3 pro tips for wide awake eyes even if you went to bed at 5

Red eyes, dark circles and puffiness are just a few symptoms of either a hard night or just a late one

Maybe it’s because you’re dealing with a little one that’s teething, perhaps it’s work that’s keeping you up, general stress or long haul flights. Maybe it's all the catching up you're doing this festive month. Whatever the reason, tired eyes are a dead giveaway.

Some fortunate people seem to never be afflicted with these tell-tale signs, looking fresh as a daisy even when chirruping, “Oh, I hardly got a wink last night”. To these people I say, so long, because this post is about how to fake it 'til you make it (to the nearest cup of coffee that is!).

• Why I Love Eye Drops

Last year, I was working on a four-day shoot that wasn’t actually during the daytime, but overnight. So, I’m sure you can imagine, tired eyes were something of a concern for all the cast involved. To top it off, we were shooting in a supermarket, complete with that horrible strip lighting, which makes you look tired anyway (the joys). There was one person in particular who looked like he’d come down with a case of pink eye, his eyes were that blood shot.

No amount of concealer was going to work, unless it could physically go onto his eyeballs (which I wouldn't recommend) so the only thing left was to reach for my trusty Optrex Refreshing Eye Drops (€5.49). As if by magic, his eyes cleared to a bright white and the show could go on with both actor and director mightily impressed. I even had a few sneaky visits from the crew afterwards too! As always, though, with anything associated with your eyes, read the label first to see if it's suitable for you before trying them out.

• Try Chilling Your Eye Cream

If puffiness is your main issue then a simple little trick I like to do is to put my eye cream in the fridge overnight. When it goes on in the morning, then, it’s extra soothing and cooling.

One of my favourite eye creams for disguising tiredness is the Origins Ginzing (€29), which contains caffeine to speed up toxin drainage, thereby helping to reduce the dreaded morning puff. It also has a slightly pearlescent finish to it that reflects light to give a “pre-concealer” effect which I love.

• Neutralise Redness

Redness along the waterline doesn’t really go hand in hand with looking wide eyed and bushy tailed. If that is something you battle with then a neutral or flesh toned pencil such as Rimmel’s Scandaleyes Kohl in Nude (€4.99) will be your best friend. Not only will this get rid of the redness but it will open up your eyes, making them look bigger and more alert, especially if followed with a couple of coats of mascara.