Late nights are sometimes unavoidable, but that doesn’t mean you have to walk around looking as tired and weary as you feel. With a few tricks up your sleeve, you can look well-rested, even though you’d give anything to take a nap. Here’s how to fake looking awake.
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Change your eyeliner.
Instead of your usual black or brown eyeliner, use a skin-toned liner to line the waterline of your eyes. This will help hide any redness while also brightening the eyes, which is often where your exhaustion reveals itself.
Maintain that wide-eyed look.
The most telltale sign of a night owl has to be their eyes, so there are a variety of tricks you can use to keep the windows to your soul pristine. Curl your lashes to keep them looking fresh. If you suffer from puffy eyes, store your eye gel in the fridge overnight and apply it in the morning; the coolness will constrict your blood vessels and drain away the puffiness. You can also use eye drops to deal with any bloodshot vessels.
Conceal dark circles.
Your eyes can get a ghoulish pallor when you’re tired. Hide it with a creamy concealer that blends into your skin. Tap with your finger onto the dark areas to blend seamlessly into the rest of your makeup.
Highlight your eyes.
You can look bright-eyed and bushy-tailed with the help of a slightly shimmery highlighter applied to the inner corner of your eyes. It’s a very subtle, slightly ethereal look that will catch and reflect light, helping you look like you got a full night’s rest.
Exfoliate.
You’re not imagining that lack of glow to your complexion. When you’re lacking zzz’s, your skin can look dull because you’re not giving it the beauty sleep it needs (at night is when your cells repair and rejuvenate). Make your skin glow with a gentle face scrub to slough away the dead skin cells that have accumulated on the surface.
Moisturize well.
When you’re deprived of sleep, your skin can get dehydrated (and this is worsened if you’ve been up late drinking alcohol or coffee, since both of these dehydrate you as well), which can lead to your wrinkles looking more pronounced. Hydrating with a rich moisturizer will help plump your skin.
Apply a natural blush.
Your pale, lackluster skin could use a little help in the form of blush. Dab on a cream blush to the apples of your cheeks for a dewy, youthful appearance in a shade that’s close to your natural flush.
Don’t neglect your skincare routine before bed.
We know, when you’re up late, the last thing you want to do is remove your makeup and follow your usual routine before crashing for the night. But this is one of the most important steps to making sure you look great once you wake up. Remove makeup and impurities with your cleanser of choice (try double-cleansing; first with an oil-based cleanser, next with your current favourite if you’re wearing a lot of makeup) and follow with a nourishing moisturizer to help replenish skin while you sleep.