How to Repair Makeup After Crying

Recovering from a good cry is never easy. When your makeup is a mess, you may feel like its even more of a challenge. Repairing your makeup can be the first step in making you feel better.

Part 1
Part 1 of 4:

Cleaning up the Mess

  1. Go for an eye drop specifically created to target the redness in your eyes. These control and restrict the irritated blood vessels in your eyes. One or two drops per eye should be plenty, and will start working the redness out of your eyes right away. [1]
  2. Using an oil-free makeup remover, gently rub away the tracks left by your tears. Be sure to remove the salt your tears left on your face, so it doesn’t interact with your makeup when you reapply it. [2]
    • Only use a very small amount of cleanser. Let it dry, then lightly reapply your makeup until it's back to normal. [3]
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  3. Wrap some ice in a towel and press it in the inner corners of your eyes, focusing on the area under your eyes. Gently press the ice to your eyes moving from the inner to outer corners.
    • You can also try teabags, cucumber slices or cold slices of of potato. Place one of these items on your closed eyes and lie back to relax for a while. These have antioxidants and can help restrict the swollen blood vessels. [4]
  4. Before you begin repairing your makeup, you want to be sure you are done crying and wiping it all away. Grab some tissue, dab your eyes and give your nose a good final blow so you can move on. [5]
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Part 2
Part 2 of 4:

Repairing Your Face Makeup

  1. The salt from your tears may make your skin dried and tight. Work a bit of moisturizer over the affected area and do your best to blend it with the existing foundation to smooth out your dry skin. [6]
  2. If you have cried streaks in your foundation, you should have wiped and buffed those streaks, but may need to dab a little new foundation in the area and blend it with the unaffected foundation. Blend and buff until the foundation all looks even again. [7]
  3. If you have given yourself a good cry, you will probably notice some enlarged blood vessels creating redness around your nose and eyes. Cover these up by dabbing a little concealer in the red areas and blending it in to your base color. [8]
    • Concealer which has a slight yellow tint is more effective at countering the red in your skin. [9]
    • Use the concealer sparingly. Where you put it is more effective than how much you use. You don’t want the makeup to look caked on.
  4. A powdered blush will have been wiped away in this process. Reapply the blush on your cheeks using a blush brush. Keep it simple and not too heavy so it doesn’t bring out the other redness created by crying. [10]
    • If you used a cream blush, there may still be some left around the tear tracks. Try rubbing your fingers in circles on your cheeks to spread the leftover color around your cheeks.
  5. Draw the attention away from your puffy eyes to your bold lips with a daring lip color. This may also give you that boost of confidence which was recently shaken! [11]
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Part 3
Part 3 of 4:

Bringing Your Eyes Back to Life

  1. Your eyelashes and mascara probably took the brunt of the damage, especially if your mascara was not waterproof. You may have made it through with mascara on your top lashes, but your bottom lashes will probably need to start over with new mascara. [12]
    • If your lashes have clumped together, try separating them with a lash comb.
    • It may be best to completely clean the mascara off all your lashes and start fresh.
  2. Find a light-colored eye shadow with a little shimmer in it. Apply this to the inner corner of your eye to brighten them up right away. [13]
    • Stick with a lighter, neutral tone that shines. Don’t use a color which it too bright.
  3. You make make fun of blue eyeshadow, but a navy blue eyeliner can actually make the whites of your eyes look whiter, reducing the redness of bloodshot eyes. Switch out your black eyeliner and whiten your whites with navy blue liner. [14]
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Part 4
Part 4 of 4:

Saving Face in a Crunch

  1. If you feel your emotions are on the verge of boiling over into a good cry, plan ahead and wear waterproof mascara. You may even want to wear waterproof mascara on a regular basis in case emotions, rain, or a hearty sweat sneak up on you. [15]
  2. No matter where you are or what you are doing, if you are experiencing enough emotional distress to bring on crying, you deserve a minute to work through it and put yourself back together.
    • Excuse yourself from other people who may be interacting with you.
    • Find a private place like a restroom where you can spend a few minutes on your own to put yourself back together.
  3. You may not have moisturizer handy. In this case, you can still do your skin a favor by drinking a big glass of water to help bring life and moisture back to your face after it has been dried out and tightened by the salt of your tears. [16]
  4. If you don’t have ice available, you can run your hands under cold water for a few seconds, then press your cold fingers into the swollen pockets under your eyes. Start at the inner corners and press gently, moving your way to the outer corners. [17]
    • Run your fingers back through the cold water and back across your eyes several times.
  5. Hopefully you have some foundation handy. Bonus if you also have concealer. Wipe away the tear tracks with a slightly damp tissue, then blend in some new foundation where it was washed away. Top off the reddened areas around your eyes and nose with a little concealer. [18]
    • If you don't have anything with you, don't let your tears dry. Instead, treat your finger like a sponge and dab the area around what's missing to reblend it. [19]
  6. If you have some blush and lipstick, you can counteract the redness created when you cried by putting a little red where it belongs. Make a nice pink cheek and try a bold red lip to draw attention down from your puffy eyes to your lips. [20]
  7. Studies show that smiling can actually change your mood and trick you into being happier. Even though you may not feel like it, try putting a smile on your face and see if it helps bring a little joy back through your sadness. [21]
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Expert Q&A

