Have you ever had a coworker, acquaintance, or even a complete stranger tell you, “You look tired”? Didn’t you just want to punch them? While I find uttering this heinous phrase to someone socially unacceptable, every lady has had a late night at some point that left them looking like a zombie the next day.
Here’s a list of 20 ways to stay looking awake and refreshed to make sure you never hear that awful phrase from an insensitive acquaintance again:
- Hang your head upside down. Blood rushes to your face, giving you a wide-awake flush; plus, the simple motion of bending over backward will wake up your muscles and make you feel energized. You can always try a quick backbend instead if you’ve already done your hair and don’t want to mess it up.
- Try a ponytail facelift. Pulling your hair into a high, tight ponytail literally gives your face a little lift, so you’ll look refreshed. Plus, the high, bouncy style declares “Up and at ‘em!”
- Use a spoon on your eyes.
- Dab on some shiny pink lip gloss to give your face color and draw attention away from your weary eyes.
- Take a cold and hot shower. Alternating blasts of hot and cold water in your morning shower revs circulation and returns color to your skin.
- Try an icy facial. Add a drop of lemon juice and olive oil to the water in each square of your ice cube tray. Once it’s frozen, run an ice cube over your face. The cold reduces puffiness, while the lemon juice’s citric acid tightens skin and the olive oil adds moisture.
- Choose eyeliner shades that fight redness. Use a navy eyeliner pencil on the inner rim of your upper eyelashes to make the whites of your eyes appear brighter. Then, try a white eye pencil on the inner lower rim.
Give your eyes a caffeine boost. Dip cotton pads in some brewed coffee and press them gently underneath your eyes to eliminate puffiness and undereye circles. Caffeine is a vasoconstrictor and diuretic, so it shrinks blood vessels, minimizes dark circles and reduces swelling.- Avoid salty foods. Excess sodium can leave you looking puffy, especially the MSG found in soy sauce and most Chinese dishes. Beware of sauces in general – since many are cream-based, they absorb salty flavors and are often packed with extra salt you won’t detect with your tongue.
- Add more mascara! Load a good three coats onto upper lashes only; tired eyes don’t need any more dark color underneath.
- Do a frozen veggie facial. Put a bag of frozen peas, cauliflower or baby carrots over your face for a few minutes – they conform perfectly to your face and cure the sleepy look.
- Don’t pile on foundation. Too much sinks into fine lines and masks your natural glow, making you look older – and finishing powder only amplifies the effect.
- Wear skin-flattering colors. This is the one time when black doesn’t work – you’ll look paler by contrast. Try a pink scarf to warm up your skin, and avoid dark-colored tops.
- Highlight the inner corners of your eyes. This area is prone to looking dark normally, so on zombified days an extra boost of highlighter in inner corners is a must to brighten your eyes.
- Try some quick morning beauty fixes.
- Quit sleeping face-down. Fluid pools in your facial tissues this way, so your face puffs up and adds to the look of sleep deprivation.
- Wear glittery jewelry. The sparkle makes you look lively and put-together. Bling-y earrings will reflect light off your face for an added dose of brightness.
- Skip reddish eyeshadow. Eye makeup with red undertones such as roses, plums or browns play up redness in your eyes. Stick to black liner and cool-toned lids.
- Combo blush and bronzer. Since your face loses color when you’re wiped out, you need an extra flush. Apply bronzer deep in cheekbones, at the jawline and at the edges of your hairline all around your face. Top cheeks with a shimmery blush to catch light.
- Hydrate your skin with actual water to keep from looking sallow and pruny. Come on, you can switch out one of those cups of coffee for an Evian!
Images: FabAudrey, Corbis
Wow Cailin….FABULOUS tips. I really need to stop sleeping on my tummy…it’s so hard to stop though!!! And I love the navy under the top rim and white underneath…girl you are good.
I’m usually sleeping face-down and sometimes I wake up with marks on my face from pillow and kind of puffy eyes in the morning. But i discovered a very good eye cream from La Prairie and it’s quite helpfull.
