Sick Day Makeup

I have been sick-ish since last Friday with a stupid sinus thing. That said, I look like hell because being sick generally does that to you as does the whole sinus-pressure-induced headaches and face pain. Oh, and waking up in the middle of the night, too. All awesome stuff. I’m finally pulling out of it, thankfully.

Fortunately, I haven’t had to look as rough as I’ve felt and sounded. Even though I don’t always execute this philosophy, I am of the opinion that the days upon which we want to bother with makeup the least are often the days when we can benefit from it the most. Being sick – not enough to debilitate you, just enough to make you uncomfortable and annoy you – is no exception, especially if you aren’t able to stay home for the duration of your illness.

Also, I want to be clear that I’m not suggesting that anyone do these things or wear sick day makeup, but since I had to go to work I prefer to look a little more lively; feeling out of it is an impact to productivity enough without a dozen people stopping you throughout the day asking if you’re okay, tired, sick, etc. I prefer not to entertain those questions, so sick day makeup it is. If I didn’t have to work, you can be sure that I would’ve been bare faced.

What the sick day makeup needs to correct: pale, dull skin; drier-than-usual skin, dark eye circles, redness around nose area. Woo. Despite what you’ll often hear and see, simpler is far better when you’re feeling sluggish.

Sick Day Makeup - Keep it SimpleSick Day Makeup

Though I already have a pretty simple routine, if I’m feeling out of it I want to simplify as much as possible. I want my sick day makeup to have as few steps as it reasonably can without sacrificing results because chances are I wanted to get out of bed on time even less that day than a regular day. I need to add some life back to my face if I need to be around people – which I did since I was unable to take any days off.

A full-sized tube of the Ponds Luminous finish BB+ cream recently joined my arsenal because I wanted a lighter coverage than my foundation gives me for day to day. My skin is not (typically) crazy and I don’t need photography-ready makeup daily. It was perfect timing: I bought it a few days before getting sick and have put it to good use this week. While Ponds BB+ is not a true BB, it is moisturizing, has SPF, and blends easily with fingertips or a beautyblender. You needn’t worry about creating a flawless canvas while applying your sick day makeup. Just look alive. This does that, and gives your face a lively luminosity without looking too dewy. If you’re oily, though, you may want to keep powder on you.

Concealer is a staple that remains in my sick day makeup routine. Don’t get crazy with the under-eye highlights; just conceal any darkness you have, blend with a ring-finger, done. Realistically, depending on how your skin is, you could opt for this or the base (be it BB cream, tinted moisturizer, etc. My circles, however, were dark).

People really underestimate the difference blush can make when it comes to bringing life back to a face whether you’re navigating sick day makeup or just have a medium or fuller coverage foundation. If you tend to pick up too much product, tap the brush off first. Alternatively, you can just tap two fingers to the pan and gently pat those fingers on your cheeks, blend, done.

As eyes go, we aren’t sculpting masterpieces today (unless you have time and it makes you feel better); you don’t want to draw a ton of attention TO your eye area. If you’re feeling lazy you can apply with a finger, but I personally prefer a brush for all things eyeshadow, even when it is lazy-mode sick day makeup. This past week I’ve been using Hustle a lot from the Urban Decay Naked Palette – I would caution away completely matte shadows (they are sometimes unforgiving) unless those shadows are close to your skin color, and I would caution away from hyper-shimmery shades.

Slap on a coat of mascara after curling your lashes. Use whatever you like and have at hand – this is just what I have and like. A single coat of mascara will make you look more awake and alert (regardless of how you actually feel). That’s it; my sick day makeup is done.

Do you have a sick day makeup routine, or do you just say, “Screw it,” and don’t bother? Or do you find the application process therapeutic in that it helps you prepare for your day, however grueling it may be?