Wash and exfoliate your face before you begin so it will take the cosmetics better. A makeup-free base is also more believable, since most people don’t bother with makeup when they’re feeling unwell.
If you’re unsure which foundation will look best, start with a shade closer to your skin tone and lighten up from there. Going too light at once may not be convincing.
If the shadow on your cheeks isn’t quite gloomy enough on its own, try hitting other areas where color will show up well, like your temples and laugh lines. Switch to a darker shade of eye shadow to broadcast that you’re on your deathbed.
Go easy on the blush. You want to look like a sick person, not a china doll.
Keep the blush confined to your lower eyelid. If you blend it any lower, it may start to look fishy. You could also use a brow or eyeliner pencil, though this might be tougher to smudge properly.
Avoid blending the blush or lipstick into the product you used to draw on your eye circles. Too much color in the same area may come off looking raccoon-like and unnatural.
Make sure you’ve contoured your eyes carefully with the cream blush or brow pencil. Otherwise, your eye bags won’t look very real.
Be careful not to use so much that you get teary. All that hard work will have been for nothing if your eye makeup runs.
Stay away from shades that are too dark or too red. These scream “circus clown” more than they do “patient zero. ”[8] X Research source Carry a box of tissues around with you to complete the illusion.
Glycerin is safe, non-toxic, and can actually moisturize your skin, which means it’s okay to use as much as you need to really sell your symptoms. [10] X Research source
Tracing around your lips with a light-colored eyeliner pencil will help accentuate their dry, cracked, crusty condition and make people think you’ve come down with something serious. [11] X Research source If you accidentally apply too much foundation, blot (don’t wipe) your lips with a damp cloth to remove the caked-on bits.
Hold the bottle a foot or so away from your face while you spray to keep from accidentally blasting off your foundation.
Lay face-up so your makeup doesn’t rub off on your pillow. If you absolutely have to fiddle with your face, do it delicately and be sure to fix any mistakes you make in the process.
Blend the fresh makeup until it’s indistinguishable from the old.
Start small and add more where you think it’s needed. It may not take as much makeup as you think to bring the common cold to life. Use makeup remover wipes to gently blot areas where you’ve caked a product on too heavily.
