Yesterday I took an afternoon nap …… and when I say afternoon I mean around about 5.30pm. While it was mega enjoyable and indulgent it was as a result of not getting enough sleep throughout the week. If you follow me on Instagram stories you will be up to date with our crow situation. For the last few weeks we have been woken up between 4am and 5am by a heap of squawking crows ( that is the collective noun I am using for this annoyance). If they are not seeing who can squawk the loudest they are scrapping each other on my roof like a pair of clashing stag do’s in Falaraki.
Needless to say I am getting a bit tired of it all. Some mornings I hang out the window with my son’s cap gun ….. or two in an attempt to scare them off ….. other mornings I get up and start my day. It is amazing how glam you can look on the school run with a full 3 hours to get showered, dressed, hair blow dried all fancy and make up on. It has become a bit of a standing joke that if I pitch up at school with my hair wet and in a pineapple top knot, then it has been my alarm that has woke me up …. and not the crows!
So dear reader, here are my tips to fake looking awake when you are feeling anything but awake!
Magnesium and Mask
Who doesn’t love a bath at the end of the day! However, a bath with magnesium or salts is a great way to get some crucial minerals back in your body and also help you sleep better that night. I am currently a big fan of the REN Anti-Fatigue range including their body scrub with magnesium salts. Not going to lie, I am also love a bath / face mask combo. Depending on how my skin is on the day I will pop a brilliantly hydrating mask to help bring some extra moisture to my skin or a brightening mask to get rid of that dull skin vibe. I love to kick-start this process with my De Mamiel Restorative Cleansing Balm which is so uplifting and reviving. Take some extra time to do a little facial massage to really help boost the circulation.
Skin
Nothing says tired skin like dry skin, so when it comes to faking having that “I’ve slept for a good 8 hours” skin it is all about the exfoliation and moisturisation. I have a couple of favourites when it comes to getting rid of dull and old skin cells. The Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask is a new addition to my bathroom shelf, is easy to use and makes such a difference. If you prefer a liquid style product then I would recommend the award-winning Liquid Gold by Alpha H. I like to use either of these three times a week.
Once all the old skin has be sloughed away it is all about the moisturising. I am a huge fan of face oils and serums and my current go to products are by Vanderohe and also a custom blend from the Face Gym. Storing your favourite eye cream or gel in the fridge is a great tip that I learned a few years ago. Trust me that cooling eye cream is the perfect treatment for puffy eye or dark circles. If you have time in the bath while you are doing a mask, you might also want to try putting a couple of cold and eye soothing green tea bags on your eyes while you relax.
Make-up
After moisturising with your favourite face oil or moisturiser, a primer is going to be one of your best friends in faking looking awake! I am new to the primer game , yep I have no idea why either, but I recently discovered Perfect Canvas by REN. It is a brilliant silicone free primer which is filled with naturally derived bio actives like pro- biotic, agave and alpha-glucans. In a nutshell it helps smooth, fill and primes your skin ready for make up.
Great make up, applied strategically can make your skin and face look more awake than what you are. Foundation can make you skin look more tired, and we don’t want that! A hydrating tinted moisturiser can leave your skin looking more radiant whilst drinking up some extra moisture, which is everything we want to achieve. Ilia’s tinted moisturiser gives the light but dewy coverage that works best for me. I tend to go between Hanalei and Ramala Bay when it comes to shades.
The right eye make up can open up your tired eyes and make you look less shell-shocked! A great nude eye liner in the inner rims of your eyes instantly widens and brightens the eye area, which in turn brightens your whole face. Bingo! Follow this up with some mascara, in fact lashings of mascara, to open up those tired eyes some more. Next head straight to those brows. Defined brows can not only make you look younger but also open up the eye are more.
Next up, my highlighter is quite simply one of the most used products in my make up bag. I love that it perks my skin/face up and I find it super easy to apply. My favourite is the Bio Brightener by W3ll People which comes in a stick format, however I have struggled to restock this in the UK. I have also started to use the lovely highlighters from RMS Beauty and Rituel De Fille. I love to use highlighter on my cheekbones, bridge of nose and in between my eyebrows to instantly perk my skin up.
When it comes to blusher try to avoid using a powder blush which can be very drying and ageing on the skin, instead opt for cream blush to give a gorgeous healthy glow. I adore Above and Beyond by Kjaer Weis to add a pop of colour. It is a fabulous coral tone and I only use the smallest of amounts to get the fresh-faced look.
Finally if you have no time or inclination to do any other make up steps …. nothing detracts for a tired face more that a gorgeously bright and bold lip colour.
Hair
A greasy mop of hair is never going to take away from the fact you are feeling knackered. Your friends here are going to be dry shampoo for when you don’t have time to wash said mop. Next up either scrape that hair up into a chic ponytail for ease or leave down and give it a quick textured look with the likes of a salt spray.
Water
Rehydrate that arid skin and de-puff those eyes by loading up on your recommended 8 glasses of water a day, it is a bit of a triple threat. Great to detox, keep you hydrated and make you feel more awake. Add in some lemon, cucumber or fresh mint to mix it up it if you don’t like it straight up.
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