Beat The Snuffles: 5 Make-Up Tips For When You Have A Cold

It's that time in the year when everyone inevitably picks up a cold. Being back at work, university and school means that the offices and commutes yet again become prime germ-spreading locations. While getting dressed up is usually the last thing on your mind when you're coughing up buckets of phlegm, here are a few beauty tips to help you look your best while you battle that runny nose.

1. Invest in a lip balm/cream. 

By this, I don't mean spend gazillions on a premium lip balm. Often, as shown in this post, the best lip healers can cost under a fiver. Being congested and spending your nights coughing yourself awake seriously dries out your lips, making them incredibly sore. Finding the right lip cream or balm for you can help soften and nourish your lips, and prevent them flaking more than the pastry week in Great British Bake Off. My favourite is Blistex Repair Cream; it's a serious miracle worker!

2. Highlighter is a god-send.

Instead of doing the whole Kim Kardashian contouring malarkey, using a bit of highlighter only in the inner corners of your eyes can really help bring them out and make them pop. Not only does it add a bit of shimmer to dull skin, but this quick trick makes you seem far more awake- even if in reality all you want to do is snuggle under the duvet with a Lemsip before sleeping for the next 5 years. The Accessorize shimmer block is my pick of the high street highlighters.


3. Banish under-eye circles. 

You may have seen my review of this Max Factor CC Stick, but this is one of the most amazing products for disguising any signs of dullness colds and flus may bring. The soft formula melts into your skin, brightening the under-eye area instantly. Working like a highlighter/concealer hybrid, using a little bit of this product will make anyone believe you've had a good night's sleep!

4. Waterproof mascara.

It goes without saying that wearing non-waterproof mascara is a big mistake when you've got a cold, especially if you're the kind of person whose eyes stream non-stop throughout the illness. My go-to waterproof mascara is the L'Oreal Double Extension; it seriously doesn't budge and there's no hint of flaking, unlike many other waterproof formulas I've tried. No-one wants panda eyes as well as a cold.


5. Moisturise!

One of the most important things to do when you have the snuffles is to keep your skin hydrated. Alongside topping up your fluids by drinking enough water (/ Lemsip/ honey and lemon), a good overnight moisturiser will soak into your skin and help banish dullness and any signs of dry skin. When I have a cold, my nose suffers the worst and gets very dry, but I always find a good overnight treatment works wonders. My go-to range is Boots No7 Essential Moisture.

What's your miracle beauty tip when you have a cold?