These are great tips! I’ve printed it out, lol.
The white eyeliner tip is still sort of new to me, although it totally makes sense. I first heard about it a couple of weeks ago, after Kate Winslet used it on the night of the Golden Globes. And, I have to say, her eyes looked big and bright.
if i had the time to do it all, i would just stay in bed longer and would not be tired at all!
I don’t think you are supposed to do all 20 of them at the same time! lol
Excellent call eric!
nice post
What a vapid, shallow article. What about just getting more sleep? Who cares if someone THINKS you look tired? Does it matter if you look great but feel like shit? Shouldn’t it be more important that you feel well rested? How about an article on how to sleep better, That’s something I’d be interested in. This is crap. Just do things that make you feel good, a ponytail facelift? Really? That’s just silly and uncomfortable. And please, sleep face down if you want to.
“Umm…”:
By your logic, there’s no reason one should ever brush their hair or replace clothing with holes in the fabric. Your argument ignores the fact that some people actually enjoy the art of makeup, hairstyling, and doing something creative with minimal resources. You’re not one of them, and that’s completely fine – but please don’t call me and my readers names because this is our area of interest. I guarantee you that you’ve done something for pleasure or satisfaction beyond what one can achieve through basic physical comfort, because that’s what makes us human; we have the brainpower (allegedly) to pursue goals outside of instinctual urges.
Just a quick note, people: I encounter an awful lot of commenters proclaiming me and my site “vapid”, “shallow” and “superficial”. Yes, we are by definition superficial. Superficial means “concerning the surface”; the skin and face fit the bill pretty well. However, judging others based solely on their beauty regimen is pretty much the most “concerned with the surface” thing I can imagine doing, so these commenters really don’t have room to talk. Maybe they could try a different topic, since these people clearly have issues surrounding personal care. All I know is, I don’t go around commenting on NASCAR blogs about how ridiculous I think their sport is – I just read about things I’m interested in.
The blush + bronzer usually works best for me.
These are great tips! Esp “sleeping with the face down”… I never knew that. I should change my regimen.
Cailin,
You said it just right! Good grief people are so touchy and intolerant about almost everything these days! Can’t even suggest a few tips without some sour puss making nasty cracks. I’d sure bet, the silent majority find these interesting and useful…I know I do!
Only a “vapid”, “shallow, and totally unconscious person would post something like that.
When I saw the title of the article, I thought, I bet she didn’t think about sleep. You totally should have added it in there somewhere, just for laughs. Anyway, thanks for the tips. I often have the “tired look” because I’m in college, and the fact that my eyes have a tendency to be puffy on their own doesn’t help. I’m definitely going to try adding highlighting the corners of my eyes into my makeup routine!
As an “older woman” finding it easier and easier to “look tired”, I recognized “sleep” works wonders.
The spoon trick and veggie “soother”, I remember from my youth and it’s worth being reminded, “foundation” isn’t the answer.
Something else that works for tiredness and skin
is cleansing.
My skin revealed changes within 3 days, and there was more.
See my before and after pic here:
http://www.tinyurl.com/LindasHere55
To Love, Life,Beauty from the Inside Out, and Health.
these are great tips! i’ll definitely utilise them! …and for the person who was complaining… it’s not like every person out there is capable of getting a good, full, restful amount of sleep every night. these tips are for when you spent all night studying or partying, and you just need a quick pick-me-up! obviously! good grief!
Hi,
Who cares!! YOUR HOT!!!…if that is a pic of you…and you dont sound like a blond (dippy!), but an educated blonde…(is that more dangerous?) who knows……
[...] 20 Ways To Never Look Tired » The Beauty Bunny – Dicas para dar aquele jeitinho na aparência cansada. Em inglês. [...]
Devil,
Thanks for the compliment! And hey, don’t judge a book by its haircolor – us blondes have just as much brainpower as the brunettes of the world.
