Guide to Owning It!

Let’s be honest, not everyone has 30+ minutes to put on their makeup every day.

I love the artistry of makeup, so I don’t mind getting up a little earlier and spending the extra time to achieve a certain look….that being said, I have the luxury of time…as I don’t have kids.

Mom’s are often so focused on taking care of their kids, that they forget the importance of doing things just for themselves.  Even just spending 5 minutes doing something, like applying makeup, that makes you feel good about yourself can make all the difference in your overall happiness and self-worth.

I’m definitely not saying that women “need” makeup to feel good, however, if you do enjoy putting on makeup and/or just like the way it makes you look….why should you have have to give that up when you have kids?  Well…you don’t with my 5 minute makeup routine.

I’d like to thank my friend Eva Shortt, the owner of Modern Mommy Events, for inspiring this blog!

5 Minute Makeup Routine

If I only had 5 minutes to get ready, here’s what I would do to make the biggest impact.  I’ve included a couple photos of makeup looks I created using these steps below, along with the product links.  

Step #1:  Moisturizer
Every day, no matter if you are applying makeup or not, no matter if you have dry or oily skin, you should ALWAYS apply moisturizer.  “Moisturizing your face will help you to look and feel younger, you will have softer, more elastic skin, and it will keep your skin hydrated” (from specialistsindermatology.com).  I just apply some to the tips of my fingers and rub it in all over my face and neck.

Step #2:  Eyeshadow Primer
I bet that most of you are surprised to see this one on my list!  Primer extends the life of eye shadow, keeps the eye shadow in place, and makes it glide on smoother.  Therefore, applying a primer will save you time overall as application is easier/quicker and you won’t need to reapply (or worry about ugly creasing) throughout the day.  If there is an applicator in the product (like Urban Decay Primer Potion), I apply a bit of product on my eyelids and pat it with my finger all over the lid and upwards toward my under eyebrows.  If it is just a squeeze tube (like Too Faced Shadow Insurance) I squeeze a tiny bit on my middle finger, and then pat it on. The primer will dry while you do step #3.

Step #3:  Foundation
Due to limited time, I would suggest using a mineral powder foundation (like bareMinerals SPF15 Foundation).  Many of them apply easily with a dense brush and give you medium coverage.  Although liquid foundation lasts longer, the mineral powder is a great option for a quick makeup routine (and you don’t have to worry about streaks).

Step #4:  Eye Shadow
There are two options you can do if you want a quick eye look:

1. Cover the entire eyelid with a multi- dimensional mousse eyeshadow.  Dab your middle finger into the eye shadow and place it onto your eyelid.  Then take a synthetic fluffy eye shadow brush and blend into the crease (ie. move the brush back and forth lightly in your crease) to remove any harsh lines/edges.
2. Place a darker shadow on the outer 1/3 of your eyelid and a lighter shade on the inner 2/3 and then blend where the colours meet and in the crease with a fluffy brush.  I would suggest using satin or shimmer (not glitter or matte) shadows as they generally blend easier.  You can do this with MANY combinations of colours beige/brown, peach/plum, gold/black….etc.

Step #5:  Mascara
Coat the top and bottom lashes with a mascara from root to tip.  As I have dark hair, I always use black ones, but if you are fair, you can use brown.
(click here to see my “Luscious Lashes” post with my tips, tricks, and favourite mascaras)

Step #6:  Blush
Apply blush with a medium fluffy brush on the apples of your cheeks and blend it up and out towards your temples.  If you would like to save even more time, select a mousse blush as you can easily apply it with your fingers (like Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush).

Step #7:  Lipstick
If you don’t have more then 5 minutes to apply makeup, you definitely don’t have time to reapply lipstick throughout the day.  Therefore, when it comes to lipstick, I would suggest one of the following:

1. Use a liquid lipstick – all you need is one coat and it lasts all day (assuming you don’t eat alot of greasy foods).
2. Use a tinted lip balm/gloss so that if it goes away, it’s barely noticeable.  And, if you do want to reapply, you can do so without a mirror because of the sheerness.

The possibilities are endless!

Here are four examples each completed in 5 minutes following the steps above:

Eye Shadows:  Chamois Nude and Cinnamon Stone by Coastal Scents
Mascara:  Buxom Lash Mascara (my review)
Blush:  Love Hangover by Too Faced
Lipstick:  Soft Spoken NYX Liquid Suede

 

 

 

Eye Shadow:  DGAF by Colourpop
Mascara:  Mad Lash by theBalm
Blush:  Baby Love from Too Faced
Lipstick:  Plumas by Ofra Cosmetics

 

 

 

 

Eye Shadow:  Sin and Hustle from the Urban Decay Naked Palette
Mascara: X-Rated by Smashbox
Blush:  Pink Swoon by Mac Cosmetics
Lipstick:  Succulent Colourpop Ultra Matte  (my review)

 

 

 

Eye Shadow:  Static by Colourpop (my review)
Mascara:  Voluminous by L’Oreal  Paris (my review)
Blush:  Your Love is King from Too Faced
Lipstick:  Tulle Colourpop Ultra Matte  (my review)

 

 

 

 

Have an extra couple minutes to spare?

These are steps you can add into the above if you have more then 5 minutes:

Step #4A:   Concealer
This is an extra step you can do to help remove any under dark under eye circles or blemishes.  I would suggest applying this with your fingers or product wand/applicator and blending it in with a sponge after you apply your eye shadow to help remove any fallout while concealing under your eyes.

Step #4B:  Eye Liner
I LOVE BLACK EYE LINER!  Black eye liner is a staple for me.  I  have found that liquid eye liners are the easiest to apply and last the longest.  I highly suggest the NYX Matte Liquid Liner. The toughest part of applying eye liner is the inner and outer corner…so you know what I say?  Skip it!  Start about a centimeter in from the inner corner and draw a line along your upper lash line outwards towards the end of your eye lid. No need for a fancy wing when you only have 5-8 minutes!

Step #5A:  Eyebrows
I’m lucky to have thick eyebrows (well lucky because I don’t “need” to darken them, but unlucky cause the tweezing is endless).   That being said, I still mold and darkening my eyebrows as it frames my eyes better and makes them pop.  I find that the fastest most effective way is with a brow shadow applied with an angle brush (like Quo Brow Focus) or with a mascara type applicator (like Benefit Gimme Brow ) to darken and manipulate the direction of your lashes.

Here’s an example of my makeup with and without these three “add-ons”.
There isn’t a huge different but it does make my eyes pop and look more awake.

Eye shadow:  Fireball and Backfire by Urban Decay
*Eyeliner:  NYX Matte Liquid Liner.
*Eyebrows: Quo Brow Focus and Benefit Gimme Brow
*Concealler: Maybelline Age Rewind Dark Circle Concealer
Mascara:  Voluminous Feline Mascara by L’Oreal
Blush:  Healthy Rose by Sephora
Lipstick:  Finders Keepers Ultra Glossy by Colourpop
(*only in the right side photo)

Do you have any 5 minute makeup tips?  If so, please share them in the comments below.  I’m always looking for new ideas 🙂 

(For full disclosure, please note that a couple of the links are shopstyle affiliate links.  I want to re-assure you that the featured products were not selected on that basis.  I figured that if the products are available at other places for the same price, why not select ones that reward me so I can buy more products to review for you! )