A combination of factors can make you look tired (whether or not you actually are!)—from hormones to stress to actual lack of sleep. You know the tell-tale signs—dark circles under your eyes, dull, dry or patchy skin, and sometimes, facial tension around your mouth or forehead. While it’s important to address the reasons behind your fatigue (or imbalance, if the case may be), sometimes, a little external boost can really lift your spirits in the time being.
The following anti-fatigue beauty tips are coming from the frontlines! After having a child, I learned a few of these things the hard way, but I now feel confident about achieving a faux glow even after a few rough nights.The real trick is to give yourself a mini facial as you’re doing regular skincare and makeup to give your skin the love it needs in a matter of minutes.
It all begins with skin prep.
Do an inversion pose or practice deep breathing. You know that feeling when you look in the mirror and think, “Wow, that pallor!” Get fresh blood flowing to your face by practicing some gentle inversions like downward dog, cat/cow, or supported bridge. You may also want to do a little deep, mindful breathing before you dive into skincare, a little restorative step that Jhené Aiko swears by.
Cleanse. If long nights have left you feeling zapped, the quickest—and most revitalizing!—thing you can do is to give your skin the TLC it deserves. Start by cleansing your face with a gentle cream cleanser and cool water. You can also use a facial brush or washcloth to lightly exfoliate, moving in small circles all around your face. Sloughing off dead skin cells will help improve the overall texture of skin while prepping it for the following steps. By using a cream cleanser, we’re avoiding over-stripping skin’s critical moisturizing oils while also adding a light moisturizing layer.
Edible Beauty Belle Frais Cleansing Milk
Tone. Mist skin with a hydrating toner, preferably one with humectants like hyaluronic acid or aloe; a humectant attracts moisture to skin, helping skin feel more comfortable and look plumper.
If you’d like to brighten your skin tone while fending off acne and fine lines, apply a vitamin C serum with your fingertips, using delicate tapping motions all over your face. This will help stimulate circulation and help relieve facial tension.
Moisturize and massage. Select a moisturizer that suits your skin type. If you’re not sure what to reach for, opt for something on the more moisturizing side, perhaps formulated with plant oils like argan oil, marula oil, or rosehip seed oil. If lack of glow is something you’re trying to correct, these will help.
Now the next step is crucial—and feels so good. Using your fingers (or your favorite jade roller), massage skin using gentle, upward strokes. You can also use your ring finger to massage moisturizer around your eye socket, simultaneously stimulating circulation and lymphatic drainage.
There you have it—a quick routine that preps your skin for looking less tired in a pinch, regardless of how you feel on the inside. If you plan on wearing makeup, see the following steps.
Fake it with makeup.
Prime with an iridescent primer. Further disguise the appearance of tired, grey skin with a glowing primer that helps diminish pores while offering a hint of radiance.
Charlotte Tilbury Wonderglow Instant Soft-Focus Beauty Flash Primer
If you’re wearing foundation, opt for a dewy formula and remember that less is more. Too much product can settle into fine lines and detract from the healthy glow we worked up during our skin prep. Try using your fingers to spread a pea-sized drop of foundation from the center of your face outward, using a gentle tapping motion to seamlessly blend foundation into skin.
Use only a minimal amount of powder (or none at all). Don’t let powder take away from the well-moisturized look you mastered with your skin prep. Powder can become cakey and potentially worsen the appearance of patchy or uneven skin tone. If fatigue has left your skin feeling drier than usual, too much powder can make skin feel tight and uncomfortable.
Opt for liquid or cream color products when possible—for the same reasons that setting powder may turn on you when your skin is looking less than its best. Opt instead for a liquid or cream blush/bronzer to further plump and hydrate your skin. Plus, these formulas tend to look a bit more natural and can help enhance that lit-from-within glow that totally fakes 8 hours of beauty sleep.
100% Pure Pot Rouge Cream Blush
Consider highlighting your cheeks or your eye area. Although we’re certainly going for a dewy, illuminated look, you may find it helpful to just focus on one area to highlight such as your cheeks or your eyelids or the area directly under your brows. Strategic placement of highlighter can help enhance your dewiness while also “opening” or “bringing forward” areas of your face to help you look more multidimensional and less shadowy. Being selective about the areas you highlight can help you maintain a soft and natural look.
Does your beauty routine change when you feel/look tired?
Related: Get the Glow—Not Clogged Pores: 5 Best Non Comedogenic Oils for Your Face
Best Transitional Weather Skincare Staples To Elevate Your Glow This Fall
Look Like The Freshest Version Of Yourself With The Nam Vo Glow (“Dewy Dumpling” Look)
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Photo: Carlos Augusto on Unsplash, respective brands
