You’re lying in bed wishing you had turned down that last martini. You think you couldn’t feel much worse… and then your alarm goes off. Not only do you have the worst hangover ever, you have to get up, go to work, and pretend you don’t feel like you got run over by a beer truck.
All of us found ourselves in such a situation at least once. So what’s the way out? Sure, you can call you assistant and pretend to be in a terrible plight. On the other hand, you can face the music and smile at your little troubles! Perhaps, you’ve heard that appearances can be deceiving. In this case, that’s a good thing!
Just follow these tips on how to camouflage even the worst hangover.
1. Take preventive action before you go to bed
If you know you had too much to drink, take action as soon as you get home. The main reason you look and feel so bad after a night of heavy drinking is because alcohol is dehydrating.
Before bed, drink as much water as your churning stomach can handle. And do not forget to put a bottle at the head of your bed – you are likely to wake up from thirst in the middle of the night. Then, as tempting as it may be to skip this step, take off your makeup.
Once your face is clean, slather on the moisturizer. It will help to avoid excessive dryness and tightness of your face skin. Afterward brush your teeth.
Finally, when you’re ready for bed, grab an extra pillow. Sleeping with your head elevated will help alleviate that morning-after puffiness, though this may be harmful to your back. In addition, crack your window – a chill air will contribute to your appearance in the morning.
Sleeping in a stifling room will increase your eye-lid puffiness. By the way, I suggest you to develop the habit of sleeping in a well-aired room – it will help you look fresh even if your last night was quite calm.
2. Start with moisturizing
When it’s time to put your best face forward, start with a super-rich moisturizer. This isn’t the time for your oil-free formulas; your skin needs as much moisture as you can give it. Use sour cream or rosy oil to help you skin recover from the yesterday’s night.
It will saturate you skin with nutrients, minerals and vitamins. Here is one of the easiest and most effective masks to moisturize your skin in 10 minutes: 100 grams of sour cream combine with egg white and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Mix everything thoroughly and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Apply the mask to your face for 10 minutes and rinse with warm water. You have to take contrast shower and wash your hair – alcoholic intoxication is accompanied by excessive sweating. So afterwards make use of your deodorant and hair spray – the scent of flowers is much more pleasant than the smell of tobacco.
Do not forget to brush your teeth intensively. Tooth-paste with mint extract will help to dull the smell of alcohol. In such cases I also rinse my mouth cavity with any herbal tea – it helps refresh breathing very effectively. When you finish with washing and moistening you are ready to proceed to the next step.
Read more – 10 Nourishing Oils for Your Skin and Hair
3. De-puff those eyes
Puffy eyes are a dead giveaway. While you’re waiting for your moisturizer to soak in, apply cool compresses for 10 minutes. You can use green tea bags, cucumber slices, or even chilled spoons.
Just get something on those puffy bags under your eyes. Cooling gel will be also effective, especially if you message your eye lids with it. Place the thumb of your right hand on the cheek, and forefinger on the outer corner of your left eye-lid.
Now smoothly pass your hand over your eyes so that the liquid move from the outer to the inner corner and nose. Repeat the procedure with the right eye. But be very careful! The area between the eyeball and the mouth is extremely sensitive and it’s very easy to damage it.
It is also a great idea to have ice cubes with herbal water in the fridge. Eye puffiness is my inborn problem, which does not depend on the way I spent the last night. So ice cubes are my personal rescuer every morning. Mint and eucalyptus extracts will surely ease the puffiness. Try eye drops if your eyes are too red. At worst, put on sunglasses – you will definitely need them outdoors.
More: 7 Amazing Tips on How to Get Rid of Puffy Eyes
4. Use concealer carefully
Concealer is a must-have for covering up the previous night’s escapades, but there’s a right way and a wrong way to conceal. Putting too-light concealer on puffy eyes just draws attention to them. If you have a concealer with yellow undertones that works with your skin tone, this is the time to use it – the yellow will help cancel out the blue circles under your eyes. No matter which concealer you use, apply it with a light touch. Remember, you’re not trying to highlight your under-eye area; you’re trying to draw attention away from it.
Put the concealer only with warm hands, otherwise you won’t shade it in a proper way. This tip especially concerns dry skin type. If you have oily skin you’d better use a small brush. It will also prevent the spread of harmful bacteria that cause acne.
In any case, your concealer should be smooth, creamy and easily blending for a very natural effect. Do not stint in a high-quality purchase, and you will never be disappointed with the results.
Most brands offer a wide variety of light, medium and beige shades. It’s important to choose the right shade of concealer for your skin tone to get the best results.
More: 9 Must-Have Items for Your Makeup Bag
5. Use a color corrector
The right color correctors can do wonders for hangover-induced blotchiness. Green will camouflage ruddiness, and yellow will take care of that bruised look around your eyes. Even better, there are some primers that incorporate all of those colors, so you can take care of all of your skin tone problems in just one step.
Good correctors can camouflage any blemish, make your blackheads invisible and hide blood vessel.
How to use a color corrector properly
Do not put on too much green color or you risk looking like Princess Fiona. And do not try to coat your face with corrector – a little drop will be enough for even covering. The less, the better, but you can always add some. On the other hand, do not be scared by such a variety of colors.
Correctors are slightly tinted, and that tint really makes difference! For example, I mostly use yellow tones, as my skin tone is rather light. For a darker skin, you will need a more vivid tone. It’s perfect if your primer contains salicylic acid, which will help achieve less oily and more matte appearance. Be sure that your corrector is two shades lighter than your foundation. Don’t forget to dust a little bit of translucent powder on top of your corrector or primer.
