Yes, you read that right.
When you think about it, this is the kind of important life skill they don’t teach you in school. Maybe you just don’t want to make a big deal out of your tears, whatever their cause. Or maybe you’re in a professional setting where crying would be completely unprofessional.
Some of us cry when we are frustrated and I know from experience that tears make your argument lose credibility. Maybe you’re just sad for some reason and don’t want things to get blown out of proportion. Whatever the case may be, controlling your tears (or at least concealing them) is crucial in maintaining your composure.
1. Find someplace private.
It doesn’t matter if you think you can stop the tears or not; you’re going to want to get away from concerned busy-bodies. Ironically, they usually make it worse. If you know you’re just going to let it all out, get away as quickly as possible.
2. Damage control.
When you know you just need to let a few tears escape, tilt your head back. The tears run out the sides of your eyes and down by your temples, minimizing water damage to any makeup.
3. Consider your eye makeup.
If you don’t wear eye makeup, skip this step and cry away, wiping your eyes liberally.
Whether your makeup is waterproof or not, fold toilet paper and tuck it under your bottom lashes, right at the base. This way, your skin will stay clean from smearing mascara. When you’re done, wipe your eyelashes with a GENTLE upward stroke to keep your mascara in place.
If you have waterproof makeup, gently try to separate any clumps, and then wipe your eyelids. See how beautiful and refreshed you look.
4. Reduce swelling.
If your eyes are excessively puffy, pop an Advil to reduce swelling. If you splash cold water on your face like they do in the movies, you’ll ruin your makeup. Instead, wet a tissue with cold water and dab under your eyes. If you’re at home, steep a tea bag, wait for it to cool, and put it on your closed eyes. The caffeine in black tea constricts blood vessels, while green tea soothes irritation and redness.
5. Drink water.
Not only does it help focus your breathing and calm you down, it’ll help that yucky headache and further reduce swelling.
6. Don’t powder your nose.
The redness will fade within a few minutes. Otherwise you’ll look like Rudolph, with a cake-y attempt at hiding the discoloration. Take some deep breaths to calm yourself down. Use this time to think of a game plan.
7. Execute your game plan.
When you walk back into public, do so with confidence. Fake a sneeze attack to account for any eye redness, or take a swig of water and feign a cough attack. Complain about your contacts irritating you, allergies, or even that “something” you have in your eye.
8. Stay Confident
Laugh and act carefree. Occasionally, any remaining vestiges of tears may cause people to ask concerned questions. However, if you laugh people will second-guess their observations and drop it.
Tears are natural, but sometimes they come at the wrong time or place. Never be embarrassed to cry, but if you want to cover it up you’ll always have these tips to help you.
