11 Ways To Look Like You Got A Great Night’s Sleep (When You Haven’t)!

Get some ideas from our list to look bright-eyed even if you didn't get proper sleep.

Reviewed by Tiara Mckenzie, Cosmetologist
Written by Jyotsana Rao

Fact-checked by Himanshi Mahajan, Certified Health & Nutrition Life Coach • Nov 15, 2023

11 Ways To Look Like You Got A Great Night’s Sleep (When You Haven’t)!

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A good night’s sleep is of utmost importance to be able to stay active throughout the day and look radiant. But challenging deadlines, all-night parties, and important functions can make it tedious for you to have your required eight-hour sleep. To that end, in this article, we will show you how to deceive others into thinking that you had a good night’s sleep even if you didn’t. You will look radiant even if you have just taken an eight-minute-long nap, and we are not kidding. There are some really effective, easy, and cool ways to fake a good sleep, and below, we are going to discuss just that. So, get rid of your worries, scroll down the page and find out our secrets. Come on!

In This Article

1. Banish Puffy Eyes:

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Before you start making your morning coffee, simulate a quick and refreshing nap by following this simple trick. Scoop 2 spoons of the coffee powder and place them in the freezer. Once they become cool, press the curved side of the spoons into your eye sockets and hold them for a few seconds. The cool sensation and pressure from the spoons will help reduce puffiness and dark circles, camouflaging the signs of sleep deprivation. Follow up by applying an eye-brightening cream over the chilled area to rehydrate the portion.

It is the first tip to achieve a faux glow and banish those puffy eyes – and it really works!

Quick Tip

Green tea bags and chilled cucumber slices can also help reduce puffiness.

2. Revive Your Skin:

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Take a shower. No, I’m not kidding. It’s dead obvious.

But when you’re too tired and exhausted after that no-sleep night, then you might be tempted to skip your shower. Don’t. Instead, drag yourself into the bathroom and pretend you are getting ready for the day. Let the warm shower wake you up, and help you feign alertness. Use an exfoliating scrub on your face to brighten up your dull and pale skin, caused due to the lack of sleep.

The easiest and fastest way to refresh your complexion!

Quick Tip

Oatmeal, sugar, salt, and ground coffee are good natural, nourishing scrubs. You can add honey, milk, or oils of your choice to your DIY face scrub to soothe any redness.

3. Seal The Moisture:

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What is lost when we miss a good sleep? Water.

Apply a thick and occlusive moisturizer to keep your skin hydrated and lock the moisture into your skin. All the dryness and wrinkles will disappear, and you’ll not have to cringe again when you hear the – “You look so dull and tired…” line! Phew…

Quick Tip

Shea butter, cocoa butter, mango seed butter, almond butter, and coconut butter are good natural choices to hydrate your skin.

4. Get Even:

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Counterfeit a refreshed and revitalized complexion by trying this simple trick. If your skin still looks lifeless, misrepresent your tiredness by mixing milk with a few ice cubes. Dip a soft cloth in it, wring it out and then place it on your face for 3-5 minutes. Rinse. The combination of the chilled ice cubes and the milk will help to brighten up your skin.

5. Curl Your Lashes:

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Masquerade your lack of sleep by enhancing your natural features. Enhance your eyelashes and add definition to those. When you turn up your lashes, your eyes look more lively, wide, and bright. Aim the curler close to your lash line, squeeze it for 10 seconds, and then curl the outer lashes.

TIP: “Always travel with an eyelash curler”, make it a habit. If you have thinner lashes, try a curling mascara instead of a lash curler to reduce accidental breaking of lashes.

6. Stretch Your Eyes:

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To enhance your curls, apply 2 coats of lengthening mascara. Add a little extra in the center above the eyeball for a long-looking fringe. Get longer lashes in seconds!

Related: Different Types Of Mascaras

7. Go Light:

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A heavy foundation and powder makes the skin dull and even more sallow (mask-like!). Instead, go for a tinted moisturizer with SPF.

8. Highlight Your Cheeks:

Fake good sleep by highlighting your cheeks

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A pop of color on the cheekbones will light up your face and will take the focus away from the dark circles under your eyes.

Peach tone helps in brightening the skin. Dab some peach cream blush on the apple of your cheeks and blend it well. You can also apply some to your lips over the lip balm to get a soft hint of color.

