Ladies, do not lie to me. How long does it really take you to do your makeup in the morning? Is it thirty seconds, five minutes, a half hour… possibly longer? Are you a five-product devotee (foundation, eyeliner, mascara, blush, lipstick—with maybe a primer here and there), or get by on a typical day with a swipe of mascara and Chapstick? Regardless of our daily beauty schedules, all of us could use a couple of multitasking makeup tips in our lives, am I right? Of course I am. So read on for a few seriously life-changing makeup tips that can shave insanely valuable seconds (maybe even minutes for some of us) from our morning makeup routine. Because—let’s face it—we all want to sleep in (especially since How to Get Away With Murder comes on at 10 p.m! Who’s not going to stay up late to watch Viola Davis kick legal butt and take names on Thursday nights?!).
Forego Your Foundation: Yes, foundation is important, but do you need to wear it on top of your concealer? Not really. Instead, skip the foundation step and combine your concealer and moisturizer together for your very own makeshift tinted moisturizer. You’ll still come off looking rested (even after the late-night TV binge), and your skin won’t feel as heavy or cakey. That’s a triple win right there. Try Clarins’ Brightening Hydrating Day Lotion with SPF 20, $64, available at Macy’s. It will give you an all-day glow without having to get a five hundred dollar facial.
For concealers, most women have their go-to brands and formulas, but I say you can never go wrong with YSL’s Touche Éclat, $41, available at Sephora. This pen applicator is super easy (and, let’s be honest, super fun) to apply all over your face, from under-eye circles to around-the-nose redness.
Use Lipstick and Cream Blush Interchangeably: Honestly, lipstick and cream blushers pretty much do the same job. So, you only need one product to look like your most flawless self. Take a creamy or semi-matte lipstick, like Marc Jacobs’ Lovemarc Lip Gel, $30 (available at Sephora), and apply directly to the apples of your cheeks. Blend up and out with your finger (the warmth helps to evenly smooth out the color so you don’t look clownish). Then all you have to do is apply the same color to your lips so your cheek and lip colors don’t clash (we like colors Strange Magic—a warm pink—and the perfectly peachy Dizzy Spell).
Mascara as Eyeliner: Why is it that the eyeliner is always at the very bottom of our dark and overcrowded makeup bags? Well, good news is that you don’t even need it if you’ve got your trusty mascara (which, duh, of course you do) and an angled eye brush, like the 263 Small Angle Brush from MAC, $20. Just dip and line, it’s super easy. The creamy, deeply pigmented formula of your mascara will make defining your eyes a simple (not hair-tearing) step in your morning look. Don’t even worry about a shaky hand or first-timer mishaps, because you can just blend it out for a casual smoky eye!
