OK, so you might have started out wanting to watch an hour of Netflix, but before you knew it you were eight episodes deep and the sun was coming up over the horizon. Hey, we’re not judging! But your colleagues might, if you show up to work having to prop your puffy eyelids up with toothpicks to stay awake.
Follow these makeup hints to fake a good night’s sleep when you feel like you literally can’t even.
HINT 1: Splash your face with some cold water
It’s the advice your mum always gave you and guess what? Turns out, it works! Splashing your face with chilly water will shrink any capillaries, and instantly shrink down pores, making your skin tone look way more even, and thus both younger and more awake. Plus, you know, if anything is going to wake you up, it’s freezing water all up in your grill.
HINT 2: Put on your illuminator on BEFORE foundation
I know this one sounds crazy but hear me out… If you put illuminator on underneath foundation it gives you this “lit from within” glow. Better still, get yourself some illuminating primer. You can trick people into thinking that’s your real, goddess-like skin shining through instead of the sleep-deprived, lackluster complexion you’re really sporting. Try Charlotte Tilbury’s Wonderglow, or Natio’s Ageless Illuminating Primer.
HINT 3: Start spooning
Literal spooning. With actual spoons. Tired eyes tend to swell, so pop some teaspoons in the freezer and then pop them up against your peepers to de-puff. Or if you can’t stand the thought of frosty cold metal up against your skin, slice some cucumbers and do the same thing. Spoons work the best though, so woman up and endure it if you can!
HINT 4: Make friends with colour correctors
Dark circles, meet your worst enemy… colour. Before you reach for concealer the colour of your natural skintone, go orange. Yep, that’s right, peach or orangey tones counteract the purple bags of death that point to your sleeplessness like a neon sign. I love Urban Decay’s Naked Skin Colour Correcting Fluid.
HINT 5: Find your best under eye concealer
After you’ve colour corrected, and put on your foundation, it’s time to conceal whatever is still visible. Find an eye concealer that specialises in under eye brightening like IT Cosmetics’ Bye Bye Under Eye Illumination or Mecca Cosmetica’s Beauty Sleep. When you’re applying, rather than just dabbing over the dark spots, you want to do an inverted triangle under your eyes, heading down onto your cheek. This is the closest thing to real magic when it comes to makeup: instant mini facelift illusion.
HINT 6: Line your peepers
Tired? Then today is NOT the day for black liner. You want to open the eye up, not lock it down with a black border and make it look heavier than it already feels. But put down that white pencil you rushed out to get when it was on-point a few years ago. White is super obvious, so if you want to look au naturale, you’re going to want a nude liner.
HINT 7: Curl up
Your eyes are half closed, you need tricks to make them look OPEN. So today, the eyelash curler is your best friend. Seriously, you’re going to wanna take it out for a drink after all the heavy lifting it’s going to do. Lashes that are curled to the heavens make your eye look wider, which is exactly what you need to trick people into thinking you didn’t just watch a whole season of Orange is the New Black in one night
HINT 8: Get peachy keen
Blush is important to make you look like you’re not about to faceplant the desk before lunch. When it comes to tones, you want to go with peachy or coral colours. Like the peach concealer, these colours help to counteract any blue or purple undertones that come with sleepy skin, and add warmth to your face.
HINT 9: Keep your lip light
Your natural lip colour is your best bet on sleepy days. Go for a colour that best matches your natural lip, or a balm with a slight shimmer to it. Anything dark or too bold will just work against you and make the rest of you look pallid in contrast.
In her spare time, she likes long walks down the makeup aisle and performing in Brisbane theatre. You can follow her adventures on Instagram and TikTok @thebeautypalate.
