It’s not a great feeling to wake up to when you’re having a hangover — the pounding headache, dry eyes, and overwhelming tiredness just make you want to plop right back onto your bed and burrow under the covers. Unfortunately, you can’t just ignore the rest of your responsibilities just because you’re dealing with the horrible aftereffects of a late round of drinks with your pals.
If you’re struggling with a hangover on a weekday and need to get yourself ready and refreshed for work early in the morning, you’ll need to pull out the big guns to hide those puffy eyes and flushed skin. And by that, we mean your trusty makeup products! While makeup won’t be able to get rid of that headache that’s hammering away on your skull, it can mask the telltale signs of the hangover on your face.
Here’s a list of the makeup routine you should be doing the next morning before you head out the door.
Skip Your Heavyweight Foundation
While your first instinct might be to reach for your most full-coverage foundation to instantly hide your red complexion, this is not a good idea as foundation will just accentuate the dryness of your skin. Yes, even if you have moisturised your face thoroughly beforehand, the heavy texture of your foundation will still have a harder time blending seamlessly into your skin. It will end up sitting on your skin throughout the day, making your skin look cakey.
If you feel like your skin needs the coverage, opt for something more lightweight such as a tinted moisturiser, BB cream or CC cream. These products will apply onto your skin more seamlessly, giving you a more natural finish. Plus, besides being lightweight, these alternatives to foundation tend to be more hydrating so you won’t feel like your skin is being suffocated.
To add even more luminosity to the skin, you can mix one or two drops of liquid highlighter into your lightweight base product. This will provide your skin with a lit-from-within glow, thus giving you a more rejuvenated appearance.
Conceal Your Dark Circles
Dark circles are a given when you’re hungover, and while there are certain techniques you can do to reduce their appearance, getting rid of them completely is impossible. This is where concealer comes in. To really make yourself look refreshed as if you’ve just had your best sleep ever (even though you only managed to clock in two hours of snoozes), use a cream concealer to hide your dark circles.
If your undereye area is looking more discoloured than usual, apply a colour corrector beforehand to neutralise that area. If you have a colour corrector palette, even better! You can use the different shades in the palette to target different kinds of discolouration so your dark circles will be properly concealed. You can even use this palette for other areas of your face with an uneven skin tone. Use the beige shade to neutralise blue hues in dark circles and green to cancel out any redness on your skin. If you don’t have a colour corrector palette, it might be wise for you to add it to your shopping list so you can conceal your skin like an expert on your next hungover day.
If you have any blemishes on your skin, go ahead and conceal those up too if you wish. Use the spot concealing technique to prevent the layers of product on your face from getting too thick. Simply use a tiny pointed brush and, holding the brush nearer towards the end, gently apply the concealer only onto the blemish. Blend the concealer out using a feathering motion and then pat it in with your finger.
Contour the Swollen Areas of Your Face
The hydrating face masks you’ve applied the night before and the morning after can only do so much to take down the puffiness of your face. To trick the eye into thinking your face hasn’t swelled up like a red balloon from the excessive amounts of alcohol, it’s time to do some clever contouring.
But, for this step, don’t reach for your regular bronzer or powder contouring product. Since your pores and skin, in general, will be dry, a powder product will only emphasise those dry areas, making them look flaky and patchy. Instead, opt for a cream concealer that is a shade darker than the natural tone of your skin. Choose a concealer that comes with a wand too, rather than one that is packaged in a tube or jar.
Once you’ve gotten your concealer, suck in your cheeks and dot the concealer on the hollows your cheeks, the sides of your nose bridge, as well as along your hairline. Use a medium-sized buffing brush to blend all the concealer in with the rest of your makeup. This will result in subtle, natural-looking shadows, thereby giving you a sharper appearance.
Watch out for part two of this series where we’ll give you more tips on hiding your hangover with makeup.