We've all had those days where we wake up feeling awful. Sometimes we are also not in a position to stay home from work, school, or other important commitments. I woke up yesterday looking this this and feeling like death. Knowing that I had to still go to work at my new job, I set out to figure out how to look awake and less deathly. Here's a step by step tutorial of what you can do to look less sickly.

Start out with your bare eye. You can see my eye has some redness/darkness from being sick. 

Step 1: Shimmery All Over Lid Color

In order to brighten up the eye to overpower the darkness, I selected Maybelline Color Tattoo in Barely Branded. 

Step 1 cont'd: Applying the color

I used my ring finger and gently blended the color all over the lid. Make sure not to tug or pull on the eye. Doing so would make your eye possibly look red and more irritated.

Step 2: Light Brown Matte Color for the Crease

For the crease, we want to select a color to contour our eye that is NOT dark. We want all of our shadow choices to brighten the eye. To do this, I have selected this light matte brown by Sleek.

Step 2 Cont'd: Selecting a Crease Brush

For the crease, I have chosen this dome shaped brush by Sigma. This brush gives me more precise control over where I place the crease color.

Step 2 Cont'd: Applying the Crease

Using the crease brush and the light matte brown shadow, we want to apply the crease color gently into the crease as shown in the above diagram. I started out with a thicker area for the crease and carefully tapered in the crease color. This helps keep the inner part of the eye the brightest and most liveliest.

Step 3: Brush for Blending

In order to blend the crease color out, you will need to select your favorite blending brush. I have chosen this blending brush by Real Techniques. The slightly pointed tip allows me to get into my deepset crease.

Taking your crease brush, you want to gently use windshield wiper motions (back and forth) to blend out the shadow. Be careful not to blend the crease downwards into the light shadow. This will make the shadow look darker, which we do not want. Our sick eyes need to look as bright as we can get 'em.

Step 4: Choosing a Color to Deepen the Outer Corner

I wanted to have a deeper brown to deepen up the outer corner of the eye. I was worried that a black would attract too much darkness to the eye, so I went with brown instead. This color is by Sleek.

Step 4 cont'd: Placing/Blending the color

For this look, I chose to keep the outer corner color at the very edge. This will help keep the eye looking more open and as bright as possible. Go ahead and gently blend out the color, ensuring that the color stays in a small area.

Step 5: Tightline and Mascara

In order to keep my eyes nice and open, I am going to tightline instead of doing winged liner. I am just using this cheap black liner from NYC. It tends to stay well and has a TINY bit of sparkle to it. Gently place (push) the liner into the base of your lashes. You can wiggle the liner to ensure it gets down in there. 

Go ahead and curl your lashes and add your favorite mascara. I went with a really light mascara to keep the eye open and light looking.

Step 5 cont'd

When you are all done, your eye should look something like this. 

Step 6: Brow Stuff

To do my brows, I am using my favorite brow product: Anastasia Brow Kit in Dark Blonde. The kit comes with a brow gel and two brow colors. I have a previous tutorial on doing my brows if you wanna see step by step how I did them.

Step 6 cont'd Brows Complete

Ignore my sick/angry face.

Step 7: Moisturize

I cannot emphasize how important this step is when you are ill. My skin felt and looked really dry and dull from coughing and being somewhat dehydrated. I chose a heavier moisturizer by Lancome. I chose a heavier moisturizer to make my skin look more dewy and luminous. 

Step 7: Apply the Moisturizer

Taking the moisturizer into your hands, gently work it into your skin. I like to start at the middle part of my face (i.e. nose, cheeks, and mouth) and work outwards. I also did little patting motions to help work the product in. Be sure to give the moisturizer several minutes to soak into the skin.

Step 8: Choose your Primer

Since I was feeling ill and blah, I wanted to use a more luxurious primer, so I reached for my Hourglass Mineral Veil. This primer makes my skin feel baby smooth. I use about 3/4 of a pump. If I push the pump all the way down, I end up with too much product. 

Step 8 cont'd: Prime your face

Once I pump the primer onto the back of my hand, I scoop up the primer into my 2 fingers from each hand. I gently rub my fingers together and begin working from the middle of my face onto the out. I spend the most time working the primer into my nose since my pores are the largest there. Be sure to give the primer several minutes to soak into the skin before moving onto your foundation.

Step 9: Selecting your foundation and Tools

For my foundation, I am choosing my Mac Prolong Wear in NC15. I like this foundation because it lasts all day. This is beneficial since I was sneezing and coughing my little heart out yesterday. The foundation around my nose held up all day.

Step 9 cont'd: Applying the Foundation

I like to just put dots or strips of foundation all over my face before I start working it in. I find this helps me use less product. I pump out the Mac Prolong Wear foundation directly onto my Angled Kabuki F84 brush by Sigma. I then dab the foundation onto my face as seen above. Once I have my little spots on, I work from the middle of my face and use downward strokes near my mouth to blend the foundation in. I use downward strokes to ensure that any little baby mustache hairs will lay flat and not be emphasized by the foundation. On my cheeks, I use circular buffing motions with the F84 brush to blend the product into my skin. I also use downward strokes near my eyebrows and forehead to ensure the hairs lay flat.

