If you're a rock and roller, party girl, high powered exec or even just a sociable person, life begins after 5pm.   Sleep is a luxury that can't always be had, and unfortunately your skin will show it.  Dark circles, pimples, puffiness and dull skin are what you have to look forward to, so we thought we'd give some tips on how to recover and rejuvenate after one of those late night benders, and give the impression of a good night's sleep.

1)Have A Cold Shower.

Yes, this really does work.  Not only does it wake you up, but the cold actually stimulates the blood flow through your body and tones your skin and face.  Try using a scent that might wake you up- eucalyptus, citrusy and minty scents all act to awaken your senses. We love Philosophy's Shower and Bath Gels ($16.00), especially the Creme Brulee, but man who doesn't love the smell of a fresh creme brulee!

2)Exfoliate.  

Why? It gets rid of those horrible dead cells that dull your complexion.  Overnight, your skin tends to repair and slough these off, but if you didn't get enough sleep, it won't happen, hence the dull skin.  Try and use one with small granules to help really clean the skin and get these buggers off, but not too coarse.  Oatmeal is a good example of something that works well to exfoliate but isn't too rough. We like Aveeno Skin Brightening Daily Scrub ($6.99) and Benefit's Honey....Snap Out Of It Scrub ($23).  

3)Moisturize.

Drinking and smoking (which tends to happen on these late nights), all act to dehydrate your skin.  When you don't get enough sleep your skin cell's don't get to go through their regularly cycle, leaving them damaged and less able to keep in moisture.  What happens next......the dreaded wrinkles and scaly skin that makes you look tired and hungover!  How can you fight this?  Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize.  Go for something with Vitamin A, which will help repair skin cells, fill in those fine lines and wrinkles, not to mention help lighten those dark circles under those eyes.  We like Olay Regenerist Micro Sculpting Creme ($26.99).  Speaking of dark circles...

4)Cold Eye Mask.

You don't need to have a fancy gel mask, a cold rolled up washcloth, cucumber slices or whatever bag of frozen veg you have lying around are very helpful for reducing that puffiness around the eyes.  The cold restricts the blood flow, which in turn helps to reduce the inflammation and swelling giving you those morning after eyes.  If you don't like cold, you can use a warm (not hot) teabag-the caffeine acts to restrict the blood flow and the tannins help the inflammation. We like Body Shop's Aqua Eye Mask ($9.00), but a 99 cent cucumber works well too!

5)Consider Your Makeup.

Contrary to what you might feel- less is actually better than more when it comes to makeup.  Here are some useful makeup tips to make you look refreshed, even when your burnt out, with our pick listed beside:

Skin: Go with less foundation and a thin coat, so your skin is still visible.  Try using something that is light reflecting (very hot this season anyway), it helps give the illusion of flawless skin. A liquid foundation would be better to use (since your skin might be dry from the night before).  We like Giorgio Armani's Luminous Silk Foundation ($58) and Lancome's Photogenic Lumessence ($40US/$48CDN)

Under Eyes:Concealer works wonder for hiding those dark circles.  Choose a shade that is a shade lighter than your skin color and apply after you've put on your foundation.  Just a few dabs and blend lightly with your ring finger (it will apply the least pressure). Our fav was Yves Saint Laurent's Touche Eclat ($40).  For a cheaper alternative MAC's Select Moisturecover ($15.50US/$18.50CDN) works well.

Eyes:Try using a little bit of sparkle on the inner corners of your eyes (in the hollow area) to awaken your eyes.  Be careful not to overdo it, since it can actually draw attention to fine lines in the area, but a little works wonders to awaken your appearance.  For fair skin use a silver or pearl color, for darker skin use a golden color. A similar trick, is to use a nude color pencil and line the inside rim of the lower lid-this also acts to brighten the eyes. We love Dior's 5 Couleurs Iridescent Eyeshadow in Parisian Lights ($56.00), it has all the colors you would need regardless of complexion, to help brighten those eyes.

Cheeks:Add a small bit of color to upper part of the apple of your cheeks, this helps to draw attention from other areas.  Go for a color that will make you look like your flushed, rather than a heavy, statement color.  This will help to liven up your skin, and make you appear more awake. We adored the shades in NARS Blush Collection ($25), especially Lovejoy (shimmered bronze rose) and Amour (peachy pink).

Lips:Keep them moist, nothing looks worse that dried up, cracking lips.  A little gloss in the center, will look sexy and keep your lips moisturized. Shu Uemura's Gloss Unlimited Pink Collection ($22US/30CDN), will have a shade that's right for you!

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