tired eyes

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Rise and Line

Truth time: I’m tired. Pretty much all the time. Combine long work hours, wedding planning, training for my first-ever 5K and a fairly severe case of insomnia, and you’ve got one tired lady. While my raging caffeine addiction keeps me functioning (most of the time), it’s damn near impossible to hide my tired eyes when they’ve only had four hours of sleep. My trusted Mineralogie Ultimate Cream Concealer can only do so much; sure, it covers dark circles like a champ, but exhausted eyes are made up of more than dark circles. On really sluggish days, my eyes just don’t twinkle the way I want them to. They look dull.

Amazingly, an impulse purchase I made while picking up cleaning supplies at my local Rite Aid last weekend has changed all that. I happened by a display of Almay Wake Up Eyeliners, a collection of double-ended eye brightening sticks. On one end is a smooth, crayon-like liner; on the other, a silky highlighter in a coordinating shade. Both are laced with energizing caffeine to wake up – you guessed it – tired eyes. It comes in three flattering combinations. I grabbed the Sapphire Diamond duo, a navy blue liner paired with a creamy white highlighter. I am so glad that I did.

The highlighter is cool and smooth and truly brightens the eyes. Dab some in the inner corners of your eyes and smudge some along the brow bone and suddenly you forget that you didn’t sleep last night. The liner is incredibly easy to apply – a subtle swipe along the upper lash line is all it takes to put the twinkle back in your eyes. Together they are a winning combination that I don’t think I can ever do without. Bonus: the duo is gentle on sensitive eyes. This is an instant favorite.

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White Lies

Confess. You’ve done it. You’ve stayed up late on a school night. You only got a few hours of shut-eye before an early day at the office. Maybe you drank too much at karaoke night. Or perhaps you were just way too into Twilight to put it down and go to bed. Either way, there’s been a time or two when you woke up looking, well, tired.

Lately I’ve been noticing how pronounced the dark circles under my eyes have become. Overly tired is certainly not a youthful look. No matter how cute an outfit may be, it is definitely overshadowed by purple smudges below bloodshot eyes. So, my mission as of late has been to find a way to look well rested.

Just a little white lie.

Turns out, the trick to this white lie is white liner. Flipping through January magazines, all the beauty looks I liked had one thing in common – bright-eyed models, sporting white liner. It is surprisingly subtle, and instantly makes eyes look brighter and more awake. I bought a cheap Wet N Wild pencil last weekend, and am now officially hooked.

To give yourself some extra help in the no-I’m-not-hungover-and-sleep-deprived department, use your white liner in conjunction with these other eye-brightening tricks, and you’ll be looking more lively in no time.

1. Curl your lashes, curl your lashes, curl your lashes. I know I say it all the time, but it makes a huge difference. Your eyes will look twice as wide, I swear.

2. Dab on some concealer. A little on the yellow side is good for under eyes, as it helps counteract the blue tones. I like L’Oreal True Match Concealer. And be careful not to apply too much – nobody wants that streaky concealer ring around their eyes.

3. Use a highlighter. A light reflecting highlighter on your cheek and brow bones brightens your complexion and makes your eyes look about 1000 times more awake. Right now I can’t get enough of Benefit High Beam. Try the travel size for $10 (available at sephora.com).