Step 9 cont'd: Foundation Complete

When you are all done, your skin should look evened out but not heavy. Use the smallest amount of foundation to get the hiding the redness job done. Remember that foundation is to even out skintone, NOT to cover everything up. 

Step 10: Concealer!

Concealer is really important when you have the sick under eye bags going on. Since my under eyes are emphasized from being sick, I am using a full coverage concealer. I chose my MUFE Full Cover Concealer.

Step 10 cont'd: Applying the Concealer

When applying your undereye concealer, You want to make sure you are applying it in a triangular shape as shown above. This will help to blend the darkness into your skin, rather than to settle into it and emphasize it. I also run the concealer up the side of my nose towards my brow to make sure there isn't any darkness in there.

Step 10 cont'd: Blend in the Concealer

I use my ring finger and GENTLY blend the concealer in. You DO NOT want to tug or pull at all. Make sure you are being as gentle as possible. Patting motions can be really helpful in blending the concealer in.

Step 11: Choosing a Setting Powder

To set my makeup and more specifically my concealer, I am going to select Mac's Blotting Powder. I like this powder because it is not cakey and it leaves a nice finish onto the skin. It does a good job of holding my oil at bay.

Step 11 cont'd: Selecting a powder brush

For my powder, I am using this fat powder brush by Sephora. I selected this brush because it feels really soft. Having a soft brush on your face when you feel ill is such a great feeling.

Step 11 cont'd: Setting the makeup

To set my makeup, I swirled the brush into the blotting powder and gently brushed it underneath my eyes and around my T zone. I left my cheeks bare to leave some shine in my otherwise lifeless face.

Step 12: Select a contour

For my contour, I am using Too Faced Chocolate Soleil. I like this matte contour color because it blends out very easily and smells like chocolate! It is best to use a matte color for your contour. 

Step 12 cont'd: Select a contour brush

You will need to select whatever brush you prefer to use for your contour. I love this one by Sephora, so I will be using it. I like to use contour brushes that are small and somewhat flat. This really helps get right under the cheek bones to give the best shadow effect.

Step 12 cont'd: Contour that face

There are a lot of contouring videos out there that show how to contour all different parts of your face. I keep my contouring pretty basic, so I will tell you what I do. 

To contour my cheeks, I am going to make this ridiculous fishy face to expose the hollow area under my cheek bones. Once I have found that hollow spot, I am going to swirl my contour brush into Too Faced Chocolate Soleil and place the brush in a diagonal line from the top of my ear. I swipe the color back and forth in the dotted area shown. It can also be helpful to blend in little tiny circular motions. I also blend somewhat upwards to help my blusher blend into my contour color. Do NOT blend downwards as it will make your face look muddy!

I also contour my forehead where the dots are shown. I follow the same swipe/blend pattern in that area.

Step 12 cont'd: Contour Complete

When you are done, your cheek contour should look something like this.

Step 13: Select a Blusher

Since my face looks dead and colorless (other than redness), I am going to select a bolder blush than normal. This will really help bring color back into the face. I am using this hot pink blusher by Sleek.

Step 13 cont'd: Select a blusher brush

Since I am dealing with a very bright and pigmented blusher, I am going to use this duo fiber brush by Sigma. This brush picks up significantly less product, which will give me more control over how much blusher is laid down.

Step 13 cont'd: Applying the blusher

There are a lot of different ways to apply blusher and different areas to apply it at on the cheek. I like to create an angular shape that mimics the shape of my contour. I find this look to be the most flattering for my face shape. I begin by using the Duo Fiber brush to pick up a small amount of the blusher. I apply the blusher in gentle, small circular motions starting in the middle of the dotted area shown. I start in the middle, so that I do not end up with a pile of unblendable pink blusher on the apples of my cheeks. I use the circular motions to blend the blusher back towards my ear and slightly forward into a rounded shape near the apples of my cheeks. Take your time blending your blusher!

Step 14: Selecting a highlighter

Since my face has lost all luminosity from my illness, I am going to select a very shimmery highlighter to bring that luminosity back. My favorite highlighter for this occasion is Soft and Gentle, a Mineralized Skin Finish by MAC. 

Step 14 cont'd: Selecting a highlighter brush

I like to use this somewhat flat, domed shaped brush to apply my highlighter. I simply use the flat side (rather than the end of the brush) and rub it around on the highlighter. 

Step 14 cont'd: Applying the highlighter

Once I have the highlighter onto the flat side of my brush, I am going to apply it in the dotted area shown above. To blend the highlighter, I use the tip of the brush to run it along where I placed the highlighter in a back and forth motion. 

Step 15: Selecting/Applying a lipstick

Since I have been coughing and sneezing uncontrollably, I wanted to pick a lipstick that would hold up really well throughout the day and wouldn't dry my lips out anymore than they already were. For this task, I selected Twig by Mac. The color is a my lips but slightly darker color on me. This color really helps bring more color into my face, so it was the perfect choice. Take your time applying the color. 

Here's the finished look. Nobody asked me at work if I was sick! I also got numerous compliments on how "pretty" I looked. Not bad for having a burning sensation in my chest/throat all day. 

Here's an upclose photo of the closed eye for you to see.

As always, be sure to let me know what you think down below!