I looked in the mirror this morning and the first thing I did was sigh.

I really let out a sigh as soon as I looked in the mirror this morning. Yesterday, too, I lay down trying to go to bed early, but I kept tossing and turning because I had so many thoughts running through my head, and I barely managed to fall asleep past dawn. I woke up several times during the night, so it doesn't really feel like I slept at all... It really shows right away just how important sleep is for the skin.

I was especially shocked today because my dark circles were so severe. My under-eye area tends to get a bit dull when I'm tired, but today it was so bad that even concealer couldn't cover it well. Because my under-eyes looked so sunken, it really made my whole face look tired and lifeless. My skin tone itself also looked dark and dull, so even when I applied makeup, I didn't look like I was in good condition.

Lately, I’ve been trying to take care of my skin by drinking plenty of water and using face masks consistently, but it feels like it’s all in vain because I can’t get proper sleep. My habit of looking at my phone late at night seems to be the real problem. Even when I lie down with my eyes closed, I keep checking my phone, and before I know it, it’s dawn... It’s a vicious cycle. Today, the area under my eyes looked bluish and shadowed more than usual, which really stressed me out for no reason.

Still, it’s surprising that when I look closely at my skin, it’s not completely at its worst. The breakouts have subsided a bit, and the redness is less than before, but I realized again that just the dark circles make me look so exhausted overall. It seems there’s a reason they say sleep comes before good cosmetics when it comes to skin.

I tried applying a cold compress this morning and put on more eye cream than usual, but there hasn't been any dramatic change. Today, I'm really going to cut down on caffeine and go to bed as early as possible. Writing this skin log makes me realize every time just how important lifestyle habits are. I hope I get a good night's sleep tomorrow so my dark circles aren't as bad.