Makeup for Busy People: Moms!

For those of us who like our beauty sleep before work in the morning or for those of us who have some industrious little offspring, perfecting a quick, simple makeup routine is important. Today I'm going to share with you a basic makeup regimen that will make you look well rested and put together. We're only using the very fewest products to make it as cheap and fast as possible! 

You will need:

• a nude or white eyeliner safe for use in the waterline
• a black or brown eyeliner
• mascara
• foundation or a tinted moisturizer, depending on the condition of your skin
• a double duty concealer or separate concealer for the under eye area or skin

Before. Scary, sleep deprived and over run by an inordinate amount of freckles.

The most important part of your routine is starting with a decent, moisturizing skincare regimen. I'm not going to go into the details of my skincare regimen today, but know this: if you start with great skin, everything falls into place. If you're one of the normal people (i.e. not blessed with perfect, goddess-like glowing skin), you need to begin with a foundation or tinted moisturizer depending on the coverage you need. If you aren't using eyeshadow, I would start with skin first. You don't have to deal with fallout on the skin, or worry about having to clean up your application. We're going for simple, here! An excellent foundation to use is Revlon's colorstay makeup. It is a tried and true favorite that comes in many shades, lasts, and has buildable coverage. If you have great skin and just need a little bit of a boost, I suggest Laura Mercier's tinted moisturizer. This is on the pricier side, but it lasts long and I find it's quality unparalleled. It is a beauty blogger favorite!

• Apply your foundation however you choose. I find that using a brush or a sponge wastes product. If I use my fingers (CLEAN FINGERS), the product warms and therefore blends with the skin easier. Experiment with your foundation of choice and find the coverage you need. Make sure you blend it into your neckline so it looks natural and there is no line of demarcation. Companies like Ulta will let you return the product after you open it-- that is license to try, try, try until you find a color that looks natural and is long lasting!
  
  

  

  After foundation and concealer. Under eye circles and skin discoloration diminished.

• The next step is to apply any concealer you need to use. If you have a raised blemish, sometimes using a brush is better because it gets into the crevices around the blemish better. You may need to use several applications. I suggest buying an expensive, double duty concealer if you spend a lot of money on one product. I find that Makeup Forever's waterproof concealer is unparalleled. It is creamy, you need the smallest amount, and it doesn't budge. The makeup EXPIRES before I use all of it. That's over a year. Totally worth the money. Cover blemishes, and lightly dab on the under eye area and then blend to hide any dark spots. We aren't going to bother with blush, because it is an additional unnecessary step a lot of days. Also, if you're not good at applying it, you could easily end up looking like a clown.

• Now comes the piece de resistance. THIS is will what will make you look wide awake! It will make your eyes look larger and more alert, and also tone down redness. Use your nude eyeliner, and line your lower waterline. You can find multiple makeup companies that have one of these including Tarte, Smashbox, NYX and Mac. This involves a lot of faith in yourself that you won't poke your eye. Gently pull down your lower eyelid and use the pencil to line your newly sharpened pencil. A nice pencil sharpener will evenly sharpen the pencil so no jabby wooden bits stab you. 
  
  
  
  

• Next, I would only line the upper lash line (remember, we're short on time) with a silky, waterproof pencil. I prefer Revlon luxurious color eyeliner. Use a black color for a more stark look, or a brown one for something more natural. Press the pencil gently into the upper lash line if you can so that your eyelashes look thicker.
  
  

  

  After applying nude eyeliner. Looking less tired already!

• Lastly, swipe on your mascara! A couple of coats will make your eyes look nice and wide. I have tried a LOT of mascara. Like every mascara in existence. This is not something that you have to spend buku bucks on to get a great product. Maybelline Full & Soft Thick & Healthy mascara provides amazing, non clumpy, buildable length. Additionally, the product isn't waterproof BUT I use it throughout a half hour, sweaty workout every day and it does not run. And I have lovely, soft eyelashes, too!
  
  

  

  Finally looking put together! No redness in the inner rim where the nude color was applied. Eyes look much clearer and awake!

  
  
   So there you have it! This is the least bit of makeup I would put on if I had a social gathering, or a workday. If you do this, you will look put together with very minimal makeup. As you get better at application, you will be able to do this in fifteen minutes or maybe even less. I would typically also include some eyebrow grooming and filling, but again we're going for quick and easy. I hope this is helpful for busy moms, and people looking for tried and true products so they don't waste money. Good luck!
  
  

Huge difference. Skin looks clearer and healthier, eyes look more alert and clear.