How to Look Like You Don't Have a Hangover In 8 Steps

It's just that kind of day sometimes. You have an important meeting that you're already late for, but you look like you’re ready to audition for the Walking Dead instead after having one too many drinks the night before. Now, I'm not here to judge anybody for getting shitfaced in the middle of the week. We've all made the same decision before. Now, curing a hangover from the inside can be pretty fucking difficult. But it helps out so much when you only feel like death, and not look like it too. Sometimes, it's just too much to ask for both.

With the right products and these eight simple steps, you can counteract the tiredness plastered across your face and reveal an inner glow that you don’t even have when you're at your healthiest.

Prepping your skin is one of the most crucial steps here. Do it right, and you'll convince your Wednesday night drinking buddies that alcohol actually nourishes your skin. And it leaves everyone else thinking that you drink holy water on a daily basis.

People say you should drink tons of water after a night of drinking because alcohol sucks the moisture out of your body. But if you forgot this super basic advice, then one thing you can do is apply moisturizer on your face until you start to look like a human—instead of a raisin—before you apply your makeup. Or you could use a face mist if you don't have that much energy. Pixi’s Glow Mist contains a layer of Propolis and Argan Oil that you can shake up and simply spray on your skin if you have a more oily skin type.

Next, you need to grab your BECCA Aqua Luminous Perfecting Foundation if you have it—and you should. This foundation is definitely not for the faint of heart. It's hands down the most dewy foundation I’ve ever come across, but it doesn’t flare up your pores and blemishes. You can even skip the moisturizer or face mist in step one if you don't have time, and just use this foundation for an instant, beautiful glow. Seriously, it’s like a $1,000 USD facial in a bottle.

So now you may have this beautiful glowing complexion, but if you don’t conceal those dark bags under your eyes, then it's still a dead giveaway that you were downing your sixth drink when everyone else was home in bed with Netflix.

If you have a medium to light skin tone, Maybelline’s Fit Me Concealer in the shade "25 Medium" can conceal and correct the darkness under your eyes because of its slightly peachy undertones. It also has a natural, dewy finish that pairs perfectly with the BECCA foundation, or whatever other glowy foundation you use.

At this point, you're about as moisturized as you're going to get. But you also may be thinking that you look a bit like an oil slick. So there's no other choice but applying some setting powder. At the same time, setting your face may undo the hard work you have done with that expensive, but magical foundation.

This is what Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder was made for. This particular compact powder is unlike any other. It's impossible to look "cakey" with this powder, no matter how much you apply. That's because it gives your skin a matte look and lets some glow still shine through. None of this will make any sense until you try it—so just try it already. You need to apply this powder with a small brush, and spot target where you don’t want any shine, like the sides of your nose and under your eyes.

Skipping the highlighter is a sin. Just ask Jaclyn Hill.

What we want here is to create a healthy, glowing complexion, not an overwhelming streak of powdery highlight on the skin. Glossier’s Haloscope will do the trick. It creates a flattering wet-looking sheen instead of a banging "Instagram makeup" type of highlight. Just apply straight from the bullet, or warm it up in your hands and blend.

In Japan, blush is the product to use after a night of binge drinking. To achieve that Igari makeup look—otherwise known as hangover makeup—Japanese women like to apply an intense, cool-ish pink color on their whole cheek area, and even across their nose. It’s pretty intense.

Now, this look isn't for everyone, so instead we’re just taking inspiration from this by using that natural flush color, but taking it down a notch with Glossier’s Cloud Paint in "Puff". This product blends so seamlessly on the skin so you can look as fresh as peonies on top of that misery.

Applying a product on your eyes isn’t all that necessary, but applying a bright, shimmery champagne color on the inner corner of the eyes really makes you look… awake. Apply some Tom Ford’s Cream Color For Eyes in "Spice" or whatever other bronzy eyeshadow cream you like to use in order to achieve this. This will make people think that you put more effort on your eyes than sticking a finger in a pot and swiping cream across your eyelids. Then curl your lashes a few times to really get sell that, "I'M SOBER AND READY FOR LIFE" look.

Apply a peachy colored lipstick to add a final touch of freshness, and you’re all set! I like Rosé All Day’s newly formulated lipstick in "Code Nude," which can also be used on your cheeks if you’re into color-coordinating your face. Boom. Now nobody will even think that you had so much as a sip of vodka the night before. And maybe next time, you can go get weekday plastered in Seoul where they have hangover-curing ice cream too. That way you'll feel as good as you look after these steps.