New Year's Eve can give your skin a serious hangover. The drinking, late night eating and sugary desserts don't exactly make for hydrated, smooth and clear skin. With the big night here, we have your comprehensive guide to caring for skin pre- and post December 31st! 

Pre NYE: Whenever I'm heading out for a night on the town, I like to give myself a mini beauty primping sesh. I make sure my focus is on treating my skin and giving it some TLC before I do some things to it that it's not a huge fan of (i.e. lots of makeup and eating sugar and drinking, sorry skin!). 

First I cleanse and I try to choose a cleanser formulated to target whatever problem I have: dull skin, anti-aging, blemishes etc. Unless I am really breaking out, I try to stay away from cleansers with harsher ingredients. 


1. Olay Pore Minimizing Cleanser + Scrub (C$9.99) 

2. Bliss Fabulous Foaming Face Wash (C$25.00)
 
3. Jurlique Soothing Foaming Cleanser (C$42.00)
 
4. Neutrogena Deep Clean Long-Last Shine Control Cleanser/Mask (C$10.99) 

I'm not a huge fan of toners but in prep for a night out, I might use one for extra hydration and cleansing. I find adding a serum before a moisturiser is a good way to focus on a skin care issue. In the morning or before a night out, I tend to go for brightening serums or hydrating ones. 


1. Caudalie Beauty Elixir (C$18.00)

2. Make Up For Ever HD Elixir (C$43.00)
 
3. Thayer's Alcohol-Free Rose Petal Witch Hazel Toner (C$12.99)

4. Sephora Collection Ultimate Moisture Kit (C$41.00)

5. Elizabeth Grant Vitamin C Day Treatment (C$40.00)

6. Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Illuminating Serum (C$42.00)

Finally, you'll want to moisturize your skin before you go out and apply a primer. Not only will your makeup last longer, but you're creating a barrier so you don't clog pores. 


1. Benefit The Porefessional Primer (C$34.00)

2. Elizabeth Arden Visible Difference Skin Balancing Lotion (C$48.00)

3. Olay Moisturizing Lotion Sensitive Skin (US$9.49)

4. Eucerin Replenishing Face Cream 5% Urea Face Cream (C$15.69)

5. Nip + Fab Moisture Fix (US$16.95)

6. Veil Mineral Primer + No. 28 Primer Serum Duo (C$29.00)
 
7. Nude Skincare Radiant Day Moisturiser (C$63.00)

8. Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel (C$31.00)

Post NYE:  To combat the post-drinking breakouts and dry patches, here's what to do the night before: 

If you do nothing else, remove your makeup. If I had a dollar for every time I told a friend this and they ignored me, I would be a millionaire. Though I may sound like a broken record, I can't emphasize this enough. I know it's late and you're tired, so just use some cleansing cloths if you can't make it to the sink. 


1. Biore Make-up Removing Towelettes (C$13.35)

2. Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes Night Calming (US$6.99)
 
3. Spectro Derm Cleanser (C$15.79)

4. Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes (C$9.99)

5. Korres Pomegranate Cleansing & Make Up Removing Wipes For Oily And Combination Skin (C$16.00) 

If you're feeling up to it, apply a night cream to help start your recovery process. If you have blemish prone skin like myself, I might skip the usual spot treatment unless I have an especially nasty friend about to pop up. Also try a moisturiser for acne prone skin with a low percentage of salicylic acid. 


1. Clarins Super Restorative Night Cream (C$115.00)

2. Dr. Jart+ Water Fuse Water-Max Sleeping Mask (C$48.00)

3. Clean & Clear Dual Action Moisturizer (C$8.49)

4. Yes to Carrots Repairing Night Cream (C$9.99)

The next morning:  So that final tequila shot seemed like a good idea at the time, but then morning rolls around and you're cursing your past self? Yup, we've all been there. 

The source of that hangover you're currently nursing is dehydration. You're going to want to drink a heck of a lot of water to help ease that pounding headache. Dehydration affects your body not only internally but also externally. Your skin is parched and is begging for moisture. In fact, the day after drinking, you may notice some breakouts. This often happens because your skin is so dry that it overproduces oil to compensate. Now's the time to really deep clean and moisturise to get your skin back on track. 


1. MaskerAide All Nighter Hydrating Facial Sheet Mask (C$6.00)

2. Boots No.7 Purifying Sauna Mask (US$20.99) 

3. Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream Rinse-Off Formula (C$24.00) 
  
4. When Essence Gel Mask - Travelmate (C$35.00)

5. Sephora Collection Instant Moisture Mask (C$18.00)

6. First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream (C$15.00)

7. Dr. Hauschka Moisturizing Mask (C$61.00)

8. Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Resurfacing 3-way Cleanser (C$12.69)

9. Fresh Soy Face Duo (C$44.00)

P.S. Don't forget to drink lots of water during your celebration and the morning after! 

Do you have a special skincare routine for a big night out?