Eyebags for Days
Sure, makeup can brighten your complexion, define your features, and help you appear more refreshed, but if you're not careful with how you apply your products, certain techniques can turn your face into a disaster. From the wrong blush placement to too-dark eye makeup and even the specific formulas you choose, bad choices can make fatigue look all the more noticeable. If you don't want people questioning if you've gotten enough sleep recently (or if you're somehow mad at them), make sure you don't make these common makeup mistakes.
1. Skipping Moisturizer Before Applying Makeup
Foundation has a harder time looking smooth and fresh when it's applied over dehydrated skin. Flaky patches and uneven texture can become more obvious once complexion products settle over them, which may leave your skin looking dull rather than polished. Give moisturizer a little time to absorb before starting your makeup so your base has a smoother surface to sit on.
2. Wearing Concealer That's Too Light
Concealer that's noticeably too pale or too dark can draw attention to the exact area you're trying to brighten. An overly light formula may look gray or stark, while a shade that's too deep may not do enough to soften visible darkness. For a natural result, look for a concealer close to your skin tone or only slightly lighter, with an undertone that helps neutralize the discoloration you're covering.
3. Applying Too Much Powder Under the Eyes
Setting concealer with a heavy layer of powder can emphasize fine lines, dryness, and texture that weren't especially noticeable beforehand. The under-eye area has thinner skin than many other parts of the face, so excess powder can quickly make it appear dry and less fresh. Use a small amount of finely milled powder only where you actually need extra staying power rather than heavily coating the entire area.
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4. Using Very Dark Eyeliner Around the Entire Eye
Thick, dark liner surrounding both the upper and lower lash lines can make your eyes appear smaller and more closed off. This is especially noticeable when the liner extends heavily across the lower waterline, where it can reduce the amount of visible brightness around the eyes. If you love dark liner, keeping most of the definition along the upper lashes usually creates a more open appearance.
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5. Wearing Makeup That's Too Monotone
Using nearly the same muted tone across your eyes, cheeks, and lips can sometimes leave the face without enough visible definition. When every feature blends together, you may lose some of the contrast that helps the eyes and complexion look fresh. Small variations in color and definition around the brows, lashes, cheeks, and lips can create a more lively finish without making your makeup dramatic.
6. Choosing Matte Foundation
An extremely flat matte finish can sometimes make dry skin look even less lively, especially when the product settles around textured areas. This doesn't mean matte foundation is inherently unflattering, but formulas that remove virtually all visible dimension can make your complexion appear less fresh. If your skin tends to look dull, a natural, satin, or softly radiant finish may give you a more rested appearance.
7. Neglecting Your Brows
Brows help frame your eyes, so sparse or poorly defined areas can leave the upper part of your face looking less than polished. You don't need to create sharply sculpted brows (not unless you want to recreate the 2016 makeup look), but completely skipping them when they're naturally uneven can reduce some of the definition that makes the eye area stand out. Lightly filling gaps and brushing the hairs into place can create a cleaner, more lifted result.
8. Using Too Many Gray or Ashy Tones
Cool, gray-leaning makeup can look sophisticated, but the wrong shades may drain warmth from your complexion and make existing dullness more apparent. This can happen with eyeshadow, contour, blush, or even lipstick when the undertones don't work well with your coloring. If an ashy shade makes your face look washed out, choosing something slightly warmer or more neutral can restore some visible color.
9. Placing Blush Too Low on the Cheeks
Applying blush well below the apples of the cheeks can make the center of the face appear visually lower. While placement depends on face shape and personal preference, concentrating color too close to the jawline rarely creates the freshest effect. Bringing blush slightly higher across the cheek area can help emphasize the upper part of your face and keep the overall look more energized.
10. Wearing Heavy Makeup on Every Feature at Once
A dramatic eye, strong contour, dense foundation, bold brows, and intense lip color can all work individually, but combining every element at maximum intensity can overwhelm your features. When there's no lighter area for balance, your face may look heavier rather than refreshed. Choosing one or two stronger elements and softening the rest often creates a cleaner result while still letting you wear plenty of makeup.
Of course, avoiding techniques that emphasize fatigue is only half of the equation. If you want to look more awake, make sure you follow these next 10 tips instead.
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1. Curling Your Lashes Before Applying Mascara
Lashes that point upward expose more of the visible eye area and can immediately make your eyes look more open. A lash curler is especially helpful if your natural lashes grow straight or angle slightly downward. Follow with mascara concentrated near the roots and through the upper lashes so the lifted shape remains noticeable.
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2. Adding a Light Shade to the Inner Corners
A small amount of light eyeshadow around the inner corners can brighten an area where natural shadows often develop. You don't necessarily need a highly reflective highlight, since a soft satin, subtle shimmer, or light matte shade can work just as well. Keep the placement controlled so the effect looks intentional rather than spreading bright product across the surrounding skin.
3. Using a Nude Pencil Along the Lower Waterline
A beige or skin-toned eye pencil can make the lower waterline appear brighter without creating the stark contrast that a bright white pencil sometimes produces. This technique is particularly useful when your eyes look red, shadowed, or smaller than usual. Choose a shade that complements your complexion so it blends naturally into the overall eye look.
4. Applying Blush Higher on the Face
Positioning blush slightly higher on the cheeks can bring color closer to the eye area and give the complexion a fresher finish. Start around the upper cheek and blend outward rather than concentrating most of the pigment close to the mouth. The exact placement can vary with your face shape, but keeping the color lifted generally creates a better overall effect.
5. Choosing a Creamy Concealer Formula
A flexible concealer can cover discoloration without making the delicate under-eye area look overly dry or heavily coated. Creamy formulas often move more naturally with the skin, particularly when they're applied in thin layers rather than built up all at once. Focus the product where darkness is strongest instead of automatically covering the entire space beneath each eye.
6. Adding Strategic Luminosity to the Complexion
A little luminosity on the high points of the face can keep your complexion from appearing flat, particularly after you've applied foundation and powder. Products with a natural sheen can be placed on areas such as the tops of the cheekbones while leaving textured or oily areas more restrained. The goal isn't an intensely reflective finish, but enough dimension to make the skin look fresh and balanced.
7. Keeping the Lower Lash Line Soft
You can still define your lower lashes without surrounding them with a heavy band of dark color. Try a softer brown, taupe, or another medium-toned shade applied close to the lash roots, then blend away any harsh edges. This maintains definition while allowing the brighter areas of the eyes to remain visible.
8. Using Mascara to Emphasize the Outer and Center Lashes
Thoughtful mascara placement can change how open your eyes appear even if you don't wear much other eye makeup. Adding a little extra product through the center and outer upper lashes helps emphasize their length while keeping the lash line defined. Comb through any clumps as you work so the lashes stay separated rather than becoming visually heavy.
9. Adding Some Color to Your Lips
When you're tired, your natural lip color may appear less noticeable, which can make the whole complexion seem more washed out. A tinted balm, soft lipstick, or comfortable gloss can restore definition without requiring a bold shade. Colors that work naturally with your skin tone can make the face look more finished while keeping the makeup easy and relaxed.
10. Grooming Your Brows Upward
Brushing brow hairs upward and slightly outward can give the eye area more visible structure without requiring a heavily filled-in brow. A clear or tinted brow gel can hold the hairs in position while adding definition where needed. Keep the shape natural and use pencil only on sparse sections so your brows frame your eyes without becoming the dominant feature.
