A dull, tired face is not exactly an ideal look when you have no choice but to leave the comfort of your warm, snuggly bed. If you’ve ever heard anyone say that makeup does wonders, it’s because it does! Follow these tips on making your face look brighter and more awake, even the morning after a long late-nighter.
1. Take care of your skin
Great skin creates a solid foundation for any beauty routine, minus the actual foundation. Taking care of your skin is a must. This means properly cleansing and moisturizing before bed, and doing the same in the morning. If your skin is looking particularly dull, exfoliate with a good scrub or a face brush. After rinsing and patting skin dry, moisturize well and give your skin time to absorb it all. Drinking a glass or two of water as soon as you wake up will also help keep skin hydrated.
2. Use an eye cream or eye roller
If you have an eye roller, break that baby out. This will be used to de-puff tired eyes and reduce under-eye circles or bags. If not, use and eye cream and gently give your eyes a massage to promote circulation.
3. Use a brightening concealer
When you’re ready to do your makeup, start with a brightening concealer under your eyes and on your cheekbones. The shape you apply it on should be like a lopsided, upside-down triangle (more along the lines of a fat checkmark). Be careful not to cake it on and to blend well. Which leads to the next tip.
4. Don’t cake it on
First instinct might say to hide the tiredness with a heavy, full-coverage foundation. Nix the caked-on look and opt for something lighter-coverage instead. The idea is to make skin look natural and radiant, not painted and porcelain. When you’re tired, skin can also be very dehydrated which does not make for a good foundation base.
5. Get your glow on
Bronzers and highlighters are a great way to fake glowing skin. Just use a light hand and blend well. Highlight areas like your cheekbones, forehead and cupids bow.
6. Make your eyes pop
Curling your lashes instantly makes eyes open up and look more awake. If your eyes are looking red and tired, use some eye drops. Lining your waterline with some white or nude eyeliner, and popping some of the highlighter from the previous step right near your tear duct also makes eyes look bright.
7. Get some color in your lips
Tinted lip balms and other similar products that offer sheer color are the best option to naturally ad color to your lips, therefore adding more color to your face. Another option would be to go for a bold red lip, if you want a more glam look.
Those are seven ways to fake looking bright and awake, but the real tip here would be to actually get some sleep! They call it beauty sleep for a reason. When you’re tired, it really takes a toll on your outer appearance, so get that beauty rest!