Oh my word, the past week was not a fun time in the Booyens house. Everyone including the dogs got sick which resulted in very little sleep for Dan and I. Most days, I will go sans make up but regardless of my level of exhaustion, life goes on and errands need to be run. Rather than shock people with my very haggard looking face, I have discovered my go to make up for when I’ve had zero sleep, giving the illusion that I got a lot more shut eye than I actually did.

So here’s my very unmade face, which was running on about 4 hours sleep this particular day thanks do a vomiting dog and a child with gastro (fab combination, right?). Besides the dark rings under my eyes, what bothers me most is that I just looked completely washed out and very corpse like. Other than that, the odd break up could do with some help. On mornings like these, I really don’t have the energy to spend a lot of time on my make up so I like to keep it as simple as possible. So, without further ado, here’s how to make yourself look wide awake and perky, when really all you want is a caffiene IV and a shot of adrenaline.

Max Factor Smooth Miracle Primer: It takes a lot for a primer to impress me, honestly, quite often I find them a waste of time and stick to a very select few that have proven themselves time and time again. The Max Factor Smooth Miracle Primer is said to smooth the appearance of the skin and I can completely vouch for that. Using this primer is the foundation of giving my skin a flawless appearance. It doesn’t feel heavy and one pump is the perfect amount for my entire face.

Garnier Skin Active BB Cream: When I’m short on energy and am feeling super lazy, I generally skip the brushes and so BB cream is my answer. I really enjoy the Garnier BB cream, it gives good coverage for a BB cream and generally lasts a decent amount of time before I need to touch up. I have the shade medium and although in winter is ever so slightly too dark for me, it’s my perfect match during the summer months. It’s fairly dewy and gives my skin a really lovely luminous glow.

Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer: Although there will never ever be a concealer that will completely cover up my dark circles, the Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer comes pretty darn close. I enjoy the applicator and the product itself is extremely pigmented, I literally only put three dots under each eye and it’s more than enough. Besides concealing, I find that this concealer also gives a really great brightening effect which is fab when you are short on sleep. Also, a fab bonus for us fair gals, the Naked Skin concealer comes in a shade fair neutral which is basically made for ghosts.

Catrice Prime and Fine Professional Contouring Palette: Don’t panic, we aren’t going to contour, partly because I still don’t know how to do it properly, but also because, well, I don’t have the time most days. However, the contour shade in this palette is great for bronzing and bringing my face to life. I sweep some over my forehead and cheek bones and it really does make a huge difference.

CHANEL Longwear Cream Eyeshadow (Scintillance): Another product that you can apply perfectly with your fingertips. This gold shade is a miracle worker, it brightens the up the eyes immediately and just adds a touch of shimmer that isn’t at all over the top. If I have absolutely zero time, like zero zero time, I give this a skip, but it really does make a subtle yet effective difference. If you’re keen to see the product in action, I filmed a full first impressions video.

Essence The False Lashes Mascara Dramatic Volume Unlimited: Talk about a long name amiright? But this budget friendly mascara is an absolute win. It fluffs out the lashes, coats them with the perfect amount of black pigment and I haven’t had any clumping or transfer. I find that one swipe is more than enough when I am going for a very natural look like I would on my sleep deprived days, but this mascara is also buildable for those days that you want to add a little more va-va-voom.

L’Oreal Lip Paint Matte (Skinny Dip): I did a full review on a bunch of L’Oreal lip products a while ago and at the end I said that I wasn’t really a fan of the Lip Paints. Well, I gave them another go, and some of them are still incredibly patchy and they aren’t particularly long wearing but I do enjoy this specific shade. It’s a great nude and just finishes off any look. The product goes on smoothly and although the product says that its matte, I would say that it is only semi-matte and doesn’t dry down completely.

So, whether you’ve been up all night partying, trying to soothe a teething baby or cleaning up puppy puke, you can still look relatively presentable the next morning, and in record time to boot. Of course, the absolute last step in this make up look is a strong cup of coffee, can’t get through the day without it!