Give your I've-been-up-coughing-all-night-and-it-shows eyes the wake-up call they need. Place a cold water-soaked washcloth over your eyes for at least a minute to reduce bags and refresh the area. Then use Kiehl's Eye Alert, $22, says Jennifer Campain, professional makeup artist and beauty expert from Lehigh Valley, Pa. This product contains caffeine, which constricts blood vessels and temporarily reduces any puffiness for a more awake look.
To help your efforts while you sleep, Baldwin recommends making sure that you snooze with your head propped up. "When you lay flat, fluid collects under your eyes, which increases bags and puffiness," she says. This may also help with congestion and allow you to breathe easier.
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Engage in Some Lip Service
A pop of lip color can brighten your appearance. Instead of using a lipstick, slick on a lip gloss, which will not only add moisture to dry lips but offer a fresher, more light-reflecting surface. Campain recommends that you reach for a gentle pink shade, like MAC Tinted LipGlass in Florabundance, $15.
Baldwin agrees that gloss is the way to go and adds that she likes to fill in sick clients' lips with a nude lip pencil before applying. "You're bound to need to reapply your gloss often when you're sick, since you're hopefully drinking a lot of fluids. With a pencil base, you'll at least have some color left behind if you're caught before reapplication," she says. Try LORAC Lip Pencil in Nude, $16.
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Select Shadow Wisely
Reaching for your regular makeup go-tos may not help your case. Eyeshadow colors in the red/purple family will only make red, irritated eyes look worse, and shades that are more brilliant than your own eye color will make you look more tired, says Campain.
Looking paler than you thought possible? It's time for some creative use of cosmetics -- and bronzer needs to be your new BFF.
Baldwin recommends sweeping the bronzer on your cheekbones and forehead (stay away from your nose if it's already red) for a warm, sun-kissed glow. Try NARS Bronzing Powder in Laguna, $33.
Then, top with a blush. Campain likes cream versions, which she says will give you a more dewy, revitalized appearance than a powder. Dab a clean makeup sponge with just a little blush, then apply it to the apples of your cheeks. "Your goal should be to look like you just played a game of tennis," she says. "Stay away from plum colors and select something closer to the peachy-pink family."
Her favorite option is surprisingly affordable: Graftobian Cr�me Rouge in Warm Blush, $5. If you're not familiar with it, Graftobian is a makeup company most well known in the theatre set, but the products work great off-stage as well.
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Beat Bed Head
Sure, a few minutes steaming in the shower could help clear your sinuses -- but spending that time with your precious pillow is pretty enticing, too. To get a little extra rest without leaving home looking like a grease ball, quickly revive your hair by spraying it with a light coat of dry shampoo, such as TreSemme Fresh Start, $6. Or whip up a two-minute updo: Gather hair at the nape of the neck, then twist once while lifting upward. Secure the base with a hair clamp, like Goody Easy Style Claw Hair Clips, $4 for two. Let the hair fall down over the clip, then secure it with bobby pins.
As a kid, trying to look less sick would have been a seriously dumb idea. One glimpse of your red nose, watery eyes, and pale skin and mom would insist that you stay home watching cartoons in your jammies. Score!
And while a day spent on the couch attending to a full DVR probably sounds pretty great now, too, odds are your busy calendar means you can't take sick days. When the sniffles hit and you can't stay home, the only thing worse than feeling crummy is mustering up the effort to drag yourself out of bed and out the door only to hear the inevitable "you look awful." Um, right -- and that comment is supposed to make me feel better?
Whether you're headed to an all-eyes-on-you presentation at work, a date that's too late to break, or you simply would rather not hit the streets looking like an extra on "The Walking Dead," our tips on how to look healthy even when you're sick will help you become a master of disguise. Some may even help you feel a little more like yourself again, too.
