While having the right beauty products in your arsenal is key for looking awake, the pros advise that it’s just as important to focus on the right colors and application to create the illusion of alertness.

Carl Ray, the personal makeup artist for first lady Michelle Obama, told Washingtonian Magazine that applying lengthening mascara just to the top lashes gives a fresher, more alert look. Open up the eye even further by pressing a curler at the lashline, in the middle of the lashes and at the ends and sealing with a layer of lengthening mascara. Also, Ray noted that a dab of concealer on the inner corner of the eye and next to the nose can make you look like you’ve gotten a good night’s sleep.

Pale and nude lip tones can look blah. Carola Meyers, voted “Best Makeup Artist” by Washingtonian Magazine, advises kicking up the lip color a notch with a vibrant shade to help perk things up.

Makeup artist Kimberly Steele suggests applying cream or white shimmer shadow in the inner corner of eyes and at the brow bone. Avoid eyeliners and shadows in pink or reddish hues, as they will only bring out the redness in your eyes. Alternatively, green or blue tones can counteract that redness. Tim Quinn, celebrity makeup artist for Giorgio Armani Beauty, told Oprah Magazine that a beige liner along the lower lash line does a better job or neutralizing redness than black or white.