Lisa Eldridge’s Make-Up Tricks For Looking Instantly Fresher
Nail Your Skin Prep
Skin prep is everything. Make-up always looks best when the skin underneath feels comfortable, hydrated and plump. If I’m looking particularly tired or puffy, I love applying something cold around the eyes – I keep eye patches and masks in the fridge for exactly that reason. I’m also a big believer in facial massage; even a few minutes can really help enliven a tired-looking face. The key is not to overload the skin. You want it beautifully hydrated and settled before you start applying make-up.
Apply Your Concealer Strategically
Really look at what you’re trying to correct. Dark circles aren’t necessarily one uniform colour or shape. I like to work very precisely, correcting the darkest shadows and building coverage only where it’s needed. If there’s a lot of blue or purple, I’ll use a warmer, peachier tone to neutralise that first. I always want the result to look like skin, rather than like a layer of concealer. Fine lines are completely natural and the eye area moves constantly, so you want something very lightweight and flexible. It’s actually one of the reasons I was so particular when developing my new Luminist Concealer. I wanted something that moved with the skin and stayed looking fresh, juicy and luminous rather than becoming dry, cakey or settling into fine lines.
Perfect Your Blush Placement
Blush is one of the quickest ways to make a tired face look fresher and more alive. For a subtle lifting effect, I like to start slightly beyond the centre of the cheek rather than too close to the nose, then buff the colour upwards along the cheekbone. But I always adapt placement to the individual face. There isn’t one blush placement that suits everyone. Sometimes a tiny amount swept across the bridge of the nose can also give that lovely, naturally enlivened look, as though you’ve just come in from a walk.
Open Up Your Eyes
Even if I only have five minutes to do my make-up, I always make time to curl my lashes and apply mascara because it makes such a difference to the face. I like to get mascara right into the roots of the lashes rather than loading the ends, which gives definition without weighing them down.
Add Soft, Subtle Depth
Another good little trick for opening up your eyes is to create soft depth through the socket. Look straight ahead into the mirror with your brows completely relaxed and gently sculpt the socket with a slightly deeper shade. You can pull that shadow very subtly outwards at the outer corner, which gives the eye a beautiful lift without needing an obvious wing.
Create Lift With A Fresh Brow
I never like a brow to look too solid or heavily drawn because it can immediately make the whole eye area feel heavier. Brush the hairs upwards first so you can see the natural shape, then fill only where you genuinely need it using very fine, hair-like strokes. I tend to concentrate definition through the arch and towards the tail, while keeping the front of the brow softer. A beautifully groomed, slightly lifted brow can subtly open up the whole face.
Don’t Forget To Neutralise Redness
When we think about signs of tiredness we tend to think immediately about dark circles, but when you’re tired you can often have redness around the nose, eyelids, inner corners of the eyes and sometimes around the mouth. Neutralising those tiny areas with a very small amount of concealer can make the entire complexion suddenly look clearer and more rested without needing to add more foundation.
Add Light Where It Naturally Falls
I love using tiny, almost random points of light rather than applying highlighter in a very uniform way. If you look at classical portrait paintings, the luminosity of the face is often created with tiny touches of light. I’ll do the same with make-up – perhaps a little on the cheekbone, a tiny amount above the brow, at the inner corner of the eye or a touch on the nose. When it’s irregular and subtle, it mimics the way light naturally catches the face and can make tired skin look incredibly fresh.
Remember Less Is More
When we feel tired, the instinct is often to add more foundation, more concealer, more powder and more eye make-up, but that can have the opposite effect and make the face look heavier. I prefer to identify the few things that are making someone look tired, perhaps darkness beneath the eyes, a little redness and lack of colour in the cheeks, and address those very specifically. Keep the skin looking like skin, add some strategic brightness and colour, curl the lashes and stop there. Freshness comes from lightness, not layers.
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