Sick Day Makeup Tips!

Ugh, it’s that time of year. We’re all getting sick. Apparently, here in the south we have the plague. Just about everyone down here has gotten sick with a virus. You either get the stomach stuff or the sinus/respiratory. I got sick last week and I’m just now feeling decent after a trip to urgent care, steroid shot and meds.

Unfortunately, even though all you want to do is stay in bed and Netflix, it isn’t always possible. You may feel like death but here’s some tricks on how not to look it at least, and a few other things I discovered that made me feel better.

The first thing I do when I know I have to adult even though I feel like crap is making a cup of green tea and honey. The honey is great for a sore throat and the warmth of the tea is soothing and helps open up your sinuses. Not to mention green tea is super good for you being full of antioxidants.

The next thing that really came in handy was this oil diffuser from Nature’s Bounty. We received this as a late Christmas present from my Mother-in-law. I used a few drops of Eucalyptus oil in it and it really helped open my nose up so I could breathe better at night. This little guy is my best friend.

Next up, Hand Sanitizer. Especially if you’re going to be public and in contact with other. I keep some in my bag and work-space.

Another thing I do is sterilize all my makeup that I use while I am sick with alcohol. I keep some in a spray bottle to spray my palettes and give my brushes an extra good cleaning with antibacterial brush cleanser. These are of course normal practices of an MUA, sick or not but for those who aren’t makeup artists, I thought I’d include it. I can do a more thorough post on how to keep everything clean in the future. Let me know below if you’re interested.

When I’m sick my skin goes insane. It breaks out and gets super dry from all the nose wiping. My nose was so raw, dry and red this week, as well as my chin and mouth area. It was so bad. Super duper moisturizer was a must for me.

Mitchell and Peach Flora no.1 Fine Radiance Face Oil and Origins High Potency Night – A – Mins Mineral Rich Renewal Cream

I used a radiance oil and a night cream on my face during the day before I did my makeup even. I don’t find the Origins Night Protection cream to be terribly heavy and my skin was so dry it did fine. At night I used a moisturizer from Cetaphil all around my trouble areas. A good moisturizer will do you wonders if you’re skin is yucky and raw.

Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm

Not only was my skin raw and dry, my lips were super chapped. I alternated these lips balm from Jack Black and a DIY Lip Balm made by my BFF. I kinda think the DIY one worked better really. Not to mention the Jack Black one smells and tastes like Jagermeister. WTF? The last thing I want to taste when I feel sick, despite being my favorite big girl drank. (I have an inner frat boy)

Now, let’s get into the actual makeup application. Bout time eh?

Maybelline Master Prime By Face Studio in Blur + Redness Control

Since my skin was so red and irritated I opted for a color correcting primer. I used the Maybelline Master Prime Blur + Redness Control. This isn’t my favorite primer but I figured I needed the help with the redness more than anything.  A green tinted primer is great to have on hand for days when your skin needs a little extra help with redness control. I believe Clinique makes a nice one. A green primer is also great of you to have rosacea. The effect is very subtle but it’s something and I needed all the help I could get.

Another, issue we tend to have when we’re skin is our skin looking dull on top of everything else. I remedy this with a bit of liquid illuminator on the high points of my face before I apply my foundation or bb cream.

For a foundation, I chose a lightweight radiant one and applied just enough to even my skin tone out and spot concealed with a cream concealer.

Now for the dark circles. Phew. This isn’t a problem I typically have so I experimented with a few products to find what worked best for me on this occasion because they were quite bad. 

I used a tiny bit of a correcter with a slight salmon undertone to cancel out the bluish tones, just where I needed it.  I could have stopped there but I have a problem… LOL.

I used a combination of the Revlon Photoready Eye Primer + Brightener and the NYX HD Concealer in a triangle formation under my eyes and in all my usual areas I would do some highlighting with concealer. I’m really digging these two products together on the reg. The brightening pen helps to bring light and illumination around the eye, I mainly focus it on the inner and outer corners and not apply too much because that can, in turn, draw attention to puffiness so be careful with the placement and amount. 

I didn’t use this product on the day I took the pictures for this post but I wanted to include it anyway because I did use it on other days I had to look alive. It’s a cream blush in a stick form essentially. I find it to give a very healthy flush to the cheeks that looks extremely natural. Being a cream product it also lends itself nicely to a radiant complexion. I love it for days when my skin feels dull and would be a great option on days like this rather than a traditional blush.

I used a color correcting radiant finishing powder to lightly set my face and under my eyes. Just to avoid creasing. I don’t find this powder by NYX to be over the top radiant, it’s a decent setting powder especially if you’re needing so help to even out skin tone. I didn’t use much because I went in with some other powder products later and didn’t want to get too powdery considering how dry my skin was.

Okay, now I’m going to jump back to eye makeup since we got the concealing done for a minute before we finish up the skin.

For the eyes, I opted for something natural, clean, bright with contoured. Not color, just a neutral shading to give depth. I used a warm brown from the Makeup Revolution Affirmation Palette in the crease and blended it upward just to enhance my eye shape. Super quick and easy, On the lid and brow bone, I used the matte white shade and the satin white shade on the inner corner, blended onto the lid. I repeated the same on the lower lash line, using the warm brown to just contour the eye and give it shape and the satin white on the inner portion to open the eye and brighten.

I wanted to keep the eye open looking and alert as our eyes tend to feel heavy when we’re sick. I know was pretty cloudy feeling and drowsy feeling most the time.

I chose to use a light flesh toned pencil on the inner rim to help further open the eye and hid any irritation and redness from being sick. My eyes tend to be quite watery when I’m sick and the inner rim gets red.

Finishing the eye with a good lash curl and a black brown waterproof mascara because of the watery eyes. I also chose the black brown shade so it wouldn’t look as harsh.

Maybelline Lash Sensational Full Fan Effect Review

Now back to the skin for some finishing touches.

I did some light contouring and highlighting with the Tarte Tartiest Contour Palette to bring some shape to my face. Mainly just highlighting around the eyes with a combination of the two highlight shades. 

Tarteist Contour Palette Review and Demo

I finished the skin off with The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit. Using Iridescent Light as my highlighter, and Luminous Bronze Light to bring some warmth back to my face and Luminous Flush for my blush.

 

I chose to get with a warm pink lip. Something about this shade just makes me feel healthy.

And here’s the finished look. Trying not to look as bad as I felt. Normally when I’m sick wouldn’t go do quite as much but I had to go to an event that evening.

I want to take a moment to offer my condolences and love to my biggest supporter and my chosen Aunt Sandy on her loss. I love you and if you need anything you know where to find me.
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Bee Beautiful. Bee You.