Beauty Tricks for Sleepyheads

Whether you’re a raging party girl in your twenties, a sleepless mom in your thirties or a hot-flashing woman in your forties, all women need a little help to hide the ravages of a night without rest. I spent a few years managing the Christian Dior Cosmetic Counter at Nordstroms in my early twenties and have a few tips I’ve used for faking bright eyes under heavy eyelids:

How to Look Awake, Alert and Energetic

WARNING!

If you are truly, truly tired and look a complete wreck, LESS IS MORE. It is hard, but resist the urge to obliterate your dark circles with gobs of concealer or you will end up looking even more tired. It seems counter-intuitive, but using a little bit less concealer and foundation than you use on a normal day will actually make your skin look brighter.

1. To brighten your eyes, first apply a thin layer or concealer on your eyelids and your under eye area. Be sure to get the corners near your nose, because that is the darkest part. Use a light touch and don’t expect to cover everything up. Your simply evening out the tone in this step.

2. This is the real magic trick: white eyeliner. If you don’t own one, buy one now. You can use either a white powder shadow with an eyeliner brush or a pencil. Just make sure it is a pure white color. Using a light touch, apply the liner to the inner part of your eyelid (the part below the lashes). Allow your line to get a little thicker in the inner corner of your eyelid. Blend in well. You shouldn’t have the look of white rims, just a subtle lightening effect.

3. Complete your eye makeup with single pale shadow on your upper lids. Make sure the shadow has no pink undertones whatsoever. Don’t use any contour shadows or liners. Curl your lashes and apply a coat of mascara to your upper lashes only. Leaving your bottom lids bare helps to minimize dark circles.

4. To achieve a bright skin tone, wear a vibrant pink-toned lipstick. This will have an instant radiant affect on your whole face. After lipstick, smile. Apply a modest amount of pink blush to the smiling part of your cheeks. This is where you naturally blush, so this will give your face a natural, cheery freshness.

How to Look Sick and Tired

I know, this is horrible. But sometimes we need a little sympathy, or the chance to take an afternoon nap, or an excuse to leave the office early for a personal three-day weekend. If you need to convince someone you’re a bit under the weather, follow these tips:

1. Apply no foundation or concealer and don’t do anything to your brows. Skip blush. This throws your look off a bit without looking intentional. If you wear makeup on your eyes and lips, people will still think you’re trying to look presentable.

2. Apply pink or purple-pink color to your eyes. Line the whole lid with these colors. When people are sick, the eyes naturally turn these shades, so by subtly applying pinks to the eyes, you will look unwell.

3. Wear a pale, nude lipstick. Youth and energy have rosy lips, so to look tired, take out the color.

There you go. I hope these tips help you look as beautiful (or sickly) as you want to, no matter what happened last night.