The Day After

By Anne Marie Scanlon

Our esteemed editor wanted to know why I was going to write about undoing the damage a week before I wrote about the partying that causes the damage in the first place. Easy peasy. Most girls, I informed him, know full well how to glam themselves up for a night on the tiles, but not so many know how to disguise the damage the next day. So next week I'll take a look at all that is glamorous and glossy for the many many parties you'll no doubt attend in the coming weeks, but today is all about damage limitation.

No doubt if you've been out partying the first damage you'll want to undo the next day is your hangover. At this time of the year so-called hangover cures are ten a penny. Some people swear by concoctions involving eggs and tomato juice whereas for others the 'cure' comes in the form of a full-on greasy fry up. I haven't touched a drop of the devils urine in almost nine years and I still find it hard to face fried eggs first thing in the morning. On top of a feed of alcohol and a queasy stomach... God in heaven the mere thought is enough to send me fleeing to the nearest toilet bowl.

So instead of talking cures, let's talk prevention. Here are five tips to ensure a slightly better start to the morning after.

1. Don't Drink. Very simple, but the easiest way to avoid a cruel hangover is to keep off the sauce in the first place. If I feel at all tempted during the coming weeks by a small sherry or a swig of Baileys I'll just cast my mind back to Holiday Seasons past when the after-effects of alcohol left me with crippling headaches and debilitating nausea. OK, OK, so I know not drinking isn't for everyone. If you refuse to give up your festive tipple then read on.
2. Don't drink on an empty stomach. If you are heading out for a night of serious partying don't rely on the lame selection of canapés and finger food that might, or might not, be on offer. Eat something before you start to booze. Forget the diet and have something high in starch and carbs. Seriously, the eight drinks you're going to have ain't exactly low in calories either.
3. Drink plenty of water during the evening. Try to have a glass of water between all alcoholic drinks. The main reason why you feel so desperate the morning after is dehydration. Alcohol is a diuretic and too much of it results in dehydration which in turn leads to headaches and a queasy stomach. If you are unlucky enough to also suffer from 'the fear' (post alcohol consumption depression and paranoia) then God help you, you have my sympathies. The physical symptoms of a hangover are bad enough but the mental ones - ai-yi-yi. Water may not help dispel 'the fear' but at least you won't have to deal with the double whammy of physical and mental torture. And don't forget that large glass of water before you go to bed, not to mention the one beside your bed for when you wake up at 5am feeling as though you've been run over by a dumpster truck and then thrown into the back of it.
4. Avoid booze that is darker in colour. As a rule of thumb the darker the drink (i.e. brandy, rum) the nastier the hangover. Mind you, if you drink 16 large vodkas you can expect to feel pretty awful the next day. The severity of your hangover depends not just on the colour of your drink but the amount you consume.
5. Avoid cheaper varieties of hooch. The purer your drink the lesser your hangover.

As with a hangover there are some preventative measures you can take. First, no matter how late you get home try to take off your makeup. It's bad enough going to bed with normal everyday make up in place but party make up tends to be that much heavier. Leaving it on is not good for you or your skin. I know it's a pain when your feet are sore, your head is spinning and you know that you have approximately 2 and 1/2 hours to sleep before you have to get up and start all over again. Just take it off. It will save time in the morning and you will feel just that little bit better when you look in the mirror and don't see last night's glam caked and cracking in the cold light of dawn.

If you are following the hangover avoidance advice you should be awash with water. Water is always good for the skin so even if you've been a good girl and avoided excessive boozing you should still drink plenty of water before hitting the hay to help offset the effects of a late night on your skin. On top of that you could give yourself a good lash of SAVE ME ($60) from Philosophy a product for face and décolleté. SAVE ME contains a stable form of Vitamin C to brighten skin tone, peptides for skin rejuvenation, powerful anti-oxidants and retinol to reduce fine lines and wrinkles. SAVE ME can be used alone or under a moisturizer. Dermalogica's Extra Firming Booster ($42) also contains peptides and Vitamin C and promises to firm and smooth skin. The Extra Firming Booster is recommended for drier or prematurely aging skin, however if you are out on the lash several nights a week it might be exactly the antidote you need. Dermalogica also have a Skin Hydrating Booster ($50) which works on all skin types and helps restore moisture and minimize fine lines.

The eyes may well be the windows to the soul but they're also big tattle-tales when you've been up to no good. Smoky atmospheres, dehydration, lack of sleep, they all show up in your eyes and we can't all be Paris Hilton and wear shades 24/7. Combat morning after eyes with any one of the following. Dermalogica Total Eye Care with SPF 15 ($37.50) helps to reduce the appearance of puffiness and fine lines. This product was designed to both protect and repair the delicate skin around your eyes with alpha-hydroxy acids and firming plant extracts. It also contains optical diffusers to diminish dark circles. Cellex-C Advanced-C Eye Toning Gel ($70) will help improve skin colour, texture and overall tone. It will also increase skin elasticity and resilience and reduce visible signs of aging - wrinkles, fine lines, and crow's feet.

That's the good news. The bad news is that you need to use it consistently and the results will appear over time. It is not a quick fix but if you include it as part of your daily beauty regime then you won't need a quick fix!

Biotherm Hydra-Det0_x Yeux ($26) is an "Anti-puffiness and Dark Circles Moisturizing and Detoxifying Eye Gel". This product is lightweight and easily absorbed just right for the girl who hit the snooze button several times and has no time for dedicated primping. As with the Cellex-C Advanced-C Eye Toning Gel the longer you use this product the better the results will be.

So you've left it too late to start a proper eye cream regime. Don't panic, a good concealer stick will work in an emergency. The holy grail of under eye concealers is of course Touch Éclat from YSL which has been known to work miracles on under-eye circles. However if your wallet doesn't stretch to YSL then check out Forget It! Instant Concealer ($14) from Biotherm. Apart from hiding your bags it will also conceal small blemishes which with booze, smoke and a sudden change in your diet you are bound to encounter. Boots No. 17 Hide Away Concealer Stick can similarly help you clean up your image when the fruits of your partying begin to appear on your face.

Now another large glass of water and you'll be ready to face the day. OK maybe a large glass of water and two paracetemol.