How to Do Tired Girl Makeup: A Guide to a Natural, Fresh, Effortless Look

When you hear "tired girl makeup," the first thing that comes to mind might be someone who actually looks exhausted. But tired girl makeup is really about a more natural, fresh look. To pull it off, you need healthy-looking, radiant skin.

What Is Tired Girl Makeup?

The tired girl isn't actually as tired and worn out as the name suggests. She looks like she just woke up, yet her skin still looks smooth, fresh, and radiant. In short, tired girl makeup is a skin-focused look that skips heavy makeup, uses light coverage, embraces a little messiness, and has a dewy, soft finish.

What Should Your Base Look Like for Tired Girl Makeup?

Choose the products you put on your skin carefully, because base makeup is the foundation of the tired girl look. Your base should give a no-makeup look and let your skin's natural smoothness show through. For a tired girl base:

1. Prep your skin for makeup by keeping it moisturized and soft,
2. Choose a lightweight foundation,
3. Use concealer only on imperfections,
4. Don't dry out your face with lots of powder,
5. Apply blush to your cheekbones and tap a little across your nose.

How Do You Create a Tired Effect with Eye Makeup?

For a washed-out eye makeup look, your makeup shouldn't be crisp. It should lose any sense of effort, with no sharp eyeliner or eyeshadow lines.

Don't leave any white cast under your eyes. In fact, it shouldn't be obvious that you're wearing under-eye concealer at all. The name says it all: "tired," which means we're taking a break from looking flawless!

How Should You Use Blush and Color?

Just like with eye makeup, avoid sharp lines and dark shades with blush and color. Go for soft, muted shades that look close to natural, but avoid colors or placement that drag your face down or make it look washed out.

So how do you do tired girl makeup on your cheeks? Peach and pink blushes leave a natural flush on your cheeks. These shades are neither too bright nor too muted. When you apply blush to your cheekbones, sweep it lightly toward your temples. This lifts your face and gives you a more awake look.

In natural makeup trends, products don't sit flawlessly on the skin. An "imperfect" finish actually lets your makeup look more natural. Breaking up the symmetry of your makeup and softening sharp lines is both part of the light makeup trend and perfect for the tired girl look.

How Do You Get the Tired Girl Aesthetic on Your Lips?

If we think about the tired girl aesthetic overall, it's undone and natural. Undone means it looks like you didn't fuss over your makeup, yet you still look fresh and awake. Natural means that even though you're wearing makeup, it simply looks like your everyday self.

To bring the tired girl aesthetic to your lips, choose a lightweight balm or lipstick that moisturizes instead of a matte lipstick. You can pat the lipstick onto your lips and blend it out. If your lips are very dry, we recommend exfoliating them.

How Do You Balance Tired Girl Makeup with a Natural Look?

With tired girl makeup, you're wearing makeup but you want to look like you're not. So you need to strike the right balance. What should you do?

1. Apply blush on top of your cheekbones and toward your temples. You can even sweep it lightly across your nose. If you use a liquid blush, you'll get a more natural result, and it blends easily.
2. Use only a small amount of concealer under your eyes. Cover your dark circles, but don't make your makeup heavy just because you want a smooth, bright look.
3. Use very little powder.
4. Avoid heavy base products and use lightweight BB creams.
5. Skip glittery and very shiny products, since they look far from natural.
6. Use products with moisturizing ingredients.
7. Blend products lightly after applying them.

What Are the Most Common Tired Girl Makeup Mistakes?

Here are the most common mistakes that ruin soft makeup techniques like tired girl makeup:

• Doing your base with heavy, dense products,
• Letting your makeup have harsh transitions, for example sharp contour and blush lines,
• Skipping blush,
• Overdoing your eye makeup,
• Using dark, matte shades on your lips,
• Going overboard with mascara,
• Trying to blend out every single product.