More: 10 Ways to Speed Up Your Morning Beauty Routine
6. Apply blush on the apples of your cheeks
That’s right: apply blush before your foundation. Use a cream blush to give your skin some extra moisture and apply it liberally. When you smooth foundation over it, the blush will peek through, giving you a faux fresh-faced look (no matter how “unfresh” you feel!). Your blush may be of different tint, but with dark ones it is easier to overdo, and apricot tone may be too unnoticeable.
That’s why I suggest you to try pastel pink or coral blush. Remember, your blush should not stand out too much. If you have a dark skin tone, you can use light shades. Always use different brushes for different types of cosmetic items! Your brushes should be natural and always clean so that you avoid inflammation of skin blotches.
In order to breathe life back into the complexion, try also to apply some highlighter on the top of your cheek bones and chin, running down the center of your nose and a little bit on the forehead. As I don’t need any additional blush, I used to apply only a bit of highlighter. And one more secret – try to apply your make-up in a well-lit room, then you will surely escape redundant strokes.
More: 7 Best Natural Moisturizers for Your Skin
7. Apply foundation lightly
Some experts advise to skip foundation in such cases, as it can only call too much attention. But I strongly recommend you to use your richest, most moisturizing foundation, and use less than usual. Few things scream “hangover” more than caked-on makeup. Plus, a light touch lets your blush seep through for a natural, healthy look.
Do not neglect tools for applying foundation – today’s morning is not the best time to do it with your fingers. Use either a sponge or a wide brush, but bear in mind that sponge will make thicker coverage and will minimize the spread of bacteria, which is excellent for your already irritated skin.
If your foundation is too thick, try to apply BB Cream. BB creams are always multifunctional so you can gain several goals at once: prime your skin, moisturize it, make it look radiant and protect it from the UV rays. Maintain that dewy look by forgoing powder; it would just call attention to already-dehydrated skin. However, you better put the box in your bag – at noon you will surely need it, as alcohol intensifies sebaceous glands work. As for me, powder is an essential beauty product in the makeup bag.
More: 10 Sure Signs Your Makeup Routine is Too Complicated
8. Time for the eyes
Natural eye make-up will help you to look fresh, even if you overdone last night. Do not use dark eye shadows and eyeliners – they are likely to attract attention to your tired and probably red eyes. Nude eye make-up is the best option for you today. A matte eye shadow will help perk your eyes up, while glitter eye shadow can accentuate bags and puffiness.
Also, creams are much better than powders, which can look cakey on dried-out skin. Use a neutral liner, too – blues and purples can emphasize redness and call attention to under-eye circles. You will look more refreshed if you put white eyeliner on your inner rims. This trick will also make your eyes look brighter and bigger.
Finally, use a lash curler before applying mascara; it will make you look more awake. This morning try to avoid thickening and high volume mascara, instead use lighten formulas which won’t clump.
The best option here is to use a transparent eyebrow gel. It will slightly accentuate your eyelashes and your eye make-up will look more natural. Finally, pass the brush over your eyebrows to shape them. The shape of your eyebrows plays an important role in how you look.
More: 10 Easy Ways to Enhance Your Eyes
9. Time for an up-do
If you feel tempted to do nothing more strenuous with your hair than throwing it into a ponytail, you’ve actually got the right idea. Pulling your hair back will lift your facial features at a time when they really want to sag, kind of like a mini-face lift. A bun or twist will accomplish the same thing. Just don’t pull your hair too tight; that’s a sure tip-off that you’re feeling less than your best!
However, if your hair is a bit dirty, resort to the help of dry shampoo. It will take nearly 5 minutes to refresh your hair. This way, you’ll be saved from the last night’s cigarette smell. If you don’t have one, baking powder or soda will serve as a great substitute for dry shampoo. Take one tsp. of powder and add a couple of drops of any essential oil – this will only benefit to your scalp.
There are also some other ways to make you hair look good. Use headscarves, hair bands or rim to divert useless attention from your hair. Personally I know perfectly well that I will get up to wash my hair even when I’m far from well-being. But I hope these tips will help you.
10. Indulge in your favorite coffee
Not only will the caffeine alleviate your headache and help you wake up, it will also constrict abused blood vessels, making those bags under your eyes a little less obvious. Plus, it’s a way to bribe yourself into starting the day without making things worse! A dose of caffeine will improve your attention and concentration skills. However, do not go too far with it, as too much caffeine can dehydrate you further. Tea lovers can substitute coffee for green tea, though bear in mind that it contains even more caffeine.
Make sure you drink enough water during the day – half liter per hour will restore your water balance. If you don’t feel sick, make sure you eat some breakfast. Leave roast chicken sausages for tomorrow. Oatmeal porridge with yogurt will calm your irritated (sore) stomach. Tomato juice or soda water is likely to ease your life – simple sugars will renew the level of glucose, so you will feel a new burst of energy. Look at the window, close your eyes and relax. Spend a couple of minutes in complete silence – you will get attuned to a new beautiful day!
More: 8 Best Tips for Detoxing after Drinking
Barring a magic pill that will instantly cure hangovers – or enough sick days that you can skip work – all you can do is make the best of a bad situation. It’s bad enough to endure your hangover’s wrath; you don’t want everyone in the office to know how bad you feel. Fortunately, you’re in luck, because just a few beauty products and a big cup of coffee can give you the boost you need to make it through the day. What’s your best way to hide a hangover?1