Fearless Friday: How to fake a full night's sleep!

Morning ladies! Today's topic is near and dear to my heart. It's all about "fake it till you make it." Which, let's be honest, is an important skill to acquire and one that I exercise frequently in life. I've been a worker bee since birth. With the addition of marriage and soon after, two darling nuggets, it seems sleep is a precious commodity that I don't indulge in much. The only exception to that rule is anniversary vacations; even then my husband was staring at me @ 5am excited to book the day's winery visits. 

The flip side of longer days is that my productivity is way up there. The down side, I'm dog tired! Whelp, I polled four of my favorite friends and make up artists to share their trade secrets on looking fresh faced even when you've only clocked in four hours of sleep. Be it a newborn, burning the midnight oil on work or simply a night of too many cocktails...here are the products they live and die by and why you need to stock your shelves stat! 

Thank you lovely ladies...you rock!

Leah Chavie: @leahchavieskincare

It is hard to say what products I cannot live without! I love testing out and trying new products especially ones that are great for all skin concerns. I always keep my clients in mind when testing out new products. I always suggest a good eye cream such as our new Leah Chavie All Natural Ultimate Eye Rescue Complex that reduces puffiness, brightens dark circles and promotes healthy and firm skin tissue around the delicate eyes makes this eye cream a staple product for all skin types. Packed with plant peptides, vitamins and nutrients to drastically reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes. I love the Repechage Eye Rescue Pads as well! I also recommend keeping your eye creams in the refrigerator, so when you tab it on the eyes the coolness will help reduce puffiness. This is great for a big holiday party or a quick way to have your skin look and feel great for a night out! 

Another great essential, which never leaves my handbag is the LC Lip Benefits lip plumper. This colorless cranberry-flavor lip balm serves double duty. It provides immediate lip plumping as it aids against harmful toxins in the environment that cause lip thinning, wrinkling and loss of color. Like I said, I truly never leave home without it! Can be purchased online here.

Finally, the Biologique P50 Toner is a must from head-to-toe! This amazing product softens and primes the skin leaving you feeling hydrated and rejuvenatedIt filled with onions and green peppers, which packed with vitamins to energize the skin.

Justine Gershak: @justinegershak

Issue: I can't get no...!

Question: How to look fresh faced and like you've got 8 hours of sleep under your belt?

Solution: Blush, Mascara & Concealer 

As I'm writing this post, I'm longing for those nights when I used to get a solid 8 hours of good sleep. In addition to eating right and exercising regularly, I'm going to assume you have some sort of skincare regimen (if you don't, let's talk). Bobbi Brown once said, "good skin is 30% what you put on your face, and 70% a healthy lifestyle. Our bodies are 80% water and without sufficient hydration, skin cells become dry and flaky." She goes on to advise, "drink a glass of water for every caffeinated beverage you consume—this will help counteract the diuretic effects of things like coffee and alcohol."

What happens to those of us who have full-time jobs, children and still attempt for some social interaction (I praise you all, by the way)? I've had weeks where I'm unable to eat the best or workout 4-5 times a week. Here's where my three favorite beauty products come in to save the day (and the little to no sleep the night before).

Blush - To add a natural glow and pop of color, apply blush to the apples of the cheeks (make sure to blend up towards the hairline then downward to soften color). 

Mascara - 2 to 3 coats of my latest mascara find will help achieve the fresh and polished look we're all in search of when running on little to no sleep.

Concealer - A wake-up call for tired eyes! Concealer is essential for instantly brightening under eye circles and will refresh your look completely.

I've been averaging 4-5 hours of sleep a night - so these are my life savers!  

Shannon O'Brien: @shannikat

I'm a huge fan of eye-lash curlers to open up my eyes. Shiseido is my fave.  It really helps your eyes look bigger and more awake. I can't go anywhere with out my Cle de Peau concealer. I never felt dependent on a concealer until my daughter came along and this one makes it so easy. The packaging makes it so simple to swipe under your eyes and blend out with your fingers. My skin can look a bit tired to so I love hitting my cheeks with Dior Skin Rosy Glow in Petal. It makes me feel like I look more fresh faced when I have a little color in my cheeks. I can wear it alone or paired with foundation if I have the time :)

Stephanie VanHazenbroeck: @svanhaze.mua

We are all in a hurry, but when we are running on empty and need to look fresh in flash it is all about giving our skin the love. Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer is the best product to even out skin tone without leaving a heavy makeup feel. You can apply with your fingers, but if you can take a couple seconds and buff in with Sigma Flat Kabuki F80, it will give you an airbrush look. Just squirt a little on back of your hand and dip the brush into product and buff in circular motion onto your face. Now it is time to brighten under your eyes as well as give you coverage, the only product that is pure magic is Cle de Peau Concealer, Ivory and Beige are popular colors. Just rub the stick with your fingers to warm up the product and gently rub in under your eye, it is the best! Now it is time to give a little pop of effortless color to your lips, MAC Lip Pencil in the color Soar, it looks great on everyone. If you have dry lips, just apply a little chapstick and then put the lip pencil over. Since we can only use 3 products, pinch your cheeks bones about 3 to 5 times and you are ready to go out the door! One more thing...when you do go out and shop for tinted moisturizer, make sure the color matches your neck! You always want to color match your neck so you look flawless!

Check out today's link ups: Style Elixir, Jo Lynn Shane, The Fashionista Momma, Mix & Match Fashion