Fake it ’til you make it, right? Pretend you aren’t a milk zombie who slept zero hours with these expert makeup tips.
1. Latme Ice Roller
Photo: Latme
After a splash of water, Toronto-based makeup artist Sheri Stroh always starts her morning with a quick pass of an ice roller. Like a lint roller for a swollen complexion, this inexpensive tool can bring down puffiness, but more importantly, “It wakes you up and the process feels amazing,” says Stroh, who usually applies the roller for five to 10 minutes while scrolling her phone or watching the news. You could even use it one-handed while nursing or pumping. $18, amazon.ca
2. Saie Glowy Super Gel Lightweight Dewy Highlighter
Photo: Saie
One item Stroh always keeps in her bag is a cream highlighter. “It doesn’t matter how tired you are, this will instantly make you look like you’ve had a facial,” she says. Dab it on your cheekbones, down the nose (skip the tip), on your eyelids and over your dark circles (to bounce light and minimize the shadows). The highlighter can be applied to bare skin, under foundation and tinted moisturizer, or over makeup. It blends easily, never looks like a cheesy Instagram filter and adds a few hours of sleep to your complexion. $33, sephora.ca
3. Tower28 SunnyDays SPF 30 Tinted Sunscreen Foundation
Photo: Tower28
To breathe life into exhausted skin, a tinted moisturizer or foundation like the new Tower28 SunnyDays SPF 30 Tinted Sunscreen Foundation gets two things done at once: You’ll even out your complexion while warding off future damage like age spots and fine lines. Just be sure to pick the right shade. “If you go lighter, it always looks like a mask,” says Stroh. Going a touch darker might mean you don’t need any extra bronzer or colour on the cheeks. $38, revolve.com
4. Hynt Beauty Duet Perfecting Concealer
Photo: Hynt
Once you’ve applied your tinted sunscreen foundation, if you still need a dab of concealer, apply a small dot under the eye in the inner corner, and blend it outward in the crescent area—but stop before you hit the fine lines. $32, thedetoxmarket.ca
5. Beautycounter Cheeky Clean Cream Blush
Photo: Beautycounter
A lot of people overcompensate and add too much blush when they’re trying to liven up their face,” says Stroh. To keep it subtle, stick to cream-based products and dab a little bit of the colour on the higher parts of your cheekbones using your fingers, making sure not to bring it too far into the centre of your face. For a flush that screams “I slept better than Beyoncé,” try the fragrance-free, jojoba-laced Beautycounter Cheeky Clean Cream Blush. $50, beautycounter.com
