Go to bed and get younger: beauty guru HANNAH BETTS reveals the treatments that really work

Another day, another TikTok nomenclature: #morningshed is a comprehensive beauty routine that’s supposed to work while you sleep, featuring “slimming” chin straps, “detoxifying” castor oil stomach packs and “plumping” face masks so you can “go to bed ugly” ‘ and ‘wake up beautiful’ after shedding these torturous gadgets.

With over 100 million TikTok posts, your daughter, granddaughter, and even cousin could be smothering their skin one moment and stripping it the next.

Some wonder if this is why Gen Z has moved away from sex. They are too busy making themselves disgusting, making themselves irresistible, to indulge in more traditional bedroom activities.

Of course, sleep on your back for a few days after filler or Botox to prevent your face from becoming wobbly. I use a Muji neck pillow (£19.95, muji.com) when I don’t want to plant.

RACE YOU TO IT!

For damaged or frizzy hair textures, L’Oréal Professionnel’s Absolut Repair Molecular Mask (£30, boots.com) gets rave reviews. Applied before or after cleansing, it promises up to 94 percent stronger hair.

LIP HITS

CLINIQUE Pop Lip & Cheek Oil in Black Honey (£23.50, clinique.co.uk). The sold-out version of the sheer burgundy ’90s icon is back as a pout and a flush.

MAC Ruby Woo/Phew!/New & Boo (from £17.60, maccosmetics.co.uk).

Sold four times every minute, this true red color with a blue undertone is now available in three new textures.

JONES ROAD The Lippie Stick

in Me (£22, libertylondon.com).

Instead of ‘aging’ lipstick, Bobbi Brown uses liner and then this minty, nude-tinted balm.

LANCOME Juicy Tubes Ultra Shiny Lip Gloss in 03 Dreamsicle (£19.50, johnlewis.com).

Immerse yourself in retro shimmer magic – Dreamsicle is a cloudy Noughties pink.

NARS Lipstick in Schiap (£20.40, johnlewis.com).

Named after surreal Italian designer Elsa Schiaparelli, who made shocking fuchsia her signature.

Advertisement

But some overnight beauty trials can actually harm you. Leave a pore strip on and you will wake up with a red and weeping nose. Whereas if I go near an elastic bonnet, I’m left with angry red welts in my skin for hours.

Here’s my tried-and-true guide to the #midlifemorningshed – what’s worth a nighttime experiment, and what will simply ruin your night (and possibly the next day too…).

PUT ON A SLEEPING MASK

I was one of the first to try the Ostrichpillow Original Napping Pillow (£99.99, amazon.co.uk): a strange, alien head cocoon that blocks out light and sound. Not only did looking so weird almost get me arrested on the train, regular use would be a (literal) barrier to a relationship.

Instead, opt for an elegant Drowsy Drop Original Sleep Mask (£69, sleepy-sleep.com). These cult, adjustable, wrap-around masks block light and dampen sound. I love the midnight blue, while the rich red and pale gold are currently reduced to £55.

BUILD YOUR BROWS

Leaving an eye patch on overnight is a quick route to an allergic reaction. Instead, pull Garnier Anti-Fatigue Hyaluronic Acid Cryo Jelly Eye Patches (now £3.30, boots.com) straight from the fridge in the morning. But do use Revitalash Advanced Eyelash Conditioner (from £59, revitalash.co.uk) and Olaplex Browbond Building Serum Eyebrow Enhancer (£51.20, johnlewis.com). They work and combat balding of eyelashes and eyebrows in a wonderful way.

Slap on a serum

Don’t let your skin suffocate overnight in a sweaty synthetic mask. Instead, apply a serum that tackles the problems while letting your skin breathe.

I’ve yet to find a nocturnal creature I respect more than Beauty Pie Youthbomb 360° Radiance Concentrate Serum (members, £44, non-members, £93, beautypie.com), a fusion of 15 active ingredients to brighten, tighten, to firm, hydrate and add shine. Then add a layer of the moisturizer that floats your boat.

PATCHES ARE SPOT-ON

The salicylic acid in Clean & Clear Advantage Rapid Gel (£3.37, boots.com) will cause the occasional boil, but is not intended for larger areas, where it can make your skin dry and flaky. Instead, act like a teenager and decorate your face with patches. Try Hero Mighty Pimple Patches Invisible+ (£7.99 for 24, boots.com).

YES, USE A HAIR CREAM

Oiling your hair at night creates a depressing mess. Apply L’Oréal Paris Elvive Hydra instead [Hyaluronic] Overnight Cream (£7.79, boots.com) for a polished look at breakfast. Or if grease is your problem, sleep in a mist of dry shampoo.

BOOST BEAUTY SLEEP

There’s no better beauty boost than a good night’s sleep, but this can be difficult in middle age. When you’re struggling, you need magnesium. This Works’ fragrant, magnesium-laden Deep Sleep Body Whip (£22.40, johnlewis.com) is heavenly.

My icon of the week…

Sarah Michelle Gellar arrives at the 35th Annual Producers Guild Awards at The Ray Dolby Ballroom on February 25, 2024 in Hollywood, California

Sarah Michelle Geller

The Buffy star above, who next hits our screens as CSI chief in Dexter: Original Sin, loves expensive skincare Augustinus Bader, as well as Cetaphil Hydrating Gentle Skin Cleanser (£11.50, Boots) and Bio-Oil Skincare Oil (£8, Boots). She’s also a fan of Merit’s 1980 Volumizing Eyebrow Gel-Pomade and Brow 1990 Ultra Fine Eyebrow Gel Pencil (£48 for both, meritbeauty.com).

Cosmetic desire

A friend who was having a terrible time told me that her nightly cleansing with warm cloths is her favorite part of the day right now.

I totally understand this, so gave her M&S Apothecary Revive Nourishing Cleansing Butter (£12.50, marksandspencer.com) to make the experience even more restorative.

This balm smells sublime: an aromatherapeutic cocktail of eucalyptus, lavender, lemongrass and sandalwood. It gently dissolves even waterproof cosmetics and is great for this time of year, leaving the complexion gently nourished. I always carry a 125 gram can when I travel, and I prefer it to a competitor that costs several times as much.