Have you ever had a coworker, acquaintance, or even a complete stranger tell you, “You look tired”? Didn’t you just want to punch them? While I find uttering this heinous phrase to someone socially unacceptable, every lady has had a late night at some point that left them looking like a zombie the next day.
Here’s a list of 20 ways to stay looking awake and refreshed to make sure you never hear that awful phrase from an insensitive acquaintance again:
Hang your head upside down. Blood rushes to your face, giving you a wide-awake flush; plus, the simple motion of bending over backward will wake up your muscles and make you feel energized. You can always try a quick backbend instead if you’ve already done your hair and don’t want to mess it up.
Try a ponytail facelift. Pulling your hair into a high, tight ponytail literally gives your face a little lift, so you’ll look refreshed. Plus, the high, bouncy style declares “Up and at ‘em!”
Use a spoon on your eyes.
Dab on some shiny pink
lip gloss to give your face
color and draw attention away from your weary eyes.
Take a cold and hot shower. Alternating blasts of hot and cold water in your morning shower revs circulation and returns color to your skin.
Try an icy facial. Add a drop of lemon juice and
olive oil to the water in each square of your
ice cube tray. Once it’s frozen, run an ice cube over your face. The cold reduces puffiness, while the lemon juice’s
citric acid tightens skin and the olive oil adds moisture.
Choose eyeliner shades that fight redness. Use a navy eyeliner pencil on the inner rim of your upper eyelashes to make the whites of your eyes appear brighter. Then, try a white eye pencil on the inner lower rim.
Give your eyes a caffeine boost. Dip cotton pads in some brewed coffee and press them gently underneath your eyes to eliminate puffiness and undereye circles. Caffeine is a vasoconstrictor and diuretic, so it shrinks
blood vessels, minimizes dark circles and reduces swelling.
Avoid salty foods. Excess sodium can leave you looking puffy, especially the MSG found in
soy sauce and most Chinese dishes. Beware of sauces in general – since many are cream-based, they absorb salty flavors and are often packed with extra
salt you won’t detect with your tongue.
Add more mascara! Load a good three coats onto upper lashes only; tired eyes don’t need any more dark color underneath.
Do a frozen veggie facial. Put a bag of frozen peas, cauliflower or baby carrots over your face for a few minutes – they conform perfectly to your face and cure the sleepy look.
Don’t pile on foundation. Too much sinks into fine lines and masks your natural glow, making you look older – and finishing powder only amplifies the effect.
Wear skin-flattering colors. This is the one time when black doesn’t work – you’ll look paler by contrast. Try a pink scarf to warm up your skin, and avoid dark-colored tops.
Highlight the inner corners of your eyes. This area is prone to looking dark normally, so on zombified days an extra boost of highlighter in inner corners is a must to brighten your eyes.
Try some
quick morning beauty fixes.
Quit sleeping face-down. Fluid pools in your facial tissues this way, so your face puffs up and adds to the look of
sleep deprivation.
Wear glittery jewelry. The sparkle makes you look lively and put-together. Bling-y earrings will reflect light off your face for an added dose of brightness.
Skip reddish eyeshadow. Eye makeup with
red undertones such as roses, plums or browns play up redness in your eyes. Stick to black liner and cool-toned lids.
Combo blush and bronzer. Since your face loses color when you’re wiped out, you need an extra flush. Apply bronzer deep in cheekbones, at the jawline and at the edges of your hairline all around your face. Top cheeks with a shimmery blush to catch light.
Hydrate your skin with actual water to keep from looking sallow and pruny. Come on, you can switch out one of those cups of coffee for an Evian!
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Enlarged pores are generally genetic, they also tend to affect oily skin especially the T zone, and with our polluted and dusty weather they store a lot of dirt giving the skin an unclean, un-fresh appearance.
