Sick-day makeup: how to look your best when you're feeling your worst
When you’re feeling sick, the best thing you can do for yourself is stay in bed under the covers, preferably with a hot cup of tea and a favorite book or a movie.
But sometimes you don’t have that luxury of being able to stay home and need to leave the house. If you don’t feel the need to wear makeup, that’s awesome! But if you’re anything like me, you like to give yourself a little “pick me up” by giving your tired skin a little glow, while still keeping things to a minimum. Here are a few ways to look your best even when you’re feeling at your worst.
Keep your skin moisturized
When you’re dealing with a cold, you’re dealing with more than just sniffles, sneezing and a cough. You’ll also have to care for skin that tends to feel dry and rough especially if you’re planning on wearing light makeup. The skin around your nose also tends to get very dry when you’re sick because of constant use of tissues. For an easy fix, try applying a very thin layer of Vaseline around your nose to hydrate your skin and prevent it skin from getting irritated before applying your moisturizer.
Use cream products
This is another important step to prevent dry and scaly skin. If your skin feels a bit oily, you can use a little setting powder or try blotting papers instead. Sticking to a few products is the way to go, especially if you’re feeling under the weather. A light moisturizing base, some concealer and a cream blush is all you’ll need. Speaking of bases…
Stick to light formulas
Forget heavy foundations. If you have great skin and don’t feel the need to wear a base, that’s great. Instead, you can use a bit of a brightening product like MAC’s Strobe Cream - just mix a little bit with your moisturizer and use it on top of your SPF lotion. It won’t add any coverage, but it will give you a nice, healthy glow.
If you’d like a little extra coverage, go for a BB cream or a tinted moisturizer. It’s just enough to cover up any redness and even out your skin tone. If you have any breakouts or discoloration, don’t worry about them. I know from my own experience that when you’re not feeling well and your skin is feeling dry, the more you try to cover those little imperfections, the worst they end up looking, so try to avoid caking on multiple products onto your face.
One of my favorite lightweight makeup products is Guerlain’s Meteorites Baby Glow Light-Reflecting Makeup. Even though it’s a foundation, it feels more like a tinted moisturizer because it’s very light and makes my skin look nice and healthy, without looking unnatural or feeling heavy.
Related: MAC Strobe Cream review and Meteorites Baby Glow review
Forget lipstick
It’s just going to wear off every time you cough into tissue or when you sip on your tea. Skip the lipstick and use your favorite tinted lip balm instead.
Mascara
When you’re feeling under the weather, it’s usually best to stick to water-proof formulas. Skip anything that feels very heavy and opt for a mascara that gives a minimal and natural look.
Wash your hair
It doesn’t matter if you’re going to put your hair up in a bun, make sure your hair is nice and fresh and you will feel more refreshed. As much as I love dry shampoo, I love freshly washed hair even more and whether I’m having a bad skin day, or I’m simply battling a cold, I always make sure that my hair is clean. It just always makes me feel so much better even when I know that my nose is a little red, or my skin feels dry.
Wearing make up when you’re sick is by no means a necessity (we’d all rather be make up-free and in bed) but if you simply have to attend an important meeting or go to work, these tips may add a healthy glow to your skin,
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