FEELING BEAT? THEN YOU NEED THESE FACE-LIFTING MAKEUP TRICKS
Dark circles around your eyes… Fine lines more obvious than normal… Dull skin and maybe a bit of facial redness here and there… We’ve all had days of looking less peppy than we’d like. Whether it’s thanks to a cruddy night’s sleep or a stressful week at work, your face is one of the first places to show evidence that you are literally worn out.
So, how do you perk up a tired face? A good night’s sleep is obviously the best solution. But that’s easier said than done. A vat of strong coffee and an ice cold shower are also options, but wouldn’t you rather do something a little less drastic? Same here, which is why we’ve perfected a bunch of cheeky makeup tricks over the years that work wonders on skin that’s done in and eyes that are carrying bags big enough for a week’s vacation in the Caribbean.
Read on for the best tips for making you look energized and wide-awake when, secretly, you’re nothing short of exhausted.
Use Light Colors Around Your Eyes
Black eyeliner is a classic, but if you’re looking to wake up your face, this is not the way to go. You see, dark eye colors make your eyes look smaller – which is the exact opposite of what you want to do when you’re trying to fake a wide-awake look.
Ditch the black liner (calm down, it’s not forever!) and use a light-medium toned brown eye shadow to accentuate your eyes, instead. Better yet, look for one that contains a hint of shimmer to help reflect light. Go easy under your eyes, however, as you don’t want to draw attention to any dark circles. Use a light touch in this area and concentrate on building color above your eyes, combining brown liner with soft, pale shimmers on your eyelids to really help open them up.
Sidenote: Fold Out Eyes™ Bright was born for these kind of moments.
Lift Your Cheeks With Contouring
Contouring can often feel like a step too far when you want to rush out the door with the least effort possible. But a little clever contouring can really help lift your face when it’s feeling down – literally!
No idea how to go about this? NP, read everything you need to know about how to contour right here. And remember these important points above all else: use cream formulations (they’re way easier to work with) and always blend in upwards motions to help create lift. The end.
Skip Heavy Foundation
Sure, it’s tempting to pile on the foundation when your skin is looking less than its best. But while thick, heavy foundation might cover redness and post-party pimples they can also crack, sit in your pores and look glaringly obvious.
A much better idea is to dust a lightweight Powder Foundation over your skin. Ours – just as an example, of course, albeit an excellent example (!) – are triple-milled which makes them move with your skin for awesome coverage without the caked-on effect. They also contain ethically-sourced mica which reflects light and helps brighten and smooth a dull, tired complexion.
Conceal Dark Circles – But Don’t Go Overboard
If dark circles under your eyes are giving the game away of just how tired you really are, you’re going to want to get on first name terms with your concealer. But, as with your foundation, the number one concealer rule is less is more, so try this trick for size. Instead of dabbing it along the entire undereye area, apply yours on the inner and outer corners of your eyes only. This should still help brighten up any darkness but it'll look way more natural. Use a concealer brush and blend it upwards to add a further lifting effect.
Add Height To Your Brows
It’s amazing what a little brow maintenance can do for a flagging face so grab your tweezers and get rid of any stray hairs that could be ruining your mojo. Soft, subtle arches are more youthful than strong angles, so bear this in mind when grooming your brows, but also work with their natural shape to create the ideal brow for your bone structure and face shape.
After tweezing, brush them upwards to create extra height then add a subtle touch of shimmer underneath the brow bone. Do this at your brow’s highest point only, rather than all the way along to create the illusion of space and light, without screaming ‘I am wearing shimmer!’
Make Winged Eyeliner Your BFF
By now, you’ve probably got the idea that energizing your face with makeup is all about using lifting techniques, right? Good, glad we’re on the same page because the same rule applies for your eyeliner.
Instead of working yours straight out at the outer corners or, worse still, dragging it down, try winging your liner up, at around 45 degrees. This is a fabulous way to lift both your face and eyes, plus it’s super easy to achieve with our Arc Brush which literally stamps the perfect, uplifting angle into the natural contours of your eyes.
Perfect Your Blush Draping Skills
Blush placement is extremely important because color brightens up your entire face. This means that if you apply your blush (or bronzer, of course!) too low down on your cheeks your face will immediately take on a kind of ‘drooped’ look. Not cool.
The key with blush draping (yes, of course it has a name!) is that, instead of applying blush to the apples of your cheeks, you brush it slightly higher up, just above your cheekbones. Then you blend it up and out so it sits almost up on your temples. Honestly, it works every time. Just make sure to keep the color subtle, choosing a shade that works with your natural skin tone. Not sure what your ideal match is? The loose rule is that the warmer your skin tone, the warmer your blush should be. Still unsure? Then stick with a subtle peach shade like Bellini which works for almost everyone.
Do Mascara In The Middle (Only!)
This is an interesting one but bear with us because it really does work. Rather than applying your favorite mascara (Like Magic Mascara, obvs!) to all of your lashes, top and bottom, concentrate on the middle, top lashes only. This opens up the eyes at the widest part making them look more awake and kind of doll-like.
It feels weird at first, but it’s one of the simplest ways to put the pep back into your tired face’s step.
Now about that early night...
