So, let's be honest here. In our busy lives, most of us feel as though we could use another two hours or so of sleep--or we find ourselves wishing that we could take an afternoon nap like we used to do when we were children. You know, the nap that Mom used to have to compel us to take--the same bit of rest time that our now-adult selves would like to go back and tell our child-selves to appreciate while we have it, because one of these days we'll want it and we won't have it anymore.
And while there are an umpteenmillion reasons for us to feel a tad bit tuckered out--and a lot of those reasons are for great things, such as busy lives with families, or jobs, or school, or activities--it isn't a bad thing to admit that, sometimes, we can all feel just a little draggy. And that's okay; it's a natural part of being human, to feel tired every once in a while. There are also tons of different kinds of tired, and some of those aren't so okay to have to deal with. But since I'm not a doctor or any kind of specialist, I'm just going to stick to talking about the average kind of tired, and some very simple but HIGHLY effective cosmetic tricks that I have learned to help combat it.
My baby girl has been a fabulous sleeper for a while, but at the beginning of my mommyhood (and even now, to be perfectly truthful) I would start to feel weariness pulling at me in an acute way that I hadn't experienced before. And since there are a lot of times that I simply cannot just say, "Okay, Life, I'm putting you on hold for a while!", I have been on the hunt for things to help me look a little more energetic and perky. I have listed them below, along with some basic tips on how I use them and the explanations as to why I find that they work so well.
Let's talk skincare first. These are my two new favorites in that realm: Yes to Grapefruit's daily brightening scrub and Garnier Fructis' anti-puff eye roller.
Grapefruit is known to be a heavyhitter in skincare, as it is packed with lots of good-for-you elements that include vitamin C and lycopene. This scrub smells a-ma-zing, and it really is gentle enough to use daily, as long as your skin isn't incredibly sensitive or acne-prone. Using a daily scrub in either of those cases will irritate the skin and could cause it to be more oily. However, I have fairly sensitive skin myself, and using this scrub every other day hasn't bothered it at all. Because it is a gentle, fruit-based product (which features lemon balm as well as the aforementioned grapefruit), the scrub is able to deftly buff away dead cells, dirt, and impurities on the surface of the skin, exposing the fresh new skin beneath and giving that 'brightened' effect to the complexion. A product that smells good, is effective, and is part of a great brand that strives to make its products without a bunch of harsh chemicals? I'm on board.
Once you've started things off on the right foot with giving tired skin a dullness-banishing, beautifully brightening boost, you'll want to follow up with your favorite moisturizer for a dewy glow that locks hydration into your skin and protects it from losing too much moisture. Make certain to avoid your eye area with your facial moisturizer, because a lot of the time the ingredients that are in face care products are too harsh to be used on the delicate skin near the eyes.
Instead, treat your eyes to a refreshing, cold dose of caffeine and mint--with Garnier's anti-puff eye roller. I know that I'm late to the cold-as-ice eye roller party, but now that I'm here, I'm never going back! The eye roller basically has the same effect as running an ice cube along the skin around your eyes, boosting blood circulation to help get rid of the excess fluids that build up around the eyes and cause puffiness. The added benefit of an eye roller is that it isn't just cold; it also smoothes a caffeine- and mint-infused concoction onto the skin, which also helps get the blood circulating and results in less puffiness and dark circles in the under eye area. I usually apply the eye roller to my under eye area and then gently tap my fingertips against the skin to help blend in the product, using what is left on my fingertips to dab onto the skin above my eyelids. As with any skincare product, do be careful when using this stuff near your eyes. It's meant to go around them, but definitely not in them.
Onto makeup! I will also list these products in the order that I use them.
#1: This is L'Oreal's response to the overwhelmingly popular B.B. cream trend. Their version--and, I should note, this is just one of at least two B.B. creams that they've come up with--is from their Studio Secrets line, and is called Magic Skin Beautifier B.B. cream. It comes in a chic-looking slender white, silver, and purple tube, and the product itself, when you first squeeze it out of the tube, very much resembles your everyday sunscreen. It's a white lotion-like substance in which tiny, grainy little beads are suspended. I use just a tiny bit of this stuff--about a lima bean size amount on my fingertip--and blend it into my skin. The tiny little beads in the B.B. cream are actually where the pigment is contained, and it adjusts to the precise shade of your skin. Not a bad arrangement, I say, in a world full of people having to play the "What's my proper foundation shade?" game. Ain't nobody got time for that. ;)
What is nice about this product is that, as a good B.B. cream should always be, this is a multi-tasker. It hydrates the skin and primes it for other makeup, corrects uneven skin tone, and gives the skin a polished, flawless look. It isn't overly dewy-looking, either, so if you're really looking for just a simple, no-makeup look, this is a good choice of a B.B. cream for you: a little matte, and a lot of healthy and glow-y. One note: do use just a little amount of this stuff, because it goes a long way, and I wouldn't glop on a whole lot of moisturizer beforehand. For some odd reason, this B.B. cream doesn't do too well when it's applied over a lot of another moisturizer. The plus side of this? You don't have to use a lot of this product, so one tube of it should last you a good long while, and that is never a bad thing in my book.