Wow, I was reading this blog and found it to be very helpful and pleasant and informative. I thank you for the information and remember we can’t please everyone. But I am pleased and thank you. My daughter is intersted in these 20 tips too. I am sure all my friends will be too. We are always looking into our shallow upkeep. tee hee. We do need to be conscious of our appearance. First impressions are lasting and gosh if I made a “tired” first impression that could be bad for business since I am in the mineral makeup business.
And as for Blondes…well I am a brunette but my daughter is blonde and she is brilliant! Oh and so am I even if I say so myself. LOL!
Kim Granger
Owner
foxymineralmakeup.com
Thanks, Kim! Yeah, there’s a lot of pressure in meeting new people when you’re in the beauty industry. You’re expected to look gorgeous all the time!
Yippie I found this blog again!! I though I lost it and emaild you to send me the link but I found it
Yes we do need to look gorgeous because who would want to buy cosmetics from someone who looks bedragled and run down. lol
Calin, how do I put my picture in the avatar box? I would rather my pic be there instead of the design. tee hee.
Good tips and I will save these and pass them along. :0)
ok. this is why i’m seriously considering turning gay (for the masculine type ones, this criticism applies for twinks too). who could find a person who slams a f**king frozen wok mix on her face to look better (even though no one can’t really see the differencw/don’t care, even if available in high definition) interesting or intellectual. don’t get me wrong. there’s nothing wrong in trying to look pretty.. but hanging your head down in the bathroom to get that lush blush on your cheeks.. so ally mcbeal and so 90’s.
Calin, thanks for sharing these helpful tips. I don’t find them shallow or superficial at all. While I do agree with the other commenters that sleep is really important, doing the things you outlined here is also useful for people who wants to do more for their selves.
Suijin,
I’m reminded of something Miranda said once on Sex and the City:
“So ipso facto, if a woman is beautiful, she can’t be interesting? Women fall into one of two categories in this world, beautiful and boring or homely and interesting?”
(Whoops – was that oh-so 2001 of me to bring up? I guess in your world, women are categorized by eras in television.) You’re assuming that the reason women try to look “pretty” is limited only to their belief that doing so will make men more interested in them. In fact, interesting, intellectual women like myself and my readers enjoy looking their best for reasons far beyond masculine approval. I’ve already got the relationship I intend to be in for the rest of my life, and he’s seen me at my very worst. If a man (or a woman, or any other offensive term someone like you might apply to homosexuals) judged my level of intellect by my beauty routine, I’d think they were pretty “vapid” and “shallow” myself.
I like this tip…the best! Does this really work? hrmmm…
“Give your eyes a caffeine boost. Dip cotton pads in some brewed coffee and press them gently underneath your eyes to eliminate puffiness and undereye circles. Caffeine is a vasoconstrictor and diuretic, so it shrinks blood vessels, minimizes dark circles and reduces swelling.”
I’ll just have to comment if this will work …
Gale,
Works for me! You can actually feel it tightening your face when you do it.
Thanks for all the tips.
There are some days (or nights rather) where getting enough sleep just doesn’t happen. So, this is definitely a useful article.
And for all the nay-sayers…if you never look tired or care if you look tired, more power to ya! But most of us are human and have the occasional sleepless or less-sleep-than-we’d-like night, and we have to deal with looking like crud the next day. I’ve always believed that how someone presents themselves to the world is how they feel on the inside. A confident, happy person with little make-up is always going to look better than the insecure, unhappy person with a ‘full face’.
awesome tips! as a junior in high school, i get around 6 hours of sleep, sometimes even less and i needed help to de-zombify myself in the mornings. thanks!
Thanks for sharing the tips! I wonder if caffeine is really good for your skin though…
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These are such useful tips! I’m a sophmore in High School and I always have to stay up late studying or finishing homework. I used tips 1-6 last year, and I cant wait to try out the rest for the new school year!
xoxo
I love these tips! Need them too. My ‘not looking sleepy’ routine consists of eye cream from http://www.emu-oil-well.com some YSL eye brightener and foundation!
Going to try some of these!!