Fake the 'Eight Hours Sleep' Effect

By Amanda Bown

With so many of us feeling tired and looking somewhat bleary-eyed after the festive period, add some sparkle and brightness to your face. If you, like so many of us in January, find that your complexion is looking more grey than glowing, then fake the 'eight hour sleep' effect with 4Beauty's guide to good skin.

You'll need to arm yourself with some illuminating skin care and make-up products...the secret behind faking a radiant appearance is all in the prep and using the right technique. We asked the experts for their trade secrets and tips.

Start the day by putting the sparkle back in to your eyes - it'll help with the 'wide awake effect'. Wash your face and give your skin a well deserved massage to stimulate circulation within the skin and the cells - our face responds well to touch as it's packed with small, sensitive muscles, richly endowed with nerve endings.

4Beauty loves: Boots Sparkling Eyes Eye Drops (£3.10 for 10ml).

Then hydrate your skin with a facial oil - use your fingertips to gently massage it in. Post use, your complexion will appear dewy-soft and radiant.

4Beauty loves: Sanctuary Therapist Secret Facial Oil (£17.35)

Bobbi Brown Eye Brightener & Urban Decay Concealer

Getting rid of dreaded dark circles and creating a 'fresh-faced' look is easy, it's all about getting the right application technique. Grab a good quality concealer or eye brightener pen - "Go for a yellow-based product, a shade lighter than your skin tone. Use fingers (or a brush) to apply concealer under the eye area, right up to the lashes.

Ensure you apply to the innermost corners of eye area, as these often appear the darkest! Smooth and blend by tapping gently with your fingertips", says makeup artist Bobbi Brown. Complete the look by pressing on a sheer, loose powder using a velour puff.

4Beauty loves: Bobbi Brown Tinted Eye Brightener Pen (£22.50) and Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer (£12), a creamy-formula concealer, encased in a chunky pencil, that blends easily and dries to create a smudge-free matte finish.

Celebrity make-up artist Cassie Lomax says, "Opt for a light shade of concealer - if you need to darken the colour, do so with your foundation. Apply concealer in a triangle from the inner corner (of the eye) down to the centre of the face, and then up at an angle to the outer corner of the eye." Use your finger to gently pat the skin and blend.

4Beauty loves: Pixi Fake Awake Kit (£19), containing two 'correcting' and two 'brightening' concealers, an 'awakening' powder for cheeks and eyes, plus a lip and cheek tint and lip gloss all in one set – perfect for pulling off that 'eight hour sleep' effect!