Some mornings you look in the mirror and literally nothing is cooperating. Your skin looks dull, your eyes look tired, and everything you put on somehow makes it worse. I have those days too, and over time I’ve worked out a short list of makeup tricks that get me through it without piling on more product than usual. None of it’s complicated, and most of it actually takes less time than a normal makeup day.
When I say ‘ugly days’, I’m talking about when you feel like absolute rubbish and you wonder what will help. I’ve plenty of clients end up in my chair over the years that tell me they feel ugly today and need a miracle. They sit in my chair tired, stressed, or in the middle of a breakout, there’s no hiding it and no time to experiment, so you find out very quickly what helps and what makes it worse. I have plenty of rough mornings of my own, so everything below has been tested on me first.
1. Put on less base, not more
The instinct on a bad day is to cover everything…and quickly. But a thick layer sits on texture and makes skin look flatter and heavier. Use a small amount in the middle of your face, where the redness usually sits, and let the edges stay bare. Then use concealer only on the spots that need it. Skin that still looks like skin always looks more awake than skin that’s been painted over. It’s important to make sure your skin is well hydrated underneath.
2. Add color to your cheeks before you do anything else
A little color on your cheeks does more to make you look rested than any amount of concealer. Dab a cream blush on the round part of your cheeks and blend it up toward your temples. Stick with a warm pink or a soft peach, since those look like you’ve slept, and keep it light enough that it looks like it came from your own skin.
3. Open up your eyes
Curl your lashes, then use one coat of mascara on the top lashes only. Swap any dark liner on your lower lash line for a soft, flesh tone pencil on the inner rim. Dark pencil makes tired eyes look smaller, and a light one makes them look bigger and clearer. It’s a small change, and it’s one of the quickest ways to look more awake.
“Skin that still looks like skin always looks more awake than skin that’s been painted over.”
The fixes for breakouts and washed-out skin, and the exact order I put everything on when I’m in a rush, are waiting on the paid side…below.
