8 Quick Makeup Tips for Women

8 Quick Makeup Tips for When You're Short on Sleep

Yes, you should clock eight hours of shut-eye a night, but sometimes life gets in the way. Here's how to look well rested even when you're not.

Start your Day with Vitamin C

After you wake up, squeeze half a lemon into a cup of hot water and sip it on an empty stomach. "Vitamin C helps reduce inflammation throughout the body, including the skin," explains Joshua Zeichner, M.D., the director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. The result: Your complexion looks better.

Wash with Peppermint

Use your knuckles to gently massage face wash into your skin in a circular motion to increase blood flow and reduce puffiness, advises Renée Rouleau, a celebrity aesthetician and FITNESS advisory board member. Look for formulas that contain peppermint, which dilates blood vessels to give skin a healthy flush. We like Renée Rouleau Luxe Mint Cleansing Gel (reneerouleau.com).

De-Puff Your Eyes

This DIY de-puffing combo feels almost as amazing as sitting at the spa with cucumbers on your eyelids. Store Peter Thomas Roth Cucumber De-Tox De-Puffing Eye-Cubes (for six, sephora.com) in the freezer; when you need them, place the gel pods in the provided pouch and trace it along your brow bone and under your eyes. The pods contain cucumber, green tea and caffeine to help deflate bags, smooth fine lines and soothe sensitive skin. Seal the deal with an eye cream that has a cooling stainless steel–tipped applicator. Try one of these to solve your top peeper problem:

Wrinkles: Benefit Puff Off! (benefitcosmetics.com) has light-diffusing pink particles to "iron out" fine lines.

Redness: Physicians Formula Super CC Color Correction + Care CC Blurring Eye Cream SPF 30 (drugstores) packs green-tinted pearl pigments to tone down the red.

Raccoon eyes: First Aid Beauty Eye Duty Triple Remedy (sephora.com) brightens dark circles with licorice root and caffeine.

Customize Your Cover-Up

New and improved concealers won't settle in fine lines, offer antiaging benefits to treat skin, and give you as much—or as little—coverage as you want.

Sheer: Look for a brush applicator for a soft-focused finish. Try Jouer Luminizing Liquid Highlighter (jouercosmetics.com).

Medium: Choose a wand to distribute a natural-looking yet decent dose of coverage. Try Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer (sephora.com).

Full: Crayons conceal even the darkest circles—as well as your latest night—and won't budge. Try Pixi by Petra Undercover Crayon (target.com).

Bypass Bold Eye Makeup

Reach for white eyeliner instead, which will extend and brighten the whites of your eyes when you wear it on your bottom inner rim. We like Sonia Kashuk Dramatically Brightening Kajal (target.com). Next, brush a few coats of mascara on your top lashes only. Leaving the bottom ones bare will draw attention upward, giving your lids a lifted look. Try Origins GinZing Brightening Mascara (origins.com), whose blue and black pearl pigments make eyes appear more vibrant.

Add Pops of Pink

Flip your head upside down for five seconds to rev up your circulation and get a rosy glow, Rouleau says. Add a pop of blush to the apples of your cheeks. Pink shades complement fair skin tones, and coral looks striking on medium and dark tones. Try Bobbi Brown Brightening Brick in Pastel Pink and Coral ($46 each, bobbibrowncosmetics.com).

Meet in the Middle

Nude lip color will wash you out, while red requires too much precision to apply when you're feeling groggy. Your go-to shade: juicy peach, which will perk up your face. Pick your stick:

Balm: Clarins Instant Light Lip Balm Perfector in Coral (clarins.com)

Gloss: Revlon Ultra HD Lip Lacquer in Sunstone (drugstores)

Lipstick: Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Hydrating Sheer Lipshine in Désinvolte (chanel.com)

Take A Whiff

Awaken your senses with a zesty fragrance. Choose one with invigorating citrus notes, including bergamot, mandarin and lemon. For an added pick-me-up (and to prolong the life of perfume), stash it in the fridge. It will feel ultra-refreshing when you spritz it on. Get a whiff of this: Touch Beauty Eau de Parfum in Bianca (tocca.com).