5 Minute Face: Makeup Tips

Part of making my “comeback” includes making sure I don’t go out in public looking like a zombie. Most moms do it once in a while. I am often guilty during school drop-off when I think no one can see me in my car. Other than that, I’m trying to put on a fresh face for the world to see. As with most busy moms, I don’t want to spend 20-30 minutes “putting my face on.”

So, I came up with what I call, “The 5 Minute Face.” Within 5 minutes, the goal is to look like a better version of myself with minimal makeup. As a budget conscious mom, less makeup means less money spent on these products as well. So, let’s get started with the lesson, shall we?

Step One – Moisturize

Start with a fresh, clean face. Apply your favorite moisturizer. Mine is Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture. You may want to change your moisturizer depending on the time of year. In the summer, I tend to get very oily, so I always use a light oil free makeup. (Picture A)

Step Two – Concealer

Select a cream or powder concealer that is a bit lighter than your skin tone to help minimize trouble spots. Lately I am using a powder concealer with a small brush to cover trouble zones like under my eyes, around my nose and where I may have a few blemishes. I find that the powder concealer works well UNDER the full-face powder, but liquid concealer actually works better dabbed and blended OVER foundation. The only concealer I recommend to go UNDER foundation would be a green or yellow color correction type.

Step Three – Foundation

Select a foundation that matches your skin tone or is even a little lighter. A foundation that is darker will make you look like you are wearing a mask. Be sure to blend down into your neckline as well. For summer, I am really loving a Clinique Blended Face Powder. After applying my concealer, I blend a lighter layer of the powder all over my face. (Picture B).

Step Four – Bronzer

Especially for summer, I apply Physicians Formula Powder Light Bronzer. The rule of thumb is to blend a bit of bronzer on your face where the sun would hit it (across the forehead, lightly on the nose, cheeks and chin). I find a light bronzer is even nice almost all year long to maintain a healthy glow. I just select a lighter color for the cooler months of the year. (Picture C)

Step Five – Blush

I am LOVING the multi-colored blushes that have come out recently. They provide a more natural color without looking like you have one splash of color on your cheeks. In my example, I actually used a super cheap Wet-n-Wild brand. I apply on the apples of my cheeks and just a dab on my chin and blend lightly all over as well. (Picture D)

Step Six – Mascara

I don’t know about you, but mascara is the key element to make my eyes look bright and awake. Notice the difference between photo 1 and 4? No matter how “waterproof” or “smudgeproof” a mascara claims to be, I still end up with racoon eyes. The solution for me is Blinc MascaraThis mascara actually creates a tube around your lashes so once it’s dry, it will not flake or smudge. (Picture D)

Step Seven – Lip color

I like a natural looking lip. Lately, I like the REVLON Colorburst Lip Butter. I also apply a neutral lip color, close to my own, followed by a gloss. In this case, I used a Revlon lipstick and a Neutragena gloss. (Picture D – all done!)

While this process is seven steps, it is really quick. I can often apply everything in less than 5 minutes. What do you think? What makeup tips do you have? Share them in a comment.

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