There’s something going around—and maybe you have the symptoms. Have your cheeks lost color? Is your complexion pallid or, rather, green? Are your lips so pale that they blend in with your skin? Can you bag groceries with your under eyes? If so, you may be a sufferer of Sickly Resting Face—a seasonal syndrome that is commonly defined as a having a cadaverous visage due either to lack of light during the winter or the visible after-effects of the flu (and the mandatory weekend spent indoors that comes with it).
I myself discovered that I was suffering from Sickly Resting Face about three weeks ago, after my colleagues began routinely asking if I “was okay” throughout the day. When I looked in the mirror, I could see why—I looked horrible. My eyes were bloodshot (making me appear exhausted), my eyeliner ran (adding a nimbus of darkness under my lashes), and my complexion was void of any color.
To get the lowdown on how to look healthy again, I speed-dialed makeup artist Wendy Rowe in search of a few tips for inoculating the skin and giving it back a fresh dose of color. After all, there’s nothing worse than being sick of looking sick. Here are Rowe’s suggestions for the six products that will restore your skin in no time.
Photo: Courtesy of Burberry1/6“When you are sick, your skin is quite sallow and flat. Burberry Nude Radiance foundation has a slight tint to it, a sun-kissed feel that will warm the complexion and give you some highlights, which makes you look healthier.”
Burberry Nude Radiance No.01 $48; burberry.com
Photo: Courtesy of NARS Cosmetics2/6"I’d avoid an eye pencil that [smudges]. You’ll need a special one that doesn’t bleed if you use it along your waterline. If you feel that black counteracts with the darkness around your eye, then you can use a brown shade that isn’t as solid and heavy.”
Nars Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner in Via De’Martelli, $24; narscosmetics.com
Photo: Courtesy of Shu Uemura3/6“Curling your eyelashes will make a massive difference. Even if you are a bit run-down, it picks you up and opens your eyes. Always follow with a waterproof mascara.”
Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler, $20; shuuemura-usa.com
Photo: Courtesy of Nordstrom4/6“There are a range of eye brighteners, but ones with slightly orangey undertones—like Burberry No. 3 concealer—will counteract the blue of dark circles and brighten up the area.”
Burberry Sheer Luminous Concealer #3, $40; nordstrom.com
Photo: Courtesy of Shiseido5/6“When you’re ill, the skin looks dead and your lips can go quite pale and lifeless. You really need to put back color in, but it has to be natural.”
Shiseido Perfect Rouge Lipstick in Pink Mesa, $25; shiseido.com
Photo: Courtesy of drugstore.com6/6“These eye drops clear any redness from your eyes. At first, they go red and then really white within seconds.”
Rohto Redness Relief Eye Drops in Ice, $7; drugstore.com
