Fake it…..eight hours’ sleep!

Warning: This blog post contains a picture of my NAKED eye!!

This will be the first in a series of things you can fake with make up and I’m going to make it oh-so-simple.  If you haven’t got time for eight hours of sleep, it’s likely you won’t have loads of spare time to spend on applying your make up either, so I’ve simplified it by choosing the most obvious tell tale sign when it comes to faking sleep…the eyes!  If you’ve only got two minutes before rushing out the door to work and don’t want your whole office to know you only rolled home at 4am that morning (hopefully you won’t have drunken tweeted and given the game away!) then follow these six easy steps…in my opinion, they’re even more important than foundation if ‘awake’ is the look you’re going for and the best part is, you won’t need to use any make up brushes.  But if you do find yourself with an extra minute, lob on a bit of tinted moisturiser and some vaso on the lips too.

Clear Eyes Redness Relief eye drops (or try Optrex Eyedew Dazzling eye drops)

1. Eye drops….these are my secret weapon and I always always always carry them with me.  This particular brand is my all time favourite as they don’t sting and work immediately…..covers all manner of sins!

MAC Paint Pot in Painterly

2. A nude eye base.  This is the only eye base I’ve ever used as I never had the need to try anything else because this one is amazing.  It’s actually an eyeshadow that you can apply with a blending brush like MAC’s #217 but it works so well under powder eyeshadows as a base to help prevent creasing and increase longevity.  In this case though, I just applied with my finger to neutralise any redness on my eyelids. Painterly works perfect on most skin types, but for darker skins try the Quite Natural shade.

Make Up Forever Ever Concealer Pencil No 100 (Apologies for rubbish photography!)

3. A nude/concealer pencil.  If you can’t get your hands on this one, MAC, Illamasqua and Shiseido all do their own version.  This is much less harsh and obvious than a white pencil.  Apply on the inner rim of your bottom eyelids/waterline to instantly make your eyes appear larger.  This pencil also has another end which you can use to conceal minor blemishes (I love a two in one I do).  Please check with the make up artist in store before using a pencil on your waterline that it is safe to do so.

MAC Eyebrows pencil

4. Eyebrow pencil.  I like this self-sharpening pencil, it’s really thin and the perfect consistency.  My shade is Stud which is a blackened brown, Fling is perfect for blondes.  Defining the eyebrows can really lift the whole eye area, unless you’re lucky enough to have perfectly arched and even brows then this step is really a must as it will frame your face and help you look more groomed in seconds.

Make Up Forever Lift Concealer #3

5. I’ve been using this concealer for years and love it as much as I did the first time I used it.  A tiny dab goes a long way too, so it lasts ages.  I use the #3 Natural Beige colour, but try #1 Pink Beige if you have fair skin or #5 Brown for dark skin.  It also “contains tensine, an active ingredient with skin-firming properties and vitamins A and E, which regenerate the skin” which all sounds good to me.  I find this concealer much better than the YSL’s bestseller Touche Éclat which has been known to give the reverse-panda effect, not a good look.

And finally, yep you guessed it…

Rimmel The Max Volume Flash Mascara, 003 Ultra Black

5. Last, but certainly not least…MASCARA.  Of course we all know you simply can’t look awake without lashings of the stuff.  One of my faves at the moment is this Rimmel one…does the job and is kind on your purse too.

Ok, as promised here are the before and after pictures:

I'm one of the lucky ones who gets red, puffy eyes whether I've slept or not.

A little more human, no?

So there they are, my six quick and easy steps to faking your innocence.  You should be able to complete them all in under two minutes flat….so you’ll still have time to grab a double espresso to further perk you up before stumbling across the threshold into that room for the next eight or so long hours.

Try it and let me know how you got on!