10 Must-Know Beauty Hacks to Help You Survive Finals Week

It doesn’t take a dermatologist to know that final exams, coupled with junk food, and stressful, sleepless nights, lead to unhappy skin and messy hair. I remember the good ole days of rolling out of bed after a late night study session, grabbing my favorite college sweatshirt, and running to catch the bus to get to my exam on time.

Skin care, hairstyles, who? During finals week, I was lucky if I grabbed breakfast. But I paid for it too; I’m talking dark circles, stress acne, and really, I mean really, dehydrated skin, coupled with a messy hairdo filled with knots and kinks. But although my mind was working overtime to remember facts about the Franco-Prussian War, there were simple nightly remedies I could’ve used to help my skin and hair too. So instead of suffering all week long, here are 10 must-know beauty hacks to help you survive your finals week.

Skincare/Makeup

1. Kick the Dead Skin Out

It’s time you exfoliate your skin! Yes, it’s time. Right now. Do it! Exfoliating your skin is one of the surest ways you can make your skin look tight, bright, and beautiful after a long night of studying. I recommend the Skinvigorate Cleansing Brush from Mary Kay! This little brush is the perfect tool to help you remove all of your makeup, buff away any dry skin patches, and soften the appearance of lines and wrinkles. And I love the purple and green color that it comes in!  But be sure to only use this brush two to three times during the week—perfect for exams, right? You don’t ever want to over-exfoliate your skin, since it can remove a good amount of natural oils from your face.

2. Relax and Do a Face Mask

Nothing feels as good as when you get to either rinse off or peel off a face mask designed to give you clean, smoother looking skin. Am I right? I prefer to use the Mary Kay Botanical Effects Mask (I use the formula 1 to help with dry skin). This facial mask works well to help improve the look and feel of my skin. Since my skin does have dry qualities, this mask helps to replenish lost nutrients and hydrate my face. Try this mask; you’ll be amazed at how little you have to do to get amazing results.

3. Wilting Flower

Who can blame you? It’s been a long day full of studying and test taking, and your skin is starting to show the effects. Well brighten up, sunshine! All it takes to pep yourself back up, mentally and physically, is a light jog, stretch, water break, or a spritz of facial spray. Again, I’m returning back to the Botanical Effects collection, this time it’s the Freshen spray. It works wonders, pulling extra residue and moisture from your skin that has settled after a long day. The spray also helps to leave your skin looking cleaner and healthier. Be sure to pick the formula level that’s right for your skin type, though!

4. Concealer

Exams=acne, dark circles, shine, etc! Although exams wreak all of this havoc, there’s no time to go all out with the fake eyelashes and what not. You can still look amazing with just a few simple tricks using concealer. Add concealer to problem areas and places with a lot of shine. It can help you appear to look more alert and refreshed.

5. Loving Lashes

So yeah, there’s not much time in the morning before your big exam to attach lashes, but you can still get that great eye look with a lash curler and a coat of mascara. All you’ll need to do is curl your lashes and add the mascara—and boom, done! You won’t have to bother with eye shadow or liner, and you’ll reduce the risk of smudging your makeup when you rub your stressed eyes during the exam.

6. Perfume

OK, hopefully you won’t be too stressed or late for your exam that you’ll have to skip the shower, but if you do we have you covered. Perfume is the next best thing to showering when you’re in a hurry. Just spritz a few sprays on your neck and shoulder, and then again on each wrist. Pick a perfume that has lavender or a calming fragrance. I recommend spraying it on your wrist so that the smell can calm you down during the exam.

Hairstyles

7. The Elegant Ponytail

So of course, every girls go-to hairstyle during exam week is the ponytail. But why do what everyone else is doing? Fancy your ponytail up this week by copying Blake Lively’s favorite hairstyle on Gossip Girl. All you have to do is brush your hair back and put it into a ponytail. Grab a small portion of hair that’s underneath the ponytail and wrap it around the hair tie and fix it with a bobby pin. And there you go, one extraordinarily easy ponytail but one amazingly glamorous look.

8. Side Braid Ponytail

You can thank Elsa from Frozen and Katniss from the Hunger Games on this hairstyle! Known for their bravery, sass, and tough girl attitude, these ladies’ hairstyle is the one to copy so that you can kick butt in your exams. Now this hairstyle might take you a few times to master perfectly, but trust me, it’s worth it! Start with a small french braid at the side of your hair (think behind your ear). You’ll make this braid as you would a regular french braid by collecting more hair as you make your way across to the other side of your head. Once you reach your other ear, secure the braid with a hair tie.

9. Head Wrap Ponytail

Are you sensing a theme here? We love ponytails, because let’s face it, they’re the quickest way to do your hair when you’re in a hurry. For this hairdo, trust me when I say it takes less than a minute to do. All you’ll need to do is pull your hair up in a messy ponytail, wrap a ribbon around your head, and tie a bow. Done! Pull out a few strands to really capture that messy look.

10. Dry Shampoo

Maybe you didn’t have time to give your hair a good washing the night before your exam. Well don’t worry, we have a solution: dry shampoo! I’m a big fan of dry shampoo. When I’m in a hurry and don’t have time to do much to my hair, I spray dry shampoo to give it a fresh and clean look. It works every time! And if you’re on a budget, instead of purchasing dry shampoo you could always use baby powder. Just be sure to really brush it through your hair so you don’t look like you’re going gray.

From all of the Heroes here at UnitWise, we hope you have a great exam week and that you look and feel your very best! For more interesting beauty hacks, be sure to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.