Celeb Secrets for a Fresh Face

Celebrities don't roll out of bed looking perfect... they have the help of professional makeup artists! If you struggle with puffy eyes, dark circles and dull skin in the morning, keep reading. We've got star secrets to help you look awake and refreshed every morning, even if you didn't get your eight hours.

Daytime Do's

Your schedule is probably hectic, but most stars work crazy hours. So how do celebrities and their entourages work long days (and play hard in their off-time), and still manage to look fantastic? They stick to certain habits during the day, that help them look wake up looking better. So do what they do. Drink tons of water during the day (it flushes out toxins and prevents baggy eyes), and minimize your sugar and salt intake (both can cause dull and puffy skin).

Before Bed

Celebrities (especially the women) have to look great for a living. Most share a similar before-bed beauty ritual. Here's what to do:

Before you hit the hay, make sure you cleanse and tone your skin, and give it TLC for its major issues. So if you usually wake up with tight or dry skin, apply a nighttime serum to infuse skin with moisture.

If breakouts are the problem, braid or tie your hair back for sleeping (so oils from your strands don't transfer to your face) and use cleansing products that are formulated to prevent and fight acne.

A nighttime eye treatment can be nice, but use a light touch. Piling on too much cream before bed will just increase puffiness. Instead, consider using a lighter gel with brightening peptides or soothing botanicals.

When you jump in the sack, rest your head on two pillows instead of the usual one. Elevating your head during sleep can prevent fluids from settling under eyes, so you are less likely to wake up with baggage.

When You First Wake Up

Pop your eye cream or a gel eye mask in the refrigerator for five minutes to make it cool. (Don't put it in the freezer to hurry up the process though - if it's too cold you run the risk of popping a blood vessel - not very pretty!) Leave on for 20 minutes while you get dressed, eat breakfast, or get your stuff together.

If you want to go DIY, and have the time to lie down and do nothing for 10 minutes, you can also use cold tea bags. (Just brew tea, drain off the water, and pop teabags in the fridge to cool enough to place on lids). Chamomile tea is best for this, as it's a natural anti-inflammatory.

At the Mirror

To look your I'm-awake best when you head out the door, borrow these tips we gleaned from a celebrity makeup artist.

Your skin is what everyone will notice first, so get it looking gorgeous. When you're tired, you probably either suffer from breakouts, or your skin looks dull. Combat either issue by applying a tinted moisturizer with some reflective properties (we love Smashbox Sheer Focus), for skin that looks naturally radiant. Then spot-cover any blemishes or uneven patches with a light-reflective concealer. If your skin is very oily, you could also use a mineral powder foundation, for a similar effect.

Bronzer is the celeb standby for faking a healthy complexion. Choose a powder bronzer in a shade that's fairly close to your natural skin tone - the goal is to warm up your face, not fake a full-out tan. Using a large fluffy makeup brush, dust the bronzer at temples, along cheekbones, on the bridge of your nose and your chin.

Then get a rosy glow with a cream blush (we love those made by Nars and Stila) in a pinky or peachy hue, depending on which flatters your skin tone best. Apply with fingertips on the apples of cheeks and add a tiny bit on your temples.

Wake up your eyes with a light wash of sheer, shimmery eye shadow in either beige or vanilla across your lids. Just go easy on the application! The goal is to add light and wake up your look, not make your peepers look frosty.

Run a nude or pale-blue eyeliner along the insides of lower lashlines, to instantly brighten the whites of eyes.

Then curl your top lashes and apply one or two coats of mascara, to open up your eyes and draw attention away from any puffiness. (Keep mascara off lower lashes completely, to avoid the dreaded raccoon-eye effect).

Finish your makeup look with a sheer berry lip color, which will help you look polished.