How to: Brighten Your Eyes & Look More Awake!

I'm a college student which often entails staying up late studying and getting up early for classes. In the morning, I often don't want to bother with a full face of makeup. I like to just do a few quick things to make me look awake and alive after a long night. A huge difference maker is the steps I will outline down below. I love using these quick steps (they take less than 5 minutes) to instantly look more awake.

Step 1: Inner Corner Highlight!

Benefit's What's Up is one of my favorite highlighters for really opening up my eyes. It's a stick-form cream highlighter in a champagne shade. I like to pop this in the inner corner of my eyes to instantly brighten them. It makes a huge difference. You can use any highlight shade you want or have on hand though!

Step 2: Line Waterline with a Nude Liner!

This is my all time favorite nude liner for the waterline. It's the Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Kajal in Nude. Placing a light shade of liner in the waterline brightens and opens your eyes, making you look wide awake and well-rested. It also makes your eyes look bigger. This particular Rimmel liner is super inexpensive at the drugstore and it stays in place all day.

Step 3: Curl Lashes + Mascara

 Curling your lashes and adding a few coats of mascara will open your eyes up even more. It also defines your eyes! These are 2 of my favorites mascaras of the moment: L'Oreal Telescopic Shocking Extensions Mascara in blackest black & Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes. The L'Oreal is more of a lengthening/separating mascara while the Tarte is more volumizing mascara.

Step 4: Use a Highlighting Concealer under Eyes + Set with a Brightening Powder

Cover up any darkness under your eyes with a highlighting concealer. This step definitely combats tired-looking eyes. My favorite all-time is the Yves Saint Laurent TOUCHE ECALT concealer, but it is quite pricey. A good drugstore option is the L'Oreal MAGICLUMI Concealer/Correcter. I pat either one of these under my eyes using my ring finger until it's well-blended. Then to set that, I LOVE using this Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder. It brightens your under eye beautifully and is seriously one of my favorite products.


These steps are super quick & easy. Combined, these steps take me less than 5 minutes and they make such a difference. This routine makes me appear so much more awake and alive and well-rested. Hope this helps!

xoxo,
Paige