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  • Question
    How do you look pretty after crying?
    Alicia D'Angelo
    Makeup Artist & Hair Stylist
    Alicia D'Angelo is a makeup artist based in New York City. She currently works for teams with Dior Makeup, YSL Beauty and Pat McGrath Labs as well as bridal companies Once Upon A Bride and Miss Harlequinn. Her work has been featured in Today.com, New York Live, Forbes.com, VH1, MTV, Vevo, Entertainment Weekly, Refinery 29, and NYXCosmetics.com. She has a Visual Communications degree from FIDM-Los Angeles.
    Alicia D'Angelo
    Makeup Artist & Hair Stylist
    Expert Answer
    Try gently patting your face dry with a tissue. Then, you can fix any smudges with your fingertips or a dry cotton swab.
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  • Question
    How can I fix my face after I've been crying if I don't have any makeup with me?
    Alicia D'Angelo
    Makeup Artist & Hair Stylist
    Alicia D'Angelo is a makeup artist based in New York City. She currently works for teams with Dior Makeup, YSL Beauty and Pat McGrath Labs as well as bridal companies Once Upon A Bride and Miss Harlequinn. Her work has been featured in Today.com, New York Live, Forbes.com, VH1, MTV, Vevo, Entertainment Weekly, Refinery 29, and NYXCosmetics.com. She has a Visual Communications degree from FIDM-Los Angeles.
    Alicia D'Angelo
    Makeup Artist & Hair Stylist
    Expert Answer
    Don't let your tears dry. Instead, immediately use your finger like a sponge and dab the area around your missing makeup to reblend it.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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      References

      1. ↑ http://www.realsimple.com/beauty-fashion/skincare/skincare-face/crying-eyes
      2. ↑ http://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/beauty/advice/a40323/ways-to-cover-up-youve-been-crying/
      3. ↑ [v161376_b02]. 26 May 2020.
      4. ↑ http://www.realsimple.com/beauty-fashion/skincare/skincare-face/crying-eyes
      5. ↑ http://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/beauty/advice/a40323/ways-to-cover-up-youve-been-crying/
      6. ↑ http://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/beauty/advice/a40323/ways-to-cover-up-youve-been-crying/
      7. ↑ http://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/beauty/advice/a40323/ways-to-cover-up-youve-been-crying/
      8. ↑ http://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/beauty/advice/a40323/ways-to-cover-up-youve-been-crying/
      9. ↑ http://www.realsimple.com/beauty-fashion/skincare/skincare-face/crying-eyes
      1. ↑ http://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/beauty/advice/a40323/ways-to-cover-up-youve-been-crying/
      2. ↑ http://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/beauty/advice/a40323/ways-to-cover-up-youve-been-crying/
      3. ↑ http://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/beauty/advice/a40323/ways-to-cover-up-youve-been-crying/
      4. ↑ http://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/beauty/advice/a40323/ways-to-cover-up-youve-been-crying/
      5. ↑ http://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/beauty/advice/a40323/ways-to-cover-up-youve-been-crying/
      6. ↑ http://beautyeditor.ca/2013/10/30/how-to-hide-crying
      7. ↑ http://beautyeditor.ca/2013/10/30/how-to-hide-crying
      8. ↑ http://www.realsimple.com/beauty-fashion/skincare/skincare-face/crying-eyes
      9. ↑ http://beautyeditor.ca/2013/10/30/how-to-hide-crying
      10. ↑ [v161376_b02]. 26 May 2020.
      11. ↑ http://beautyeditor.ca/2013/10/30/how-to-hide-crying
      12. ↑ http://beautyeditor.ca/2013/10/30/how-to-hide-crying

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