asleep

If you're one of those people who wakes up in the morning looking camera-ready -- respect. Me? Not so much. I'm more of a hair all over the place, puffy-eyed, give me coffee now kind of gal. Try not to be jealous. But there are ways to meet yourself in the bathroom mirror in the wee hours looking ... pretty damn good. If you want to cut your morning routine in half or, shoot, just wake up looking hot, here are 6 easy ways to look gorgeous in the morning without doing anything.

Self-tanner. Years ago, I read a magazine article with -- I can't remember who; it was either Diane von Furstenberg or Bobbi Brown -- and she said that right before she gets on a plane, she applies a little self-tanner to her face. This way, when she gets to her destination, she has a little glow. Why not do the same before hitting the sack? What's better than waking up with a tan? (Note: You might want to apply the tanner at least an hour before bedtime, as not to also wake up with an orange-brown-stained pillow.)

Sleep with your hair down. Nothing causes creases and kinks in hair like a hair tie. I know it's tempting to throw your hair in a ponytail or a bun before going to bed -- trust me, I know -- but, it's pretty much a surefire way to wake up with weird hair.

Satin pillowcases. I know, seems extravagant, but since we're on the subject of trying to not have crazy hair in the morning, nothing keeps hair smooth and silky like satin. And bonus, it also is supposedly better for keeping facial wrinkles at bay (if you don't sleep on your back).

Vaseline + socks = softest feet ever. I haven't done this one in a while, but if you load your hooves up with Vaseline or a super thick cream and put on socks before bed, your feet will be softer and smoother than any pedicure could ever do. My mom actually used to do this with gloves for her hands on occasion -- I could never do that, but I will say, the woman had soft hands.

Sleep in a moisture mask or just, you know, load on the moisturizer. Clinique and Origins are just two of the companies that have "overnight moisture masks," which are, well, pretty self-explanatory. Your skin absorbs moisture best when you're asleep and it's regenerating, so you'll wake up with a plump, dewy (non-greasy) complexion. If sleeping in a mask seems like a little much, try the one-two punch of a serum plus a lotion. I like Kinerase HydraBoost Intensive Treatment + Kate Somerville's Goat Milk Cream.

Whiten your teeth. Long gone are the days of killing time with a weird tray in your mouth. Now you can whiten while you sleep. Try Crest Night Effects to wake up with pearly whites.

Do you have anything to add to this list?

 

Image via rileyroxx/Flickr