Tips on beating the cold or flu

If you're like me, you will notice that everyone around you seems to be coughing, sneezing or sniffling. Whether you have been sick yourself or the people around you are full of the germs, it can definitely be an awful feeling. I think the worse has to be when taking any sort of public transportation, and the strangers around you that you are packed like sardines with, are spreading the germs that you know you cannot avoid for the life of you! 

Here are some things I have done whenever I feel sick to help get me out of that funk. I have also included a makeup look for those of you who are still feeling under the weather, but have to either go out or to work, and you don't want to look like a zombie and put yourself together a bit better. 

1. Staying hydrated with tea, water or honey.

 

My definite go to's are David's Tea - Organic Cold 911. It contains eucalyptus, peppermint, apple, juniper berries and a hint of orange flavoring. This tea is marked in their "cold fighting tea" section and I live by it. It is rather strong with the eucalyptus and peppermint, so if you are not used to it, I'd suggest a smaller amount of tea for your first cup to see how you would like to adjust the strength of flavoring. This almost reminds me of vicks, it opens up your clogged sinuses and just feels so good.

Next, if you have more of a sore throat, I'd recommend Bravissimo. It has licorice root, rosehips, chamomile, orange peel, goji berries, and peppermint. Notice that this and the Organic Cold 911 both have peppermint? It really helps clear the stuffy feeling you have. The chamomile is relaxing and often I drink pure chamomile tea if I want to unwind, or even if my stomach is acting up.

Echinicea Tea is a staple, you can get it at any health food store or grocery store. Echinicea is an herb that is commonly used to fight infections like the first sign of a cold, or shorten the duration of upper respiratory infections. I find that Echinicea is best taken when you feel that scratch or discomfort in your throat in attempt to surpress the potential of a full blown infection.

Honey is a great option. I have been taught that if you get a good quality Manuka Honey, just ingesting a small teaspoon of pure Manuka Honey can help with any throat discomfort. I didn't have any Manuka Honey with me this time, but I tried this before at my parents and it really helps!

Finally, what has really helped my husband and I this flu season (we were both out with a cold, his was for a bit over a week, mine was for 3..yes, 3 weeks). was the Citron Tea. You can typically find this at asian grocery stores or for those of you in Toronto, those Chinese Medicinal stores at Pacific Mall or Market Village. The Citron Tea is made from honey and Yuzu. You combine 1-2 tablespoons with hot water and sip. It's best if you eat the peel too. It's sliced really thinly so it won't be bitter. I forgot about Citron Tea til my husband got sick, and I bought a jar and we went through one who one and opened a second one. It really helped me out, soother my throat and boosted that vit. C.

Obviously, if you have a giant mug to hold that liquid in, the better it is so you can just sit back with your blankey and not have to worry about getting up constantly to refill your cup. 

2. Take your Vitamins! 

3. Avoid spicy or deep fried foods that can aggravate your throat.

4. Rest. I am so guilty of this, I will even try to go to work, until I finally get sent home because my coworkers want to avoid me like the plague. There is nothing better for you then getting LOTS of rest.
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Alright...onto the "look" potion of this post. While I understand that alot of you will think it's crazy to even attempt to put any makeup on while you're sick, sometimes you just have to. For example, those days when you already took 5 days off work, yet you're still not feeling 100% better but you gotta go back in and want to avoid looking completely ghastly, here's a few simple things you can do. 

I included a picture below from last week, when I was ill, my before and after. VERY subtle differences, but I just threw on some tinted moisturizer to give me some color to my pale sickly complexion, a good salmon colored concealer to hide the blueish panda eyebags, and some mascara and a cream blush and some gloss. No eyeliner, no contouring, no bronzer and definitely no eyeshadows or fanciness. This is honestly just a bit of oomph to help you look a bit more put together.
left: before / right: after
as you can see, very subtle changes

Left: Estee Lauder Sheer Tint Release moisturizer - I have only been able to find this at The Bay and not at Sephora. I found out about this product from watching PixiWoo's videos on YouTube. This is a tinted moisturizer that comes in a greyish white color, when you rub it it feels like kinda grainy, but those are actually the self-adjusting color beads. You can apply this with your fingers, however I use the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. It self-adjusts to your skin tone and more, it gives you a slight glow and it's great. However, I would not recommend this to those of you who have really fair porcelain skin as it MAY come out orange toned on you. I'd say on a MAC scale, NC/NW 20+ is fine. You can always return the product though if it doesnt work for you, according to the sales girls at The Bay.

If you have those pesky panda dark eye circles, I'd recommend taking a good orange/salmon toned concealer and putting it on - that will counter your dark circles! I recommend the SKIN FOOD Salmon Darkcircle Concealer.


 Finally, here's a picture of the makeup I used on my face. A cream blush (soft natural look), a good curling mascara, the MAC shadow was what I used to fill my brows in a bit, and the left circular container is the Laura Mercier brightening powder that I used for setting my undereye concealer. Top it off with a light pink gloss or lipchap and you're good to go.

This look took me about 5-8 minutes to complete. Quick and Simple!

I hope all of these tips help you out or give you some ideas :)

Until next time, XO - M!

2 comments

  1. Love this post! You always have great teas. Really loving these "sick days but have to go to work" make up looks. Super easy!

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    Replies
    1. lol totally need it this week coming up for sure...

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