As a mom of an exuberant toddler, with many activities, like playgroups and preschool, I often don’t have time for a long beauty regimen. But I’ve found with just a few products that I already have, I can look pretty and polished, in under 10 minutes, with just 5 simple steps!
1. Prep and protect your skin
Even if you’re in a hurry, it’s still important to apply a facial cream with SPF and an undereye cream. This will help to protect your skin as well as providing a great base for makeup. Daily Moisturizer with SPF from the L’Oreal Skin Genesis line is a good lotion with SPF and anti-aging properties.
Oil of Olay Definity Eye Illuminator is an amazing undereye cream that helps to diminish dark circles and illuminate the eye area.
Another great time-saver is tinted moisturizers. Stila Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 15 , will give you a beautiful, luminous finish.
2. Conceal
To appear polished and well rested, you need to cover up any dark circles, redness, and blemishes.
Maybelline’s Instant Age Rewind Double Face Protector is a multi-purpose product. One end contains a concealer, and the other, a highlighter. Use your finger to apply and blend the highlighter under your eyes, and the concealer on any blemishes or redness. If your undereyes are really dark, use the concealer end first, and then top it with the highlighter.
If you’re face is more on the oily side or if you prefer a matte look, apply loose face powder to your entire face. This will also help to set your concealer. Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil is a great product and provides a flawless and natural finish, but any face powder will work.
3. Add some color
To give your face some color, apply either some blush or bronzer on the apples of your cheeks, and then lightly under your cheekbones, toward your ears, blending well. You don’t want to end up with harsh blush lines. NARS Blush Orgasm is an addictive pretty peachy-pink shade that works for most everyone.
4. Make your eyes sparkle
A basic look for the eyes that anyone can do, is just to swipe a shimmery neutral shadow across your lids. Bare Escentuals bareMinerals Glimmer Nude Beach is a gorgeous shimmery sand color, but any neutral shadow will do. And then finish the look with one coat of mascara.
5. Gloss your lips
The last step is lip color! For moms on the go, I would recommend a long-lasting gloss in a neutral or light color. The color will last all day, and you can reapply the glossy topcoat as needed. I really like Maybelline’s Superstay Gloss.
And now you’re ready to face the day!
–Tyler Alexander
Thanks beauty snobs! These are also great tips for those of us still in college, for those days when you wake up 10 minutes before class but don’t want to look totally slob.
It’d be nice if you would have showed us the results of this look, we like visuals
I love how you specify the products, it makes it easier for me to shop for nice tried and true colors, a nice guidance!
Love these tips! I agree that skincare – with a moisturizer with SPF and eye cream – are essential. After this step, if I had time for only one cosmetic (and if I didn’t NEED concealer – ha, I’m working on that one) it would be blush. Flushed cheeks look so awake.
This is very true, and such a good guide. I swear by Tinted Moisturizers (Laura Mercier, Stila and Bobbi Brown do the best ones). And I just love a touch of bronzer to get that summery look.
what do you think the best way to apply the stila illuminating? i use a sponge but i may be wiping most of it off…help!
hi! Thanks for the tips. do you have any recommendations for tinted moisturizers without any parabens?
BE’s mineral veil is godsent! it really sets my makeup and keeps that my face nice & matte for a good long while. a little bit of nars blush also goes a long long way. well worth the money (:
Diane,
I just use my fingers. I find it does the job better. And I do it in front of the mirror to make sure it’s even and blended along the jaw line.
Shelby,
I don’t off the top of my head, but a good tip is to take any Mineral Foundation (I use Bare Escentuals and mix it in with your favorite regular face lotion.
Hope that helps!
Beauty Snob Tyler