HOW TO FAKE LOOKING AWAKE

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It's festive season and between Christmas parties and New Year's Eve, I'm not always getting my usual 8 hours around this time of year, so what better moment to share the skincare and makeup that makes me look alive when I'm a little bit worse for wear...?

- SKINCARE - 

I like to start off the morning after the night before with a really good cleanse and one of my favourites is the Fresh Soy Face Cleanser* | £30 | full review. This has a really nice texture; it's essentially a non-foaming jelly with refreshing, hydrating ingredients like soy proteins and cucumber extract. It not only softens, hydrates and lifts dirt and oils, but (if you didn't do the best job of removing your makeup the night before), it's great for removing traces of makeup. I like to follow this up with the Pixi Rose Glow Mist* | £16 | full review. This is a blend of flower oils in a duo-phase mist that's incredibly moisturising and just gives the perfect dewy finish to the skin. Ideal for when your complexion is looking a bit lacklustre!

After using a mist, I like to go in with a humectant to draw that moisture into the layers of my skin and leave things soft, plump and hydrated. One of my absolute favourites for this is the Good Molecules Hyaluronic Acid Serum* | $6 | full review. I love the texture of this lightweight watery HA serum and it does an amazing job of breathing life back into my skin if it's a bit dry and dull. If there's a product that can just quench your skin's thirst, it's the Herbivore Pink Cloud Moisture Cream | £42 | full review. This water-based moisturiser melts into my skin, refreshing and hydrating my complexion, as well as giving it a nice dewy glow. I finish off my skincare routine with an eye treatment which is a great lightweight option to hydrate and reduce puffiness: the Inkey List Caffeine Serum | £8.99 | full review.

- MAKEUP - 

For another dose of hydration and dewiness, the Fenty Pro Filt'r Hydrating Primer | £24 | is perfect. It's very lightweight and non-greasy, absorbing beautifully and ensuring my base goes on smoothly without clinging to dry patches. I then follow this up with a lovely light, oil-free base; the ColourPop Pretty Fresh Tinted Moisturiser (Shade Medium 12) | £14 | full review. This really meshes with the skin but evens out its tone to give it a more flawless look. Basically, it's your skin but better! It's long-wearing, doesn't get shiny on me throughout the day and makes my skin look more alive without me having to layer on the coverage. To brighten up and hydrate my under-eye area, I like the Too Faced Born This Way Super Coverage Multi-Use Sculpting Concealer (Golden Beige) | £25 | full review. This is that rare combination of full coverage that's not heavy or cakey and a formula with quite a hydrating effect on the skin.

In terms of colour products and eye makeup; when I want a fresh-faced look, I keep things simple and carry on the dewy theme! I reach a lot for my Kosas Colour + Light Creme in Tropic Equinox* | £32 | full review. This duo has a lovely emollient texture that really blends in with the skin and looks very natural. The highlighter is a pearly tone to just bring some light to the high points of the face and the blusher adds a flush of natural, warm colour to the cheeks. For lips; I like to keep it glossy and simple with the Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment in Spice | £19.50. I love how nourishing this formula is and these lip balms come off more pigmented than you might expect from this sort of product. Spice is a warm reddish-brown colour that's very natural on my skin tone. The Nudestix Magnetic Eye Colour Pencil in Copper Foil | £20 | is a quick and easy (just swipe on then dab it in to blend), long-wearing eyeshadow option. The warm gold shimmer also helps to open the eyes up. To finish things off I like to run the Milk Makeup Kush Fibre Brow Gel in Grind | £15 | through my brows. This is a great one-stop-shop for your brows; it's tinted (I wear a black-brown colour) and adds volume without being clumpy, as well as gentle hold. Perfect for days when you want to get out of the door with minimal fuss! Then finally, my go-to mascara for a fresh makeup look is the Glossier Lash Slick Mascara | £14 | full review. This is more of a lengthening formula, so it's pretty natural and it really opens up the eyes. What I love about this mascara is that it doesn't flake or smudge throughout the day, so I don't need to worry about panda eyes!

What are your go-to products and techniques for looking more awake when you're feeling worse for wear?

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