How to do your makeup when you feel sick and revolting but have to leave the house.

Image: 30 Rock.

After two weeks of bulk-buying supersoft tissues and yearning to sleep for 18 hours of the day, I’ve finally shaken off my first cold of the year.

It was a particularly nasty one — although several days under house arrest helped me recover from the bulk of the virus, the snuffly symptoms loitered around for days on end.

RELATED: How to cure your cold in 24 hours.

Unfortunately this meant I had to face the public with a flaky red nose, watery bloodshot eyes, and the colour completely sapped from my already pale complexion.

When you're sick, recovering should obviously be top of your priorities list. Health and happiness trump prettiness, always and forever.

However, if you do need to leave the house while you're still under the weather you'll probably want to look slightly less revolting than you feel, lest you bump into Ryan Gosling.

We're heading into sniffle season, so keep these tips in mind — and don't forget to rest up and drink water. Hint: adding fruit will up your vitamins, which can't hurt matters. (Post continues after gallery.)

1. Your flakey red nose

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is cute, but chances are you don't want to look like him. Unfortunately, your cold virus doesn't really give a damn about what you want. "Here," it'll say. "Enjoy this sore, scaley, bright red nose. It's on the house."

Healing your poor ol' nose is somewhat complicated by your need to sneeze and/or blow it every 10 minutes. For this reason it's important to stock up on the softest tissues you can get your mitts on, and put down the sandpaper (seems obvious, but according to tissue commercials some people out there are using it).

RELATED: “Will the flu vaccine give me the flu?”

In the meantime, moisturising will fight the flake. Though it seems logical to exfoliate dry, chapped skin, this will only serve to irritate your nose. Opt for a hefty moisturiser instead (adding a bit of oil can help) and keep reapplying. Use it overnight, too — I find slathering on a fat dollop of paw paw lotion as I drag my sorry self into bed helps things along nicely.

When it comes time to leave the house, applying a little bit of highly-pigmented concealer or even BB cream over moisturiser or primer will take the edge off. Any makeup artist will tell you a green-based concealer is key to reducing redness, so if you've got one put it to good use.

2. Your stoner eyes

All the congestion, disturbed sleep and general misery associated with a cold will make your eyes look like they're been watching Beaches on loop for nine hours straight.

Using eye drops will help to clear up the bloodshot look, and if the general area is puffy or red the ol' 'chilled teabags/spoons/cucumber slices over the eyes' trick is worth a shot. Be careful not to chill them too much, otherwise you could burn the skin.

RELATED: 4 easy ways to banish under-eye bags.

Frustratingly, using makeup on your eyes when they're in this watery, bloodshot state is fairly counter-productive — one little sneeze can send even the most immaculately-applied wing tips running down your cheeks.

If you simply can't resist, reach for the waterproof or tubular mascara and and eyelash curler, and lightly press some concealer under your lower eyelid. If your heart's set on eyeshadow, go for a colour that isn't in the red/purple/blue section of the colour wheel.

3. Your corpse-like complexion

Despite your claims to the contrary, no — if it's the common cold, you're probably not dying. However, a cold can certainly kill your face's healthy glow and leave you with a ghostly pallor, which is kind of the same thing.

RELATED: Got a cold? Can’t make it to the Doctor? Here’s what to do

Your skin is going to suffer until you're well again, so in the meantime put your powdered makeup away and go easy. A tinted moisturiser or BB cream will help to bring some life and dewiness back to your face and even out your skin tone.

To resuscitate your cheeks, opt for bronzer or a peach-toned cream blush — if you're flushing, you want to avoid bringing more red onto your cheeks.

If you've got a bottle of rosewater mist handy, treat yourself with the occasional spritz throughout the day — it'll cool and refresh your skin and make you feel a little less gross. Of course, if the smell of rose is only going to bring on the sneezes, don't do this.

4. Your Sahara desert lips

As if all of the above isn't enough to kill your vibe, your lips will also take a beating during a cold. When they're not being chafed by tissues as you blow your nose, they'll be dried out by the lovely combination of sneeze and snot happening in that general face region.

Keep lip balm on you at all times (the more moisturising, the better) and don't stop believing applying. (Post continues after gallery.)

There's also a good chance the colour will have largely drained from your lips, so get it back with a tinted lip gloss or balm stain.

Avoid lipstick, as it'll cling to even the slightest hint of flakey lip skin and make your mouth look even sadder. A gloss or balm will give you a nice healthy sheen, and help to maintain your moisture levels.

Choose a shade that's closer to the colour your lips would usually be — anything too bright will draw attention to any redness in your face.

Do you have any tips to add?