Ask any woman: no amount of blush can magically make a puffy, sleepy face look fresh again.

Whether it was that extra glass of rosé, a regretful all-nighter, crying over some idiot guy, or too many salty snacks—there’s lots of reasons why we wake up looking swollen and worse for wear.

As a diagnosed insomniac, I know a thing or two about that humbling morning mirror moment.

The science for looking like a blowfish goes a little something like this: a good night’s sleep allows the parasympathetic nervous system to drain excess fluids from the facial soft tissue back into the veins.

...so when you don’t get enough sleep, the stress response that’s triggered creates more swelling and inflammation in the face. 

“Overnight retention of fluid is a naturally occurring process, and because we sleep lying down with our head at the same level as our heart, it is normal for that fluid to cause mild facial swelling,” says Dr. Tull, who recommends sleeping with your head elevated for that reason( I don't know about you but I CANNOT sleep elevated. Sorry doc).

Here's one thing I know for sure: before you even THINK about applying makeup, you’ve got to soothe your skin and bring down inflammation.

From sleepy to snatched, here’s my top five tips to de-puff your face like a pro...

1. Cold therapy My morning ritual begins with two things: a fluffy, hot matcha and an ice cold face roller.

Cold therapy is incredible for contouring, tightening and de-puffing your skin. I use the “Rolls-Royce of ice rollers” aka. the Skinny Confidential Hot Mess Ice Roller because it stays colder significantly longer than other face rollers on the market, thanks to its all-aluminum roller. Its founder, Lauryn Bosstick, is the unofficial Queen of de-puffing—in fact, she invented her ice roller after jaw surgery left her swollen for months.

Don’t you just love a founder who creates a solution to their own problem? I trust the quality that much more.

So how do you use an ice roller? ✧ Store it in the freezer at all times (if that's too cold for you, keep it in the fridge) ✧ In the morning, apply a tiny bit of oil to your skin after cleansing ✧ Swipe the roller in upward motions on the face to lift—and down the neck area to drain the lymph in the face Sometimes I really go for it, popping a hydrating sheet mask on first and using the ice roller over top. I don’t like icky chemicals, so the cleanest sheet masks I’ve found so far are by Andalou.

Not ready to invest in an ice roller? These hacks are 100% free: ✧ Use ice cubes ✧ Store your morning skin products in the fridge ✧ Follow Kate Moss’ advice (a woman who is no stranger to late nights): “Fill a sink with ice cubes, cold water and slices of cucumber and hold your face in it for as long as you can. It instantly reduces puffiness and tightens up your skin.”

2. Hydration Well, duh…but the thing is, most of us walk around dehydrated on a good day. Throw in some sleep deprivation and our body is at a loss. When you’re dehydrated, your body’s cells and tissues absorb water and get super stubborn about holding onto it, which leads to puffiness. As you drink up H2O, the cells release the stored-up water and help the swelling subside.

If you’re not a mindful hydrator like me, check out these tips I penned for making water more “fun.” It's best to avoid dehydrating drinks, such as carbonated drinks, excess caffeine and salty foods. All of these cause water retention and bloating as a result. Since I simply cannot give up coffee, especially on days when I'm exhausted, I double up on hydration when I'm sleep-deprived. ✧ Pro-tip: put a tiny amount of Celtic salt into water for better-absorption and optimal hydration. If drinking was the culprit for your puffy face, a cold glass of coconut water will replenish electrolytes.

3. Caffeinated eye creams  Just like your morning coffee, caffeine ‘perks up’ the eye area due to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Even when applied topically, caffeine has been shown to penetrate your skin barrier and speed up microcirculation, giving your skin a bonus healthy glow.

Eye creams containing caffeine not only help prevent the appearance of dark circles but they also brighten the eye area…who doesn’t like a boost in radiance?

✧ Check out my puffy eyes caffeine serum (2 ingredients!) for a DIY version you can make at home. If Sephora is more your thing, I also love light-reflecting Illia Bright Start Activated Eye Cream ($46 USD) and Q & A Caffeine serum ($10 USD)–containing green tea, caffeine and pomegranate.

4. Gua sha massage If you have TikTok you probably know all about Gua sha, a facial stone massage tool that helps improve circulation. But the hype started long before it hit Sephora’s shelves: turns out women all the way back to the Paleolithic Age knew something about looking snatched. This tool might sound close to the ice roller but it serves a totally different purpose. Massage can help the fluid that settles between the tissue flow where it needs to go, reducing puffiness.  After my burnout, I quit my thankless job and went on a three month solo trip around Europe. I first tried Gua Sha in the Netherlands after wandering into a holistic health care store. My body was aching with exhaustion, sore and swollen from constantly being on my feet. I could see the inflammation in my face.

I placed this cool, jade stone on my jaw and pulled upwards—ahhh—the sweet release of tension felt almost orgasmic (us anxious women store a lot of tension in our jaws okay?!).  It was my one indulgence, a small item I could throw in my carry-on, to ‘spa’ wherever I was and de-puff from jet lag. You could say I have an emotional attachment to my little gua sha gem now. ✧ To make gua sha easy, follow along with this video tutorial.

5. Get moving For so many reasons, movement is good for us but getting your circulation going and lymph moving redistributes fluid, making it you less likely to retain it (ie. keeping puff away from your face). And making it a habit reduces this kind of water retention in the long-run. Even a 20 minute walk is enough to get fluid moving.

So that's it, my tired babes: these are my go-to hacks for looking alive and de-puffing my face when I'm tired AF.

Tell me: how do you look (and feel) more awake when you haven't slept?

Design the evening routine of your dreams...I’ve taken inspiration from wellness girlies and compiled 40 wind-down ideas + a free planner so you can prioritize self-care tonight. Click here.