Stress and You

​Under-Eye Bags: Tomorrow's to-do list can weigh on your mind, keeping you from getting enough beauty sleep. This can cause fluid to pool below your lower eyelid area, and what you end up with is a puffy mess in the a.m. Stomach sleepers, bad news: You can expect the puffiness of your under-eye bags to be even worse because of gravity. If you still wake up with puffy eyes in the morning, hold the back of a cold spoon (pop it in the fridge so it gets chilly) up to your under-eye area and massage it from the inner to the outer corner of your eye to jumpstart the fluid's drainage. Then, apply concealer in an inverted triangle under your eye. The brightness will start slightly below your nostrils and build toward your eye, concealing the puffiness.

​Keep Your Hair on Your Head: Hair loss is usually a reaction to significant physiological stress caused by an extreme change in your diet, medical issues, or sudden lifestyle changes, like switching your birth control, an illness, or, in extreme cases, the stress of breaking up with your boyfriend. But there is light at the end of the tunnel: Once the culprit of your hair loss is addressed and under control, your hair will return to its regular growing system and begin to grow and shed normally again. If you notice your hair falling out more than usual, talk to your doctor to make sure nothing serious is going on.

Prevent and Blur Lines: Be mindful of making certain unconscious facial expressions when you have a lot on your plate, especially when you're sitting at your desk. Need help training your muscles to relax? If you tend to furrow your brow, put a piece of clear tape in between your arches when you're at work. That way when you scrunch up your brow muscle, the tape will crinkle, reminding you to relax it. If pursing your lips is what you struggle with, do the same above your upper lip. After a while, you'll learn to drop the habit. Because, let's be real, how long can you tolerate wearing face tape in public? To minimize the look of any lines you may have now, pat on a silicone-based formula that temporarily fills in fine lines, so your makeup goes on smoothly and doesn't settle into them.

Dry, Flaky Skin: If you're stressed, chances are you're not drinking enough water. You might also be drinking coffee or soda, which can be dehydrating. And if your body doesn't get the proper hydration it needs, your skin will end up feeling (and looking) like crepe paper. Look Dewy and Fresh-Faced: First and foremost, drink a lot of water — eight glasses (or more!) each day. You can also down some green tea for a boost of healthy antioxidants and eat foods that have a high water content (fruits and veggies like cucumbers, tomatoes, beets, and celery are 80 to 90 percent water).