#2: This is a fabulous waterproof kohl kajal eyeliner by Rimmel London, part of their ScandalEyes line, in the shade Nude. I've heard the recommendation of using white eyeliner along the inner rims of the eyes to give them the illusion of being wider and more awake, but I have also heard the recommendation to use a flesh-tone eyeliner instead, because it's still brightening but not as strong of a contrast against the skin's natural shade. Plus, the apricot undertones in a nude-colored liner counteract any purple tones in the flesh. (The culprits behind this? Darkness and discoloration, which are often found around tired eyes). Try this great, creamy waterproof liner on your eyes' inner rims, and see for yourself how it instantly makes your eyes look bigger and brighter. I use it to line my eyes' lower inner rims, extending it to blend it into the lower lash line, so there is a seamless brightened area. This liner is also really helpful if you put it on under your normal eyeliner--it helps hold in place any makeup that you put on over it!
#3: Moving on from there, we have product from Almay, from their Wake Up line: the hydrating under-eye concealer. This product comes in a squeezable tube with a brush applicator, but I don't use the brush as I find that it more often piles on the product and then smears it around in too-thin lines. That being said, if you simply squeeze a bit of the concealer onto your fingertip, dab it onto the areas that you wish to use concealer on (it works for more than just under the eyes), and then blend as you please, it works beautifully. I like that this concealer is lightweight and hydrating. With its light consistency but substantial pigment, you get an almost weightless coverage that you can build as needed without worrying much about the dreaded cakey effect. Using a light hand with makeup on tired skin is key though, so do keep your "less is more!" mantra in mind, as always.
#4: My new favorite mascara is CoverGirl's Clump Crusher, a fine phenomenon in a beguilingly bright emerald green tube. I've found that this product lives up to its name and hype: it gives volume and pigment to the eyelashes and virtually resists any clumping tendencies! (Any mascara will clump eventually, but it would really take some doing with this stuff.) It has a slightly curved comb-style applicator wand, and the mascara itself has a thick (aka volumizing) consistency. When you're looking to bring life to a tired face, a good, strong mascara that brings clean definition and pretty, plumped-up volume to the eyelashes is an absolute must.
#5: Next in the line-up of eye-awakening pros is a dual-ended eye liner and highlighter, also by Almay's Wake Up line. It's pretty much a self-explanatory product: one end of it holds a cooling, lightly sparkly (think new-fallen snow sparkle, not Las Vegas) highlighter, while the other end holds a nicely pigmented swivel-up eye liner with some fabulous staying power. I chose to get the classic black eye liner (because I refuse to be without one in my makeup kit), which is paired with a pretty pale gold highlighter. I don't always use the latter, but it gives a subtle bit of sparkle and that lovely cool sensation against the skin when it's applied, so...again, worth it, even if you're not much of a sparkle fan.
#6: Last on my list of new favorites is Revlon's gloss balm stain. It isn't just a lip gloss or a stain or a balm...yes, obviously, it manages to be all three at once. And I flipping love that. Much as I adore a good tube of lipstick, I'm always rubbing my lips together or wetting them (I know, saliva dries out the skin...), so it's difficult for me to keep a normal lip gloss or lipstick on. Stains are a fabulous solution to the problem, as are long-wearing lipsticks, but a stain that has the moisturizing power of a lip balm is even better. Revlon's impressive array of shades have a nice hint of minty flavor, and are hydrating with a light glossy finish and tons of color that tends to stick around quite well. I purchased the bright orange-y shade called 'Rendezvous', and it has been a fun, bright addition to my summer lip color collection. When you're tired, bright colors such as hot pink, orange, and red have the power to really light up the complexion. A tired face can look colorless and dull (mine does!), so adding bright colors brings a pop of life back onto the scene. Add a bit of blush and you're set!
As I said earlier in this post, these are simply a few cosmetic tricks to help make a tired face look more rejuvenated. A proper diet, exercise, and sleep--along with whatever else your trusted physician advises--are key to looking and feeling your best. But! A few helpful and inexpensive beauty products don't hurt sometimes, either, and it is my hope that you have found this post to contain both helpful, inexpensive tips and products to try! If you have any recommendations of other products or tips to looking your brightest and most lively and awake, do comment and share them! :D
PS: All of the products that I mentioned--and the photos of them too, for that matter--are copyright of the individual companies who own and manufacture them. I simply wrote about them and used some images that were available on the World Wide Web to make a few collages to make this post look more visually appealing. ;P End disclaimer.
À bientôt!
--Cait
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