rich eye cream that diminishes undereye circles and fine lines while boosting collagen production (from any Sephora outlet in Singapore).
Retinol is a powerful Vitamin A derivative that reduces fine lines and wrinkles by increasing collagen production.
It’s best used at night as it rapidly breaks down when exposed to the sun. Nighttime is the perfect opportunity to use an eye cream with retinol, such as the popular Kiehl’s Youth Dose Eye Treatment.
Its creamy yet lightweight texture brightens your skin and reduces fine lines, puffiness and dark circles over time.
To deeply hydrate, revitalise and brighten your eye area, use Laneige’s Eye Sleeping Mask.
2. Sleeping Masks
Sleeping masks deliver intense hydration and other restorative ingredients (such as antioxidants), which means you wake up with glowing skin and look totally well-rested. They are perfect for lazy days when you feel like skipping a night cream. But if you’re a skincare guru and won’t skip a step, these masks are perfect to layer on top of your night cream to lock in extra nourishment.
Our recommendations:
For something that’s lightweight yet intensely hydrating, Laneige’s Water Sleeping Mask is arguably the most popular of its kind on the market. Wake up to plump and radiant skin.
An alternative is Sulwhasoo’s Radiance Energy Mask, which gives you clear and radiant skin in the morning.
If you have dry skin, try Mamonde’s Enriched Nutri Sleeping Mask (from any Sephora outlet in Singapore). It contains evening primrose, which delivers nourishment and hydration to thirsty skin.
If your concern is dark spots, the Dr Andrew Weils for Origins Mega-Bright Dark Spot Correcting Night Mask (from any Sephora outlet in Singapore) boosts your skin’s resilience and radiance, as well as fades dark spots and improves your overall skin tone.
3. Night Serums and Oils
The best night serums are full of restorative and anti-ageing ingredients that help combat environmental stressors your skin was exposed to in the day.
Serums that are specially designed for nighttime use may contain ingredients that are best used at night, such as retinol.
Our recommendations:
Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate is a replenishing face oil that regenerates, repairs and replenishes skin so that you wake up to fresh and smoother skin by morning. This cult classic is suitable for all skin types, even those with combination or oily skin.
If your concerns are signs of ageing, Missha’s Time Revolution Night Repair Borabit Ampoule is an anti-ageing serum that contains retinol, a powerful ingredient that smooths out fine lines and wrinkles. It also contains bifida ferment lysate, which improves skin elasticity.
If you prefer an anti-ageing serum without retinol, try the highly-rated Clarins Double Serum, which contains plant-based ingredients that tighten skin, diminish fine lines and wrinkles, treat dry and flaky skin, and reduce pore visibility.
If you have dry skin, Sulwhasoo’s Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Facial Oil delivers intense moisture and nourishment so you wake up with bouncy and radiant skin.
4. Night Creams
Putting on a night cream is a skincare step you should never skip. The best ones restore, repair and nourish your skin so that you wake up to hydrated and healthy skin. They often contain powerful ingredients such as AHAs and retinol, which work to improve overall skin texture while you snooze. Pick a night cream based on your skin concerns, and take the opportunity to use richer, more nourishing creams that can be slowly absorbed while you sleep. Note: Night creams should not contain SPF.
Our recommendations:
To improve skin texture while nourishing skin, try Origins’ High-Potency Night-A-Mins Resurfacing Cream with Fruit-Derived AHAs (from any Sephora outlets in Singapore). This oil-free overnight moisturiser contains AHAs that help remove dead skin cells, thus improving skin texture and reducing dryness.
For something that detoxifies while boosting radiance and hydration, try Fresh Skincare’s Lotus Youth Preserve Dream Night Cream.
After exhausting days when you can’t wait to hit the sack, pare down your skincare routine with Etude House’s SoonJung Moist Relief All In One Gel. It combines all the functions of a toner, emulsion and essence. This cooling gel combats stressed and dehydrated skin caused by daily environmental aggressors.
5. Lip Masks
Don’t forget about your lips. Sick of waking up with chapped lips? Lip masks deliver an intense dose of hydration and nourishment to your lips while you sleep so that you wake up with baby-soft and smooth lips.
Our recommendations:
Laneige’s Lip Mask melts away dead skin cells and delivers intense hydration so you wake up with smooth and plump lips.
Kiehl’s Buttermask For Lips repairs the lip moisture barrier to restore lips overnight.
Ready to let these products work away while you sleep? You’ll be saying hello to fresh, radiant skin in no time—the perfect start to a new day. Plus, your makeup will never look better!
For more beauty and wellness tips, check out the best superfoods to eat to get that glow from within.