'MORNING SHED' MAKE-UP
I tried the viral TikTok trend to go from ‘ugly to beautiful’ overnight – you won’t believe how I looked in the morning
The trend could see you wake up looking radiant and not needing a scrap of make-up
LIKE lots of women in midlife, when I wake up in the morning, I know it’s going to take some work before I’m ready to face the world.
My eyes are often heavy with dark circles, my face is puffy and my hair looks like a haystack.
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But according to a new TikTok beauty trend called the morning shed, putting in a bit more work before bed could see you wake up looking radiant and not needing a scrap of make-up.
Viewed almost 100million times, the technique involves layering on multiple skincare products, from retinol eye patches to silicone anti-wrinkle neck pads.
Some even use chin straps to get a more defined face shape, as well as silk bonnets to keep their hair looking shiny.
The big — and often shocking — reveal is when they “shed” all their beauty products to show off ready-to-go glowing skin and perfect waves. Online it looks impressive, though it’s not an entirely new idea.
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I remember my grandma going to bed with curlers in her hair, covered in a hair net, and with her skin slathered in cold cream.
But can today’s high-tech beauty products really do the work while you sleep? I put the morning shed to the test over five days . . .
DAY ONE
BEFORE bed, I usually clean my teeth, wash my face, slap on some moisturiser and slip between the sheets. Total time: five minutes.
But tonight I spend 40 minutes working out where all my various patches are supposed to go.
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Most morning shed TikTok creators get their products from Amazon, so that’s where I get mine, shelling out around £100 for a week’s worth of patches and gadgets.
First I try moisturising hydrogel under-eye patches (£6.95) to see if they can head off my usual dark circles. They are so slimy they start sliding, slug-like, down my cheeks.
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Next, I put three heatless foam rollers (£8.39) in my slightly damp hair, tucking them under a silk bonnet (£15.99) to hold them in place. These promise to give me “a blow-out look” in the morning.
I also place a jaw strap (£9.99) under my chin and secure it on the top of my head. This should give me a more defined jawline and also push my mouth shut so I have to breathe through my nose.
This beauty hack is hailed by actress turned lifestyle entrepreneur Gwyneth Paltrow, who says it forces you to breathe more deeply, which results in a better night’s kip.
Considering the chin strap makes me look like someone recovering from a face lift, it is surprisingly comfortable.
The mantra of the morning shed creators is that “you have to look ugly to look cute the next day”.
You have to look ugly to look cute the next day
But I am not thrilled at the thought of my husband Anthony, 59, a journalist, seeing me in this state.
And when I walk into the bedroom, he looks shocked.
When I wake up, many of the patches that I applied the night before have disappeared. I find them rolled up like little pieces of chewing gum in my bed sheets.
It’s a nice surprise though to see that my hair is not as tangled as usual and the rollers have given it a nice bouncy wave.
The patches do seem to have reduced the dark circles under my eyes and my jawline looks more defined, too.
DAY TWO
TONIGHT, I’m in a hotel on a weekend break with my husband. But with this get-up on, all romance is off the cards.
In the name of beauty, I apply a set of dry-looking collagen forehead and cheek patches (£5.99), which I stick on my skin with water.
These claim to dissolve collagen into the skin, leaving it brighter.
The next morning, these ones are still in place at least, but they seem to have left gluey residue and red patches underneath, making my skin look uneven.
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DAY THREE
AS well as the usual silk bonnet, jaw strap and under-eye patches, I add in a lip mask (£4.79), which claims it will nourish my lips and fade lines with avocado.
It is made out of a thin, jelly-like material and is so slippery, I can’t move my face without it falling off.
To make matters worse, it keeps dropping on to the carpet.
The whole process feels hard work. I am seriously wondering how these beauty influencers do it.
The next morning, my husband does comment on my skin looking more dewy — when I ask him.
DAY FOUR
ONE sure-fire way to look better first thing is to apply some Dove self-tan moisturiser (£8.75).
I also try a lip stain (£18). As we age, our lip colour fades, making them look pale and lose definition.
Wearing the chin strap around my head every night is starting to compress my head so much I’m getting headaches
This Wonderskin Wonder Blading lip masque promises to “infuse colour into the lips and create a long-lasting, waterproof, transfer-proof stain”.
The downside is this involves painting my lips an alarming shade of electric blue.
The next morning, I do wake up lightly bronzed and, when I remove the residue of the lip stain, I do have rosy pink lips without even a dab of gloss.
However, wearing the chin strap around my head every night, as well as the night bonnet, is starting to compress my head so much I’m getting headaches.
DAY FIVE
FOR the last night, I try a brightening sheet face mask from 111Skin (£21.99), which drenches my face in moisture.
I’m nervous as the instructions say to take it off after 20 minutes. I leave it overnight.
This is the scariest look so far. It is rose gold with just slits for my eyes, nose and mouth. I look like an alien.
But I have to say that, when I remove it next morning, my face is glowing.
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I do, however, draw the line at mouth patches. Many influencers claim these H-shaped stickers, which hold the lips together, help them wake up feeling refreshed by forcing them to filter air through their noses instead of their mouths.
My lip mask and chin strap have the same effect of keeping my mouth closed as I sleep — and the main effect I noticed was feeling uncomfortably claustrophobic.
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VERDICT
THE morning shed is beauty overkill at its most extreme.
It’s true that my complexion did look glowy and moisturised, but this should be reserved for special occasions.
A lot depends on how you sleep. I’m lucky that I usually go out like a light.
But for those who struggle with insomnia, sticking all these products on your face is unlikely to help you get the biggest beauty essential of all – sleep.
Plus, no matter how good your skin looks the morning after, there certainly wouldn’t be anything happening in your love life the night before.
Overall, I’d say the ultimate winner was my Amazon shopping basket.
And frankly, I can’t wait to go back to sleeping with nothing more than a lick of moisturiser.
OVERLOADING CAN BE RISKY
YOU have to be careful with leaving products on overnight and mixing them, says Dr Ross Perry, medical director of Cosmedics Skin Clinics ().
He adds: “By wearing too many products on the skin, you run the risk of overloading, and multiple patches containing ingredients will also do the same thing.
“Skin can become more sensitive and be prone to irritation once the patches have been removed, especially if they are left on for several hours.
“There are also a number of ingredients in skincare which shouldn’t be used together due to having an adverse reaction.”
The results of patches and chin straps are only temporary, too.
And restricted breathing, using products such as mouth tape, can also be dangerous, making it difficult to breathe during sleep.
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