Even celebs and models experience bad beauty days. They just feel blah, and look it too: puffy skin, deep eye bags, sallow complexion.
Bad beauty days can be triggered by hormonal fluctuations (like during your period), stress and long nights, or just a really horrible experience (try looking beautiful when you’ve spent the whole night crying after a fight with your boyfriend). But never fear—these beauty tricks will help you look better!
Load up on fluids
Your skin can look old and sallow when you’re dehydrated, which can happen a lot when you’ve had too much to drink. Keep drinking water to restore your body’s fluids. And, temporarily plump up the skin with a moisturizer.
Skip the heavy makeup
You may feel like overdoing the makeup, but the trick is to do the reverse. Let your skin breathe. Just use tinted moisturizer and add a little concealer (spot apply with a brush or pinky, and then blend carefully before setting with powder). Add blush—especially if you’re looking pale—and even add a little moisturizer over it to make it look dewy and fresh. A simple sheer gloss in pink will also make you look younger and more relaxed. Finish with two coats of mascara to open up the eye area.
Channel Audrey Hepburn
Wear large, stylish eyeglasses, especially if you’re down in the dumps. Your eyes will reflect your mood, and no amount of eyeliner will hide the fact that you’re feeling blah. Retreat behind the eye glasses so you can excude not misery, but mystery.
Wear your favorite perfume
Scent is a powerful mood lifter. Try something citrusy, which will lift your energy levels, or a vertivert scent for something relaxing and soothing.
Wear red
Red is the color of power and energy. Avoid black and brown, which color psychologists say add to a sense of somberness and seriousness, and can also make your skin look even more sallow. If you’re not in the mood to wear red (which can attract attention) try a soft pastel, in a shade that brings out the color of your eyes or the flush in your cheeks. (Read tips on how to use these color principles in your cubicle.)
Wear heels
Heels automatically improve your posture, so at least you won’t walk around with your shoulders hunched in self-defeat. If you’re not comfortable in stilettos, try a fashionable wedge or a pair of boots. While you’re at it, hum this song as you walk: ‘These boots are made for walking / and that’s what I’m going to do / one of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you.’ Perfect for a bad day, huh?
Photo from radiosophie.radio.com