How to Fake Looking Awake After Midterms: An Eighth Week Guide

Last week was no cake walk. If you can relate, you were probably up until 4 am writing that final paragraph, cramming for that midterm, and maybe even thinking in your sleepless state, “Hey, if I stay up 2 more hours I’ll go to cardio kickboxing!” Cue collapsing on your bed.

Midterms are tough—especially on your skin. Which is why during the brief calm before the storm (aka finals), its nice to take care of it. Here is the 8th week post-midterm guide to taking care of your skin and looking more awake.

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Wanna Spoon?

Coffee and endless nights are the perfect recipe for dark, puffy eyes. The solution? Frozen spoons. Not only is this trick free, its incredibly effective. All you have to do is put two spoons in the freezer, or if there is no freezer in the vicinity, in the snow, for 15 minutes and apply with light pressure to your eyes. Voila! Depuffed.

Pass the Oatmeal

Oatmeal makes for an energizing and comforting breakfast, but it can also make for a cheap and revitalizing face mask. Oatmeal exfoliates and has anti-inflammatory properties, making it great for dull, tired, and sensitive skin. Add some honey for its antibacterial and antioxidant properties and you’ve got yourself a simple, refreshing face mask.

1. Make a serving of oatmeal as directed with water or milk for added vitamins.
2. Mix in a teaspoon of honey.
3. Apply to your face for 10 minutes and rinse with cool water to close up pores and leave your skin feeling awake and refreshed. Done!

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Stay Hydrated

Sleepless nights mean dry skin and lips, especially when it’s below freezing out. Don’t forget to moisturize at night with a thick cream if you have normal to dry skin, or a lighter moisturizer if you have oily skin. If your lips are especially dry, use a homemade lip scrub mixture of 2 parts sugar and 1 part olive oil, or brush them with a toothbrush. Then, seal the deal with lip balm.

Aveeno Positively Radiant Intensive Night Cream, $17.84, Ulta.

Nivea Lip Butter Vanilla and Macadamia Kiss, $2.99, Ulta.

Skip the Foundation

When your skin looks tired and you have a few zits, it seems logical to grab foundation, right? Not really. Go easy. Too much foundation on tired skin looks more mask-like than natural. Use a concealer or BB cream only in red areas. If you really want oomph, add an illuminator on the cheekbones and inner corner of the eyes—it’ll fake that “I glow from the inside” look.

Revlon Photoready Skinlights, $13.99. Ulta.

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Curl, Curl, Curl

If you have no time in the morning, or let’s face it, keep hitting the snooze button, curl your eyelashes. This is my number one trick to instantly look more awake. By clamping down at the base of the lashes for a few seconds, the eyes will reflect more light and therefore look instantly larger and brighter. If you have one more minute, apply a waterproof mascara to hold the curl and elongate the lashes.

Japonesque Eyelash Curler, $21, Ulta.

L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black Waterproof Mascara, $7.99, Ulta.

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