No-one at the office needs to know you tied one on last night; here are a few tips to successfully conceal the Bacchanalian rampage you went on last night.
If you’re compos mentis when you get home, you can repair a lot of the damage even before you go to bed: drink as much water as you can; take painkillers; swallow multivitamins containing vitamins A, B1,B6, C and D, and potassium, magnesium and calcium supplements. Most importantly, don’t forget to remove your makeup! There’s nothing that’ll make you feel worse than waking up with your eyes caked in black, and causing swollen eyes. Your skin will be thirsty, so slather your face with a night cream too. Elevate your head by sleeping on an extra pillow; it’ll help to prevent fluid accumulating and will minimize a puffy face in the morning.
First thing in the morning, drink some more water; as much as you can. Start by sipping it slowly, to avoid that feeling of nausea and wanting to vomit. Take more multivitamins and supplements.
For the puffy red eyes, apply cold tea bags or slices of cucumber for 10 minutes, then put some eye drops in your eyes.
Have a full shower or bath, and wash your hair; you want to be fresh for work, not smelling of the pub or party from the night before. Dress snappily, even though you may not feel it; you need to fake it till you can feel it.
Making up your face is the most important facet of concealing last night’s merriment. We need to even out the skin tone and create a luminous look. Use a moisturizer that contains light-reflecting particles. Add concealer to the outer corner of the eyelids and the inner corner of the eyes to downplay any redness. A color corrector with a yellow undertone will hide blue undertones, and one with a green undertone will help out with redness. A peach or pink-based concealer will also help brighten up the area around the eye. Line your bottom lids with a white pencil; this will brighten them up too. For the eye shadow, avoid purple, plum and grey shades. Use neutral tones such as browns and beiges. Blend the shadows with care. Curl your lashes before you apply your mascara; this ensures your eyes have that wide-awake look.
Apply a bright shade of lipstick; this will ensure that attention is drawn to your mouth and away from your eyes, and will make your lips pop.
Use a light liquid foundation, as you want to avoid that caked look; don’t use powder, as your skin will be dry, and powder will only highlight the creases. Finish off with blusher on your cheekbones to complete a luminescent look.
Pay attention to your breath; just brushing your teeth won’t clear that lingering alcohol breath. After brushing, rinse with mouthwash. Pay attention to it throughout the day. Chew some parsley, which is great for getting rid of oral odors. Chew on mints or gum throughout the work day, and supplement with a mouth spray.
At the office, drink bottles of a power drink or a sports drink, such as Lucozade or Powerade. These contain electrolytes, and will rehydrate you faster than plain water. You’ll be feeling perkier as the day goes on.
Work slowly and methodically, and try to keep your head down as much as you can; look busy. Of course, the key here is to not mention to anyone at the office that you’re hung over. If someone says you look tired, simply say that you didn’t sleep well last night. Don’t let a hangover endanger your climb up the corporate ladder.
