Beauty on sick days

Seeing how many of my colleagues and I are suffering from the cold, I’m sure some of you out there are down with it too. As much as we’d want to huddle in bed, sick leaves are precious commodities, and sometimes there’s just too much happening at the office to take a day off. Sound familiar? (But of course, if you have a fever, file that SL!) It’s easy to let an annoying cold get the best of us and go into work with watery eyes and flushed skin. Take some steps to counter the effects and you’ll be glad you did.

1. Pick a satin budge-proof foundation. I have combination skin, and my cheeks and jaw get that much drier when I have a cold. My skin was patching so badly when I reached for a matte foundation. Maybelline Dream Satin foundation worked better for me; no patching from dryness, and much less of the product came off on my tissues too each time I blew my nose.

2. Brighten up your eyes, which are a dead

giveaway when you’re under the weather. Use a brightening concealer or corrector, then use a little smudge-proof eyeliner and mascara to fake looking more awake than you feel. MAC’s basic black pencil eyeliner and Maybelline Great Lash mascara both held up well even when my eyes would sometimes water.

3. Skip the blush. Skin is already splotchy around the nose and usually on the cheeks as well, so no need to call more attention to the area by adding extra color there.

4. Opt for a moisturizing, soft matte lipstick, if you want or have to wear lip

color to work. I tried using a tinted lip balm, which relieved my dry lips, but my tissues again kept wiping off the product. NYX Soft Matte lip cream stayed put without further drying the lips, as did Flormar matte lipstick. 5. Lastly, stay hydrated. This is one of the best things you can do to prevent skin from getting dry, so drink up even when you’re not thirsty.