Happy New Year from the Bruno family!
2015 was a wild ride for many of us (in the best and worst ways), and I know many people who felt pretty good about putting this past year behind them; on to bigger, better and more fruitful endeavors in the New Year!
It’s always fun when the New Year festivities fall on (or this close to) the weekend; it always feels like fantastic luck. Look! We can stretch the party out all weekend, and as long as we stop celebrating Sunday night we’ll be all set Monday morning!!!! Woo-hoo!
And then Monday morning gets here.
Suddenly the great luck of New Year’s falling on the weekend is lined with just a little bit of awful luck; you’re exhausted, worn out, probably dehydrated.
Your mouth tastes like an old sock.
Maybe you have the flu!
But you know you don’t; you’re hung over.
And an adult.
Which means no matter how bad you feel, you have to drag in, right?
Well, have no fear!
There are several things you can do to avoid looking (and smelling, eek!) as though you’ve been drinking for the past 2 weeks.
Most of us have had hangovers before, so ultimately you know what works for you; the biggest thing I learned while suffering occasional hangovers during shifts waiting tables was that the less you look like you’ve been imbibing, the better off you are.
So here are my on the fly tips for faking feeling better until you get there;
- Don’t skip your skincare routine. Today isn’t the day to fly out the door without moisturizer and some kind of light foundation; since drinking (and unbridled sugar consumption, my poison of choice throughout the holidays) can leave skin dry and blotchy, today is the day to make the time to fresh and glow.
2. Pack your breath mints, or if you can find it easily in stores, Mint Asure. We all know that we can breathe out last night’s blueberry vodka all day so, of course, taking measures to mask is in your best interest (especially since, in my experience, smelling blueberry vodka will either make you want more or make you never want to drink it again). Mint Asure is fabulous for the fact that it neutralizes potentially icky odors in the gut instead of giving any of us suspiciously minty breath all day- it’s also great if on a normal day you’re a lover of garlic bread and don’t want everybody around you to know it.
3. Line your waterline with black eyeliner. Even if it’s not usually your thang, ladies, today just go for it. It hides any redness from lack of sleep and makes you look more alert and rested (just, of course, be sure to keep an eye on it so if it runs you can clean it up). I keep DHC’s wonderful olive oil swabs on hand to clean up smudges or runs (they’re individually wrapped and so handy).
4. Hydrate. OMG, hydrate as soon as possible. I’m sure your first instinct is to caffeinate (I know it’s always my first instinct, regardless of the circumstances) and by all means do so, but follow it with a good dose of electrolytes. Gatorade is a great choice for this, as is it’s healthier more granola brother, coconut water.
5. Lastly, as soon as you feel well enough, eat. My personal favorite food to cure a hangover is avocado toast (or on an English muffin) but if that’s not for you go visit this post on thrillist; https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/how-to-cure-a-hangover-the-11-best-foods-to-eat-when-you-re-hungover. It’s bound to have something to soothe your soul.
A few years ago I worked with a fabulous bartender named Mikey, and she shared a recipe for a hangover cure that would at the very least knock out the queasiness. When you’re ready to put your feet up use these mixers left over from any holiday entertaining you might have done (or if you work in a restaurant and have all these ingredients handy) and feel the relief;
Mikey’s Feel Better Fast Juice
Fill a large glass (about 20oz capacity) with ice, all the way to the top
Fill 1/2 with club soda, 1/2 with Sprite
Add a little Rose’s lime juice
A few dashes of Angostura Bitters
Squeeze in a little fresh lime or lemon if you have it
Drink up, feel fancy and go get ’em in the New Year, Tiger!!!!
You got this!