Hi, Pretties!
Don't mind the cough medicine and hand sanitizer. I've got a cold. No... a cold has got me! Ugh. Awful.
What a great opportunity to make a handy little guide on how to fake it 'til you make it when you're sick! That's me: always making lemons into lemonade.
I hope you're doing well and that you don't need these tips. But if you do, c'mon over. I've got plenty of tissues to spare.
xoxo,
*jen
Man, there's nothing more pesky than a bad cold. Ok, let me dial down the drama a little bit... There are a lot of peskier things, but colds do suck. And you know, the best thing to do when you're sick is stay home and get some rest!
Unfortunately, there are times when we have to get out of those stained PJs and pretend we're well enough to socialize with others. What's a gal to do when she's sporting a red nose, watery eyes, and a pallor that would make Edward jealous?
Here are my tips for when the contract must be signed, the appearance must be made, or when they just can't do it without you (and your dirty tissues).
The Critical Analysis
First, you have to figure out what your issues are. No, not your fear of commitment and addiction to shoes! I'm talking about identifying which symptoms are showing upon your face.
The usual suspects:
I didn't even mention flat, lifeless hair! I'm no stylist. May I suggest a nice hat?
The Plan of Attack
-
Hydrate, Sister!
Drink lots of water. Apply moisture to hands and face regularly. Don't forget your eye cream!
Moisturizers for the face A) plump up those fine lines, B) help makeup sit on your skin nicely and C) give "slip" on stubborn areas (like around your poor battered nose).
Suggestions: Hands - I pretty much exclusively use Eucerin Plus Intensive Hand Repair Cream now (I can even get it in three-packs at BJ's!); Facial moisturizers - Bobbi Brown, Liz Earle, Mario Badescu; Eyes - Bobbi Brown
- Look Luminous (not sweaty from fever)
Healthy skin is radiant. Fake it with some shimmer added to your moisturizer, primer or foundation. I prefer liquids or creams because they add more hydration and tend to look more natural. Less is more, friends. Too much shimmer looks tacky, shiny, immature, greasy or worse: all of the above.
Suggestions: MAC Strobe Lotion or Cream, Armani Fluid Sheer, Stila Hydrating primer (no shimmer - just glow)
- Blot
Generally, added moisture and a bit of glow are helpful for faking a healthy tone. However, if you're feverish and/or sweating (do you really need to be out of bed, young lady?), a silica-based powder will help tone-down your shiny bits.
Suggestions: MAC Blot, Blotting papers (any)
- Taking the Red Eye
Visine or other eye-whitening drops can be your friend short-term. Just make sure you never touch the applicator to your eye, and just to be safe please pitch the vial once the cold is gone.
- Get the Blues
I love using a dark blue or blue-black pencil or powder to line the top lashline. The blue gives a brightening illusion to the eye, and the added definition doesn't hurt! If you've got runny eyes as a symptom, use a water-resistant pencil.
Suggestions: Urban Decay's 24/7's, Make Up For Ever's Aqua Eyes, Smashbox's Limitless Liner, or Pixi's Endless Silky Eye Pen (but it's a pencil; available at Target)
-
Whiten Up or Go Nude?
Some people swear by a white eyeliner on the lower waterline (inner lashline). Advocates of this technique swear it makes the eyes whiter, brighter, larger, and more awake. I swear it looks like a stripe of white under the eye (read: weird).
Instead, try a peach or flesh-toned pencil. It works like a charm! I have two of Cargo's Reverse Liners - one exclusively for my eyes, the other for lips as intended.
Never go back and forth between eyes and lips with the same brush or pencil: you'll spread germs faster than Lindsey Lohan can steal a necklace!
Suggestions: Cargo's Reverse Liners, Pixi Eye Bright Liner
- Circle the Wagons for Undereye Help
Use a salmon shade for your under eye concealer - it will counteract blue-greens in your sleepless circles. Top it with skin-colored concealer or foundation.
Suggestions: Bobbi Brown Corrector is worth every penny
- Out, Out, Damn Red!
If you have a red nose issue from too much tissue time, the first key is using a balm or salve on it when you can. You can try a tiny bit of green primer or concealer to cancel out some of the redness but go easy so you don't end up looking like Elphaba.
Top that with -or only use- a lightweight foundation or skintone-correct concealer. This is why I always keep a stick foundation on-hand: they double as concealers, can be mixed with moisturizer to make a more liquidy version, and can be tossed in a purse for touch-ups whenever (like when I blow my nose again!).
Suggestions: Stick foundations - Bobbi Brown, MAC; Green concealers - Dermablend, Almay, Clinique
-
Lip Service
Oh, how my lips suffer when I'm sick! I'm constantly putting balms on those poor chaps (rimshot!).
When it comes to lip color, I stick with natural pinks - my lips but better. Moisturizing formulas are best, glosses are fine, and shimmer can help (but avoid glitter and mattes: both will draw attention to roughness).
A pinch of sugar mixed with a dollop of olive oil works as a great do-it-yourself lipscrub.
Suggestions: Carmex Moisture Plus lip balm, Jurlique Love Balm (review pending), LUSH Ultrabalm, Nuxe lip balm (and my favorite: MAC Naked Honey Salve which was sadly a limited edition and I save for times like this.)
- Smooth Things Out
Flushed cheeks, sickly cast... Skin tells the tale when you're sick! Once you've hydrated and concealed, slick a lightweight foundation or tinted moisturizer over the skin to even-out your tone.
Suggestions: MAC Face and Body Foundation, Elizabeth Arden Flawless Finish Mousse, Stila Sheer Color Tinted Moisturizer, Mineralize Satinfinish SPF 15, or your regular foundation (stick?) mixed with moisturizer.
Colorize
I think simple is better when it comes to makeup on a sick face. Bright or dark makeup can take a wrong turn quickly on skin with a sickly cast!
I already suggested nuetral pink for lips, and a dark blue liner on eyes, but what else? Try soft, skintone-complementary beiges and taupes on eyes, or pale and glowy golds.
Cheeks could benefit from a gentle nude or pinky-peach blush (if you aren't flushed already!), and a big brush will lightly deposit the right amount of bronzer to add a little life back onto your face.
- Lashing Out
Mascara is a great finishing touch, but sneezing and watery eyes can foil that master plan. Skip waterproof formulas which can make lashes brittle and damaged. Instead, try "thermal mascaras". They're marketed under different names, but they are all water-resistant at normal temperatures (and sweat- and oil-proof) but remove simply with water slightly warmer than skin temp!
Suggestions: Clinique , Bobbi Brown
The final result may not be perfect (mine isn't!)
but it should be a more presentable you.
Feel better soon!
but wait, there's more...
Clean Up Your Act
After the germs are gone and you're feeling better, give all of your brushes a good cleaning! Also...
- Dip eye and lip pencils in Isopropyl Alcohol, sharpen with a clean sharpener (use a cotton swab to clean it with said alcohol), then dip again. Let dry.
- Use a clean, dry tissue to gently wipe the surface of your powder products (shadows, blush).
- Ditch (or wash) sponges.
- Lightly wipe lipsticks and cream products with an alcohol-soaked wipe (But don't let the alcohol drip into the base of a lipstick - it will break! Hold the bullet upside down.).
- If you didn't use disposable mascara wands, pitch your mascara and get a new one!
- Replace your toothbrush and wash your sheets, pillowcases, washclothes, and towels!
My number one tip: Stay away from sniffling kids when at all possible! Not too easy when you're their mom...
t