My Quick Six Minute Makeup Routine

I have fond memories of hearing my mother say that she was not ready to start her day until she’d “put her face on”. I remember thinking what an odd expression it was, but it was pretty self-explanatory. The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree because I don’t feel ready to start my day until I’ve put my makeup on too… Whether I am going out or not.

Some days I get creative and experiment with new techniques and colors, but for most of my days, its a quick six minutes, and I’m done.

Here’s my routine:

Tinted Sunscreen

I’m one of those women who never found the perfect foundation, and it wasn’t for lack of trying… 🙂 My daughter always ribs me for never being satisfied with any foundation and she’s right. Either the color seemed off, the product gravitated to my lines which made them stand out, or it made my face look cakey. I was introduced to tinted sunscreen and never looked back. I have two favorites that I interchange and sometimes mix together. This Elta MD one is a bit sheerer than this one, but both add a subtle wash of color that blends in beautifully.

Eyebrows

I don’t know about you but my eyebrows are getting sparser and wispier by the day. I’m not brave enough to try microblading so I have to fill them in. They are the frames to my eyes and without them enhanced, I look naked no matter how much eyeshadow I’m wearing. I’ve been using Anastasia brow products for years and love them! I go back and forth between this pomade and this pencil but currently, it’s the pencil because it’s the quickest to use and fills them in nicely. I use the taupe in both.

Lipstain

I’ve used this stay-on Lip Fixation from Jane Iredale for years! It has color on one side and gloss on the other. It’s funny, but I never, ever, use the gloss! I wish they sold it individually. The good news is it never ever rubs off on the inside of my mask and acts as the perfect base for every lipstick I wear. It never dries out my lips and the color “Fascination” is a natural rosey shade on me. After it dries, I often add a lip pencil which gives it extra staying power and definition around my lips.

Blush

I prefer a cream blush for my dryer skin and have two favorites I alternate. This Kjaer Weiss is a gorgeous consistency and color (I use “Romance”) in a refillable case. This Ilia is a multi-use stick in “At Last” which I often use on my lips too. Be sure you apply your blush along the cheekbone in an upsweeping direction. Applying it on the apples of your cheeks is “old school” and very aging on mature faces.

Eye pencil

I’ve been experimenting with new eye pencils lately because most of them seem to lack something I need. I was a big fan of Urban Decay eye pencils until the I had two leads fall out. After trying multiple other pencels I’ve gone back to it the Urban Decay in a deep-taupe matte gray called “Desperation” because:

• they’re available in an amazing range of colors
• they are very soft so they never tug on my lid
• they are water-resistant which is mandatory during my allergy flair ups.

The gal at Ulta thinks it happened because they got old and dried out. I don’t know but I am willing to give them another try.

Eyeshadow

I don’t get too creative with color here and never have. I want people to notice the color of my eyes not the color of my shadow so I always use a soft, neutral taupe. I buy kits with cool tones and never too many. My current favorite is this one in Nude Fair. I sweep the palest color over my entire lid, then the medium color in the crease of my eye and the darkest color just on the outside of my eye. I occasionally use a narrow brush to use the darkest color over the pencil but not always.

Mascara primer and mascara

I curl my eyelashes and apply a thin coat of lash primer followed by two coats of mascara. As mentioned, my new favorite is navy, which many of you discovered before I did:). I am currently using this primer, but when it’s empty, I’ll go back to this one because it’s a tinier tube. No other reason, which may seem silly, but there you have it.

Concealer

Finally, I swipe a small amount of this concealer under my eyes and dab it on any little spots then smooth it in with this brush. I’ve been loyal to this concealer for many years because:

• the color is perfect for me (Fair)
• it’s very creamy so never tugs on my skin
• its tiny brush allows me to dab in on tight spots my finger would make a mess of

That’s it! Easy, peasy and gets me ready to face the day…bad pun:)

Would you be interested in see a video of how I apply this routine?

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