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| Bare-faced |
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| Bare-face |
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| Tinted Moisturizer Only |
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| Another shot of my makeup base |
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| My makeup base! |
Honesty is the best policy, right? So I thought for my first blog post that I would be honest: brutally honest. I wanted to show you exactly what I look like before I put makeup on (see the top two photos above). After all, we all don’t wake up with flawlessly made up faces. We all have imperfections in some form, and the ultimate goal of makeup is to cover the imperfections and present a better version of you. In the process, it can make you feel better, and it really can brighten your day. As the first photos above demonstrate, the biggest imperfection I battle with is my dark under eye circles. For me, it’s a hereditary issue from my father’s side of the family (thanks, Dad!). When I’m sick or stressed, the circles get even darker! Accordingly, my biggest challenge is to cover up the circles.
So today is Day 1 of 365 of The Great Makeup Challenge, and I was pondering how important it is to always walk out of the house with at least a ‘base’ on to cover my imperfections. Some days, it seems an impossible challenge. After all, we all have busy schedules and don’t always have the time. Not to mention the days that we hit snooze a few too many times (I know you’re with me on this!). As such, I thought the best way to kick of The Challenge is with a quick, simple five minute makeup application that will not only wake up your face and make you look presentable for the world, but it can also be crammed into your schedule before running out the door.
What you will need:
- Tinted moisturizer (I use and highly recommend Philosphy’s The Supernatural)
- Concealer; unless you’re one of the lucky ones who don’t need it! (The absolute best one I’ve ever used: Benefit Erase Paste)
- Powder (I recommend Sephora’s Mineral loose powder)
- Bronzer (I recommend Wet n Wild Ultimate Minerals Bronzer. It is cheap, but the quality is great)
- Highlighter (for a quick powder highlighter, I recommend Wet n Wild Mega Glo Illuminating Powder)
- Eyeliner (Wet n Wild Coloricon eyeliner pencils do the job, are cheap, and they last!)
- Mascara (Today, I use Beneft Bad gal Waterproof, as I knew the weather would not really help a non-waterproof!)
- Lip color, which I recommend a sheer color or gloss (I used Yves Saint Laurant Colupte Sheer Candy in 1AAB, which gives a beautiful glossy color)
Instructions:
First and foremost, a really quick base for me is tinted moisturizer in lieu of foundation. I use it during the summer when I don’t want anything heavy on my face, but I’ve also found that when you’re in a hurry you can do double duty instead of taking the time to apply foundation. Tinted moisturizer moisturizes, provides you with essential SPF, gives you an even color base, and can even skin tone (Philosophy’s The Supernatural acts like a primer, smoothing your skin out beautifully). The center photo above features just an add on of tinted moisturizer, and you can always see the skin evening our and improvement in my under eye circles. Total time for application of tinted moisturizer = 30 seconds.
Second, I dabbed concealer underneath my eyes to help cover up my dark under eye circles. Of course, everyone else can use concealer for variety of reasons such as covering up redness, acne, under eye circles or any other imperfections that you want to blend into the rest of your face. Or, if not needed, skip this step altogether. Total time for application of concealer = 45 seconds.
Third, I did a quick dusting of loose powder over my entire face to help set everything and control shine throughout the day. Total time for application of powder = 15 seconds.
I will digress momentarily to discuss an issue that I see time and time again. Let’s remember that our skin does not suddenly end at our jaw line, and therefore a sold line of makeup along the jaw is not necessary! I always blend my tinted moisturizer (foundation, powder, etc.) down my neck and slightly over to the ears. First, with regard to the tinted moisturizer, one of the most overlooked areas for SPF protection is the neck, and that’s one of the areas where we see signs aging. Apart from that, blending past the jaw line helps the face to appear like it belongs with the rest of the body, looking more natural.
Moving back to today’s challenge, my fourth step was to take black eyeliner and do a quick line along my upper lash line of each eye. A quick swipe it all it takes. I used black eyeliner, but you can utilize any color you want. Be creative! Total time for application of eye liner = 30 seconds.
Fifth, I swiped a quick coat of mascara on my lashes. This really helps to make the eyes really open up and give it a subtle, natural look. Total time for application of mascara = 30 seconds.
Sixth, I moved on to my cheeks and the rest of my face in order to warm up my complexion, giving a bit of warmth and definition with contouring. To contour my cheeks, I sucked in my cheeks, and using an angled brush blended my bronzer (as my contour shade) under the cheekbones from the hairline to the hollow of the cheeks halfway down my cheekbone. I then applied a powder highlighter along the top of the cheekbone from above the hollow to the temple. This was followed by applying a powder blush with a soft brush to the apples of my cheeks. I did a quick finger blending to soften the look. Total time for application for bronzer, highlighter, and blush: 1.5 minutes
Seventh (and lastly), to finish off the look, I did a quick swipe of sheer lipstick, which gave the lips a subtle pop of color. In my case, I chose a sheer glossy lipstick that almost looks like a natural lip color. Of course, you could always put on a lipstick or lip gloss. However, take heed that I find a matte lipstick takes a more time to apply to ensure your accuracy. Therefore, my super quick and easy option is a good sheer lipstick or a lip gloss. You can even do it as you’re running out the door! Total time for application of sheer lipstick = 10 seconds
Total application time: 4 minutes, 10 seconds.
As you can see from the bottom two photos above, my final overall look is a quick natural look that hides my imperfections and lack of sleep! It brings out the better version of me and takes five minutes or less!
Tip: If you find yourself in need of Five Minute Wake-Up Makeup often, you may want to consider making your own ‘emergency’ kit. Essentially, take the products that I’ve described above and put them aside in a separate bag (or cabinet, case, etc.). This way, if you’re going to wake up late or be in a hurry, you know that all the items you need are one quick bag. Just grab, apply, and go! After all, the last thing you want when you’re in a hurry is to have to dig to find what you’re need, which may have you spending more time hunting than applying the makeup itself!
So give the Five Minute Wake-Up Makeup a whirl, whether you are in a hurry or not, and share your experiences with me, either on my blog or Email Me!
See you tomorrow for Day 2 of The Great Makeup Challenge!
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