It's some time past 6:30PM. You're at the office, still hunched over your desk ignoring a project with a looming deadline in lieu of Buzzfeed when an iMessage pings up on your screen: 'Drinks tonight?'.
You've already handily missed your 5:45PM hot yoga (oops! Funny how these things just kind of work out, right?), and so the answer is a resounding 'yes'. Because in this hypothetical situation you're the sort of hyper-organized friend who keeps a pair of after-dark-only shoes and a little leather jacket stashed away at work for this exact type of occasion (note to self: do that) —you're sartorially equipped. Now onto your beauty state: your daytime mascara and liner has melted into your under eye region, your complexion is vaguely blotchy and you look, well, tired. The key to kicking things up a notch (or two) comes down to two vital steps: perfecting and brightening, while simultaneously adding a touch of interest, likely in the lip or eye region. The only catch? It probably has to involve fingertip-free application, an ideal for the backseat of an Uber or even the 6 train. Here's how to do it in four steps.
1.
Brighten
Skip applying a heavy, cake-y concealer over the day's make-up and instead go for something slightly more sheer that will both illuminate and lift the eye area. Touch up dark circles and sweep away the day's debris. Bareminerals' Stroke of Light Eye Brightener or Radiance Booster Pen do just the trick and both products have brushes that can cover the entire area or zero in on specific nooks and crannies — ideal for said backseat application.
2.
Add Drama
No one ever got into Studio 54 with just a touch of mousy brown mascara. Okay, fine, maybe they did, but that person was probably Lauren Hutton. Instead, think Diana Ross and add a little drama—the easiest way is with a foolproof pencil that doesn't require the laserpoint precision of liquid and can be smudged along the lashline for something a little more smokey and shadow-y. We like NARS' Soft Touch Shadow Pencil in the shade Aigle Noir, with its teensy-tiny flecks of gold shimmer.
3.
Look Alive
A few squeezes with an eyelash curler (like Phoebe Tonkin, we're loyal to Shu Uemura's) is a foolproof way to look like you totally didn't have to wake up at 6 A.M. in order to squeeze in both your commute and a blow dry. Yup, over your mascara. Just go with it.
4.
Finishing Touches
If a lip look that involves a lip brush, liner and a shade of lipstick that requires concerted effort is more your thing, all the more power to you. But when we're already 20 minutes late, we'll take a nude-y, natural shade that can be applied out of the tube any day. Following the "your lips, only better" maxim. This is where we'd reach for YSL's Rouge Volupte Lipstick in Peach Passion, which can be sheered out with a few dabs of lip balm overtop.