Orange shades make eyes look more tired; try to avoid such shades, unless your skin tone is dark or deep.

9. Use Concealer:

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Use a highlighter underneath the concealer to hide the hideous dark under eye rings. A slight blend guarantees a disguise for your dark circles!

10. Enhance Your Lips:

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A generous coat of bright lip gloss can grab the entire focus on your mouth instead of your droopy eyes!

11. Give Your Locks A New Life:

Fake good sleep by giving your locks a new life

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Nadia, a makeup artist, tutor and blogger, shared her tips for faking a well-rested look using makeup, focusing on the eyes. She mentions, “Eye drops….these are my secret weapon and I always always always carry them with me. This particular brand is my all time favorite as they don’t sting and work immediately…..covers all manner of sins (i)!” She also recommended using a nude eye base to neutralize eyelid redness, a nude/concealer pencil on the waterline to make the eyes appear larger, an eyebrow pencil for defining the eyebrows, a good concealer to cover imperfections, and mascara for a wide-awake look. “You should be able to complete them all in under two minutes flat….so you’ll still have time to grab a double espresso to further perk you up before stumbling across the threshold into that room for the next eight or so long hours.”

Infographic: 5 Makeup Tips To Look Fresh

Tired eyes can make you appear like a zombie, which is not a desirable look. Fortunately, there are some simple tricks you can use to brighten up your skin and eliminate the signs of exhaustion around your eyes. Take a look at the infographic below to learn the best makeup tips to help you appear fresh even after a sleepless night.

5 makeup tips to look fresh (infographic)

Save the high-quality PDF version on your device now.

Download Infographic

Lack of sleep can be due to various reasons. However, if you want to look refreshed even if you didn’t have enough sleep, a few techniques can teach you how to fake good sleep. With a little bit of know-how, you can dissemble your lack of sleep and falsify a well-rested appearance. You would be surprised to know how easy it is to hoodwink people into thinking you got a great night’s sleep. Taking a warm shower, using coffee powder and brightening cream for the eyes, moisturizing, brightening the skin with a mixture of milk and ice cubes, curling the lashes, highlighting the cheeks, using a concealer, and enhancing the appearance of your lips with a bright lip gloss helps manage the tired look of sleeplessness. So, pick your favorite tip to easily bluff and bamboozle your way the morning after a sleepless night!

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best skincare and makeup products to use for faking good sleep?

The best products you can use to look like you’ve had a good night’s sleep are a moisturizer to keep your skin hydrated, a gua sha to depuff your face, a color corrector and concealer to hide your dark circles, a white eye pencil to brighten your waterline, and some vibrant lip color.

How can one fake good sleep with the help of hair-styling techniques?

If you want to look like you have had a perfect night’s sleep, then you can try a swingy layered haircut and add a few highlights to perk up your face and make you look bright and awake.

Can a lack of sleep change your face?

Yes, lack of sleep has an effect on your body and your face is no different. When you don’t sleep properly you may notice dark circles and puffiness around your eyes, dullness, wrinkles, and acne.

Does lack of sleep cause a chubby face?

Your face may become chubby due to a lot of reasons like weight gain or hormonal changes. While lack of sleep may cause puffiness around your eyes but it does not generally cause a chubby face.

What are the consequences of not getting enough sleep?

Apart from visible dullness on your face, lack of sleep may cause premature aging, increased risk of chronic health diseases, weak immune system, and impaired cognitive function.

Can I use sleeping pills to fake good sleep?

Sleeping pills are no substitute for adequate natural sleep. It is for people who have medical reasons for their inability to fall asleep. Instead of pills, you can try having a healthy diet, a good exercise routine, and creating a relaxing environment in your bedroom for a sound sleep.

How can I maintain good sleep hygiene?

Some practices that may help you maintain good sleep hygiene are restricting caffeine or alcohol intake, regular exercise, stress release activities, no screen time before sleep, and a relaxing bedroom environment.

Key Takeaways

A warm shower can energize you and brighten up your face.
Coffee powder and eye-brightening cream can prevent those puffy eyes.
Curling your eyelashes and applying mascara can make your eyes look lively, wide and bright.
A highlighter underneath the concealer can cover up dark circles and brighten up your under-eye area.
A pop of color to your lips can give you a healthy, flushed look and draw attention away from your tired eyes.