Never Look Tired Again!

In these busy times, sleep is often one of the first things we sacrifice in order to get more things accomplished.  It's no big secret that one of the biggest give-aways that you're tired and not getting enough sleep is the appearance of your eyes.  But even if you're exhausted, there's no reason to look like it!  Here are some useful ways to appear more rested when you've had four hours of sleep (or less).

If your eyes are puffy, reach for an eye cream or serum that contains caffeine.  Caffeine naturally reduces swelling, which will make your eyes look wider, awake, and overall more rested.  I like Garnier's Nutritioniste Skin Renew Daily Eye Roller, seen at right.  As the name implies it works best when used daily, but I've also found it effective with more intermittent use.  You apply it with a roller ball to cool and soothe the thinner skin underneath your eyes; this alone leaves me feeling more awake and refreshed.  Store it in the refrigerator to get extra fast results.  The coldness will also work to reduce swelling.  

To reduce the appearance of dark circles, choose a primer or concealer that is brightening, or a product that reflects light.  Make Up For Ever and Urban Decay make great brightening primers, which can be applied over the dark circles first and increase the effectiveness of your concealer.  I think the best light reflecting concealer available is Yves Saint Laurent's Touche Éclat.  It was specially developed to cover up dark undereye circles and goes on smoothly like a tinted moisturizer.  It's expensive, but lasts a long time and is SO worth it.  This product is magic.

Urban Decay makes a great more affordable concealer in a pencil format; it sounds odd, but the product goes on like a thick cream and dries matte.  Since it's a matte finish it won't reflect light, but it definitely covers up the dark circles and lasts throughout the day.  At a little more than $5, CoverGirl's Fresh Complexion Concealer is the best bargain.  It's a liquid formula that blends really well with your foundation.

If you want more than one concealing option, Benefit offers up the best variety of products in a neat little package with their Confessions of a Concealaholic palette.  It contains a brightening primer, other specially formulated eye brighteners, and a myriad of different concealers so you can experiment and determine what works best for you.

Another trick to looking more awake is to line your lower lashline and inner corner of your eye with a shimmery pale or white eyeliner.  Make sure to blend it well, though, otherwise it can look a bit unsettling.  The same shade can be applied on your brow bone, just beneath your eyebrows for extra brightening effects.  Again, it's most flattering if you blend it.  A stark white line is not the ideal here.  This technique can take a bit of practice, so I don't recommend it if you're running late and have never tried it before.

Finally, applying a shimmery neutral eyeshadow and curling your eyelashes can open your eyes even more.

Worried you won't have enough time for all this?  I swear, with practice it can take less than ten minutes to look awake and pulled together, even when you're exhausted.