Good morning! It is time to get up for class again, and the effects of sleep deprivation are starting to show. Fortunately, there is a way to mask it with minimal make-up, and it only takes about five minutes.
Kelly King, a make-up artist at the International Mall location of Sephora, recommended the following products for this quick and easy look: concealer, eye primer, an eyelash curler, mascara, cheek tint or blush and lip gloss or lip tint. If you find that you have a few extra minutes to spare, you can also apply foundation for a more matte look, and liquid eyeliner to accentuate your eyes and make them look larger. These steps, though, aren’t necessary.
Concealers combat dark circles by hiding that unattractive blue-ish tinge and brightening the tender skin under the eye area. They also cover up zits and redness that often appears around the corners of the nose and mouth. The concealer I’m using in this tutorial is Sephora’s Make Up For Ever HD Invisible Cover Concealer in #355 Honey, which is available at Sephora for $28.
With the combined power of eye primer, an eyelash curler and mascara, eyes instantly look bigger and more alert no matter how many hours of sleep you got the night before. The eye primer I used for this look, Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Greed, costs $19 at Sephora and has a creamy texture with a shimmery golden color.
This particular primer is ideal due to its rich, thick color, which both makes it appear a lot like eyeshadow as well as complements all skin tones.
Also, the shimmer creates an illusion of higher eyebrows by reflecting light when the primer is applied to the brow bones. Eyelash curlers and mascara help awaken those tired eyes by curling the lashes so that your eyes appear bigger. Any mascara will work, but I recommend mascara that amplifies the volume and length of eyelashes such as Maybelline Volum’ Express: The Falsies, $6 at drugstores.
Blush can rid the dull appearance of sleep-deprived skin by enhancing the cheekbones and giving cheeks a pop of color. For this DIY tutorial, I used M.A.C.’s A Little Bit of Sunshine mineralized blush, $22 at Mac Cosmetics. The brush I used was M.A.C’s 168 Large Angled Contour brush, $35 at Mac Cosmetics. A useful product King recommended was Benetint, $29 at Sephora. It doubles up as a lip and cheek tint so it’s not only a money saver, but also a time saver. When choosing either a blush or a cheek tint, be sure that it contains pigments that match your skin tone for a more natural look.
With these handy tips and tricks safely stored away in your make-up pouch, you’ll be able to catch up on those Zzz’s and still easily freshen up your face in 5 minutes or less. But just to save a little more time, be sure to keep your make-up and tools in one place so you know where to get it when you need it.
Step-by-Step:
1. Apply a moisturizer and sunscreen to your face. Never skip applying sunscreen to your skin. Even if you don’t burn easily, the UV rays from the sun can do extensive damage to the DNA in your skin cells, which can either cause skin cancer or early signs of aging.
2. Apply concealer to these key parts of your face to help brighten them up: under the eyes, around the corners of the nose and mouth as well as over any blemishes. If you use your finger to blend in your concealer be sure to use your ring finger, as it applies the least amount of pressure. Applying too much pressure, especially to the thin skin around the eye area, can cause premature wrinkles. A handy trick I use to conceal my dark circles completely is to tilt your head down while applying concealer around the under eye area. This makes it easier to find your dark circles. Finish up by concealing any blemishes.
3. It is time to add color to your cheeks. If you decide to use blush, be sure to smile! Smiling exposes the apples of your cheeks, and this is where the color appears the most concentrated. Be sure to swipe the blush with a brush all the way up to your temples, so that the color defines the outline of your cheekbones, giving the illusion that they are higher. For cheek tint, apply one dab to your cheek and three dabs along the ridge of your cheekbone. Gently blend in the color with your fingertips in a circular motion.
4. Now we have to wake up those tired eyes. First, add eye primer by dabbing it gently onto your eyelids and your brow bones. Now blend away using your ring finger, and be sure to blend a little into the corners of your eyes for that additional highlight.
5. Next, curl your eyelashes. A trick I use to curl my lashes completely is to start at the base of my lashes and squeeze the curler gently for about 5 seconds. Then, I release the curler and squeeze the middle part of my lashes and hold it for another 5 seconds. And finally, I’ll release the curler again and curl the very tips of my lashes. Lastly, add mascara. Wiggling the wand helps to evenly coat the mascara and prevents clumps while lengthening the lashes at the same time.
6. The last step is to finish up your lips. Moisturize your lips with lip balm, and add a swipe of your favorite lip gloss or lip tint.
Tara Temkar can be reached at taratemkar.minaret@gmail.com.
Hey Tara,
I used to know you in Zama when you were little. It’s surprising to see this attached to your name. You have a lot of potential to be a great writer. You have been lucky to also have good genes. Why don’t you transfer schools, go to a reputable journalism program and work hard on your potential for it to materialize into something with more substance.
I think a DIY column is a great addition to The Minaret, however I am dissapointed to see another beauty how-to. Maybe you could feature something relatable to both sexes, and something more benificial to students than beauty routines.