The Power of Skincare & Make-Up: How To Look Wide Awake Even When You're Tired

Monday morning, ugh! Anybody else have a sleepless night last night? Definitely not a good look for anyone, especially for someone who already suffers naturally from dark circles like me. Lack of sleep and tiredness lead to dull skin and dryness, and blemishes that are not fully healed as they should be. Not to mention the eyes, the biggest sufferers! Eyes are a big giveaway of how rough your night was; dark circles, bags, puffiness, you name it- there are a LOT of things that happen to our eyes when we are tired (and I'm tired a lot). With this in mind, I set out to find a few skin and eye products that would help me fake the whole "awake look" on a Monday morning. After trying a handful of goodies, I have nailed a routine down and now I want to share them with you too. Let's go!

SKIN

Colour imbalance, dull and dry skin are our enemies so the first step is skincare, aka hydration! Prior to applying my day cream, I find myself reaching for the Skinbreeze Brightening Serum* £40 which I've been using for around 4 weeks now and I'm in love! It is designed to lighten the skin tone and leave the skin refreshed and rejuvenated; ideal for when I'm looking tired as hell. The combination of hyaluronic acid, glycerin and natural extracts in its formula yield moisture, de-puffiness and everything I look for in a product to help me look as fresh and like I had the best night of sleep ever. Its price tag? Not a pretty one but it sure works on me so totally worth it. More on all other serums available from Skinbreeze here.

Next step for me is choosing a make-up base that combats my skin concerns, whether its redness or dullness. I like skipping primer and going for a balm instead, ideally the No7 Instant Illusions Rapid Radiance Balm £17.99, for skin that is beautifully radiant looking and full of vitality. For my foundation base, I always go for something light and colour correcting, aka the Boujois 123 CC Cream £9.99. Its 3 colour correcting pigments give a fresh and luminous result, getting rid of my tired looking complexion and the 24hr hydration brings back moisture too. 

Glowy skin and highlighting go hand in hand, so rather than choosing only one, I first apply the liquid Technic High Lights Highlighter £2.99 and then a powder one on top to ensure this glow lasts all day long until I'm ready to go home and get some well deserved sleep. This little gem is a great (and much cheaper) dupe of the so famous Benefit High Beam, which I also like but its price tag, not so much.

EYES

Skin around the eyes is not only thin, but also a lot more sensitive. When you're tired the area is more likely to become dehydrated; the answer? A hyaluronic acid based eye product that brings back much needed hydration, helps boost dull and delicate skin, and instantly brightens it up. The Botanics All Bright Refreshing Eye Roll-On £8.75 (review here) is a very lightweight roll-on gel designed to reduce the appearance of dark circles and puffiness, and as soon as I apply it my under eye area feels immediately cooled, refreshed and de-puffed! 

A good concealer is a must and I'm currently devoted to Maybelline Eraser Eye Concealer £7.99; it brightens my under eye area, and due to its formula with Hanoxyl, it also helps decrease puffiness. Whilst it doesn't completely mask my under eye circles, they are faded quite nicely and that is is ok given it's an inexpensive drugstore product. To finish off the eye look, highlighting the inner corners of my eyes helps massively, and I always reach for my gorgeous MAC Soft & Gentle Highlighter £24. When it comes to eyebrows, I make sure to groom them as framing the face helps put everything in place. For my brows I am in love with the Maybelline Brow Drama Sculpting Mascara £4.99 which on top of the ABH dip pomade lasts all day long, and is natural and even looking. Skip the eyeliner (if you must go for a brown one as black is too rough when your eyes are tired), finish with a little mascara and you're ready for Monday morning!

Whether you stayed up all night without any shut eye or just went to bed really late last night (I always have trouble falling asleep on Sundays, do you too?) there ARE ways to look wide awake thanks to a few eye products and make-up! Stop yawning and remember hydration, colour correcting and highlighting will make everything look better, even if you're still pretty tired and dying for the day to end.

What are some of your tips when trying to look more awake? Let me know below!

Thanks for reading beauties and wishing us all a happy (and non-sleepy) Monday!

zzzzzzz 

xoxo

*Contains PR Samples. All opinions are my own (disclaimer here).