UrbanUpdate

The only thing worse than getting a bad night of sleep is having people remind you about it. “Dude. You look like shit,” says a co-worker. Thanks, bro.

Your puffy eyes give it away. They’re sullen. Puffy. Dark. Like you're walking right out of a Tim Burton movie. At least Jack Skellington was the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town. You have to sit at your desk and crank out blogs.

If napping in a conference room is out of the question, here are a few grooming products to help out as much as possible. They will help you feign “looking rested”: minimizing puffy eyes, dark circles, wrinkles, and hopefully, unsolicited feedback from your colleagues, too.

Look alive!

A morning serum

Tired or not, start the day with an eye serum, says dermatologist Marina Peredo, founder of Skinfluence in NYC. Serums are lightweight, ultra-effective products that penetrate all three layers of the skin to hydrate, heal, and protect cells. They use ingredients like caffeine, hyaluronic acid, and antioxidants to combat puffiness and minimize wrinkles.

Be sure to cleanse your face or shower before applying product in the morning. Apply the serum before moisturizing to the rest of your face.

And on that note, you can also prevent fine lines by learning how to properly apply eye-care products. “Serums and creams need to be patted on [with the ring or pinky finger] to avoid pulling the delicate skin,” says Peredo. “The excess pulling can cause fine lines to surface faster.”

GQ recommends: Kiehl’s Super Multi-Corrective Eye-Opening Serum

An as-needed de-puffer

Your lack of sleep will almost always manifest itself as dark, puffy circles under the eyes.

“The skin around the eyes is the thinnest, and one of the most sensitive on the body,” says dermatologist David E. Bank, the Director of The Center for Dermatology, Cosmetic, and Laser Surgery in Mount Kisco, NY. “Sleep deprivation leads to drop in cardiovascular output, which leads to decreased oxygen and other nutrients to the skin. There is also muscle fatigue.  This combination leads to swelling and puffiness around the eyes.”

If you want to spot-treat this skin (that is, if you aren’t using a daily serum), then stock an eye de-puffer gel or cream to brighten and firm the skin. Find a product with Vitamins A and E to soften the area, and Vitamin K to lighten dark spots.

And, attention side sleepers or stomach sleepers: You might get extra puffiness (even when you’re well rested) because of your predilections: “Sleeping with your face in your pillow causes fluid to build up, resulting in puffiness,” says Peredo. If this sounds familiar, you may want to use a de-puffing product daily.

GQ recommends: Clark’s Botanicals Anti-Puff Eye Cream

SPF-packed creams

Your eyes might look perma-tired if you don’t routinely shield them from the beaming sun.

“Not using sunblock is the biggest culprit [for worn eyes],” says Peredo. “The UV rays, along with other environmental stressors, leads to premature aging.”

Bank agrees: “This leads to damage at all levels of the eyelid skin,” he says. “The superficial skin becomes darker with more of a ‘leathery’ appearance. Damage to the deeper collagen leads to lines, wrinkles, and sagging. This constellation gives a fatigued look.”

On sunny days, grab an SPF-packed eye product; something lighter than your weighed-down sunscreens and dense moisturizers. Apply it as you would any other serum or cream: with a gentle tapping of the ring or pinky finger.

GQ recommends: Supergoop SPF 37 Advanced Anti-Aging Eye Cream

A nightly eye cream

If you want to wake up looking more refreshed, then you should also nourish and protect the skin around your eyes before bed. For this, stick with a cream: Creams are denser than serums, and thus they’re best used overnight; they’ll lock in moisture, aiding the cellular turnover that accelerates while you rest. If you want to apply a serum and a cream (day or night), then be sure to apply the serum first, so that it can seep into all three layers of skin. If you apply the cream first, you’re creating an impenetrable barrier for the serum.

“Eye creams deliver moisture, and anti-aging or anti-stress ingredients,” says Bank. He suggests creams that have hydrating ingredients like glycerin, shea butter, squalane, hyaluronic acid, and peptides. “Peptides stimulate collagen to thicken skin,” he says. “This minimizes lines and wrinkles and can also diminish under-eye darkness due to epidermal thickening.

And, while we advocate using retinol as an overnight age-fighting agent, it’s best to avoid around the eyes: “Retinol is often too strong to apply near the eye,” says Peredo. “Unless it has been specifically formulated with a lower concentration that won’t irritate the delicate skin there.”

GQ recommends: Lab Series Age Rescue+ Eye Therapy

Camouflage

If your eyes are too sullen—too much tequila will do that to ya—don’t shy away from concealing the circles with a skin-matching camouflage. Dab a few spots, blend it gently with your ring finger, and nobody had to know that you’re suffering through the work day. Just get some sleep tonight, man. And drink plenty of water.

GQ recommends: MËNAJI Camo Concealer

Watch Now:It's Time to Get Your Eyebrows Professionally Groomed

Adam Hurly has been covering men's grooming since 2013 (and for GQ since 2016). He is also a travel writer. In Fall 2024, Adam is launching Blue Print by Adam Hurly, a men's grooming platform. Adam resides in Lisbon (previously Berlin, NYC, and San Francisco). He is a Sioux Falls, SD, native... Read moreWriterInstagramRelated Stories for GQSkincare