woman awake in the morning

Everyone’s guilty of staying up too late binge-watching your favorite TV show or getting sucked into a good book. As you wake up the next morning, feeling unrested and groggy, you think to yourself, “Why did I do that?” 

Although there’s no way to turn back the clock and force yourself to sleep earlier, there are some tips and tricks you can use to make yourself appear more awake, even when you feel like a zombie. Use these simple beauty hacks to make it look like you got the best sleep of your life.

Get Rid of Under-Eye Bags

Dark under-eyes and eye bags are a tell-tale sign that you may have missed out on some sleep the night before. 

Under-eye creams are a lifesaver for dark circles under your eyes that can make you appear tired. Use an eye cream or eye gel specifically designed to de-puff and reduce the appearance of dark under-eye bags. 

If you don’t have access to an eye cream, one home remedy is to apply cold tea bags to your eyes for five to ten minutes to reduce puffiness. The cold tea bags will constrict blood vessels and tighten skin.

Color Correct

If you have any skin discoloration, consider correcting before you conceal. A green color corrector will reduce redness, while yellow will combat purple undertones. Orange is best for dark circles and spots, and purple will neutralize yellow tones. This should be done before you begin to use a concealer.

Conceal Dark Spots

After you’ve reduced puffiness, you can begin to try to conceal the dark spots under your eyes.

Conceal any dark spots with the help of a product like polyphenol Dark Spot Diminisher. Finding a product with polyphenol, which is full of antioxidants, will reduce signs of aging.

Beauty experts recommend a concealer shade two times lighter than your skin for under your eyes, and there are concealers made specifically for under-eyes.

When applying concealer under the eyes, do so in a triangle pattern, with the bottom of the triangle directly under your eyes to mask imperfections and make your cheeks look more lifted.

Focus On Your Eyes

If your eyes still give away some hints of tiredness, focus on eyeliner to appear more awake. While you can use a black shade for your top lid, it shouldn’t be used on the bottom eyelid or on the water line, as it gives the appearance that your eyes are smaller.

Instead, try a brown shade on your lower lid and a nude or white eyeliner on your waterline to help you appear more awake. 

You can also use your concealer on your eyelids to help you appear more awake, too. Use a concealer that’s a little lighter than your skin tone and use it to highlight your eyelids. If you’re out of concealer, you can also use a white eyeliner right under your brow to create this effect, too.

If you use eyeshadow, a shimmery tone like champagne or light pink will help your eyes pop and distract from the fact that you’re not as well-rested as you’d like. 

Get Some Rest and Relaxation

If you find yourself perpetually looking tired, even when you feel like you’ve had a good night’s sleep, try pampering yourself with a trip to the spa or an at-home self-care day to help you relax and brighten up your skin. Spa treatments like face massages and face masks can help rejuvenate your skin and avoid dullness. 

Going a little too hard at a happy hour the night before or simply losing track of time at night is common for everyone, but that doesn’t mean you need to go the whole day feeling and looking like you just rolled out of bed. Use these tips to look more refreshed.