At Penn it’s easy to feel as if midterm season is perpetually upon us. However, now that the semester is truly in full swing, I thought it was time for a few tips and tricks for pulling off an all-nighter (or something close to it) without looking like it in the morning.
Many beauty specialists, from professional stylists to youtube beauty gurus, embrace the same number one beauty tip— a good night’s sleep. But sometimes, as we all know, this is just not realistic (especially those of us maintaining a beauty regime at Penn). So, here I present to you some realistic beauty tips for when a decent night sleep is simply out of the question.
Rise and Shine
As tempting as it is to sleep until the last possible minute, be strong and resist! Wake up ten minutes early and you will be more awake when it comes to focusing in class or on your exam. A shower is strongly encouraged to wake you up, but this can be tough after little to no sleep. Washing your face with a refreshing splash of water will do the trick, waking up you and your skin.
Throw on a wake-up playlist and do a few simple stretches; no yoga experience need— here’s a few ideas.
Makeup
There are countless elaborate tutorials online for covering up dark circles, but I typically do not have the time nor energy to pursue such a feat when I need it most. Therefore, I recommend adding my simplified (but equally effective) version of such a tutorial to your everyday routine for those especially sleep-deprived days.
Begin by paying special attention to your under eye area, starting with a liquid under eye concealer. I used e.l.f.’s Under Eye Conceal & Highlighter. This product actually does not combine the concealer and highlight serums. This step uses only the concealer; the highlight will be used later. Tap it on with your finger then gently blend it in with either a blending sponge or your pinky. Let it stay dewy, then use a large brush to gently conceal using a mineral powder foundation (I use Neutrogena’s SkinClearing mineral powder in Classic Ivory 10). The dewy concealer will help the powder to settle without looking chalky.
A subtle contour is a personal favorite of mine, but if you’re not into this, just use some highlight! A little bit of highlighter (I used a liquid one by e.l.f. as previously mentioned) will do the trick. Dab a little bit as shown in the photo— forehead, nose, chin, and the upper-most angles of the cheekbones.
Keep eye makeup simple with natural tones, but again, don’t skip the highlights. A glow on the inner corners of your eyes and brow bones will go a long way to help you look awake.
A final touch is a bold lip of your choice. This serves to take the focus off of tired eyes and direct it towards the playful (and flirty) lip. When the look is complete, you won’t look worn out, but rather glowing and elegant.
Wrap it up
Now it’s time to let dry-shampoo and coffee prove themselves as a college student’s best friends. Lastly, a bagel and the promise of a nap will get you through the day. Now you can strut into that recitation to hand in the paper you were up all night writing, and no one will be the wiser!
-Dara Hofman