My 5-minutes Makeup Routine

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5 minutes makeup routine

5 minutes makeup routine

Lately I’ve been having many early mornings, when I literally have next to no time to get ready. So the usual luxury of standing around pondering which foundation to wear, which eye shadow palette to use has, under the circumstance, been thrown out the window. Replacing it is a very quick and super simple routine that requires the least amount of faffing and blending effort. The key to a quick yet effective makeup routine as I’ve discovered, is to choose your products wisely. Despite spending less than the average time it would normally take to do my makeup, I can look just as put together and polished as I would when I have more time to spare.

Step 1 Concealer: MAC Pro Longwear Concealer

I hate the packaging of this; it comes in a pump bottle (concealer in a pump bottle? mind boggling), but the result is amazing so I accept this as being a small price to pay. It gives ‘incredible’ coverage and sometimes I even consider this to be a hybrid between concealer and foundation. If you are short of time, just use one pump and blend under your eyes and on any blemishes and imperfections, and that is enough to give you an even, flawless canvas ready for the next step.

Step 2 Powder Foundation: MAC Studio Fix 

This is practically my life saver and what really saves me the most time. When you have next to no time to get ready in the morning powder foundation is your best friend. You don’t want to be faffing with liquid foundation, what with the blending and the messiness that come with it. Mac Studio Fix Powder foundation is my ultimate favourite, and it’s just a matter of pressing your brush in the powder compact, swirl it around to gather the product, and then just blend all over your face. Fuss free, mess free, done in seconds, and you get the same flawless coverage as you would with a liquid foundation.

Step 3 Eyebrows Gel: Blink Brow Build

One of my biggest pet peeves, when it comes to a makeup routine, is doing my eyebrows. It’s my least, least favourite thing to do, and what I waste the most time faffing with. So a brush-on eyebrows gel is a very quick, easy, and foolproof alternative to create a natural-looking fullness and definition without the need to be precise. My current favourite is the Brow Build from Blink, which contains miniscule fibres that mimic the appearance of thicker fuller brows with just a few brush strokes, perfect for a 5-minutes makeup.

Step 4 Mascara: Maybelline Falsie 

This is an old school, cult classic mascara that I’ve fallen back in love with. Rightly called the Falsie for the reason that it really gives your lashes that va-va-voom effect akin to wearing false eyelashes. And when you have no time for eyeshadows, having a full and luscious lashes and let your eyes do the talking really does compensate a great deal.

Step 5 Lash Line: Stila Smudge Stick waterproof eye liner

A step that you can skip altogether, but spending extra few seconds on this can make such a huge difference. Lining your upper inner waterline makes your upper lashes appear thicker and more voluminous. And as mentioned if you have no time for eyeshadows, this quick and simple step is all it takes to oomph up the definition on your eyes, making you look more polished and sophisticated.

Step 6 Blusher: NARS Orgasm

A universal blush colour that looks good on just about everybody and will suit anything and everything you wear. It’s a gorgeous peachy-pink shade that also has a golden shimmer so it can be doubled up as a highlighter, for those of us who can’t go a day without that extra boost of glow.

My go-to summer bases

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Summer Foundations

Summer Foundations

After a whole month of sucky weather in July, this weekend we were finally blessed with a much deserved gorgeous summer weather. The sun came out and it was finally warm enough to put on those skirts and summer dresses I’d been accumulating since May. But wardrobe aside, when the weather is this warm I haven’t felt the need nor inclination to wear a foundation and that’s something about summer that I really love; being able to let my skin breath.

This summer, especially on warmer days, there are only 3 base products that I’ve been rotating everyday religiously without much need for anything else. On my gym days or days that I only need to go out to do mindless chores like grocery shopping or walking the dog, Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation has been my absolute best friend. It is an all in one skincare treatment, cosmetic and SPF 30, made of high quality pigments that acts as optical diffusers to neutralise discoloration and even out any skin tone. It has an amazing formula that provides sheer coverage that turns into gorgeous glowing skin, as well as giving anti-aging benefits and sun protection . I absolutely adore No Foundation Foundation because it goes on completely weightless and undetectable and it seems to enhance and allow the natural health and glow of my skin to shine through (see my full review here).

Then comes another base product that I’ve been nothing short of ‘obsessed’ with since March when it first launched. BareMinerals Complexion Rescue can just well be one of my all time favourite base products. It’s a tinted hygrating gel cream that feels so fresh and light and moisturising whilst giving sufficient coverage like a light foundation. Normally I just use my fingers to rub it all over my face like I would apply a moisturiser but you can definitely build up the coverage by using a brush. It leaves my skin looking dewy, perfected and nourished unlike any other tinted moisturisers or BB Creams I’ve tried. Like the No Foundation Foundation, it also has SPF 30, which comes in very handy for sunny summer days.

Finally, I love MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation for being the most convenient, quick and easy to use base product ever. It’s a foundation in a form of compact powder that gives the same coverage as a liquid foundation but with a much quicker application and much lighter feel on the skin. Despite being a powder it is not at all heavy or cakey on the skin. It has a lovely texture, blends beautifully, and gives amazing buildable coverage. I use my big Real Technique powder brush to sweep and buff it all over my face and my base is done in literally 5 seconds and lasts the whole day. For me this is perfect for summer because there are days when I don’t want the feel of liquid foundation on my skin and just need something quick and easy that will provide the same coverage without having to faff too much.

What have been your go-to base products this summer?

Favourite Foundations/Bases for Spring & Summer

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Like everybody else, when it comes to Spring/Summer I can’t stand the feeling of heavy foundation and prefer to let my skin breath. My logic is that during the colder months, your skin needs extra barrier against the cold air and so heavier foundations give you that extra protective cushion. But once Spring and Summer arrive and it gets abit warmer it’s nice to finally let your skin breath and go abit bare (minus sun protection of course).

Here are my top picks in the foundation/skin base category during Spring and Summer months;

1) BareMinerals Complexion Rescue. My absolute favourite at the moment (if you’ve been following my blog for a while you’re probably tired of hearing me talking about this product by now. Apology!). Super lightweight and hydrating. Skin perfecting quality with stunning glowing/dewy finish. Personally I’ll be happy to just use this for the rest of the year.

2) Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream. I love the colour correcting quality of this cream. It really does correct and perfect your complexion and it gives a very smooth and almost matte finish. For a CC Cream it gives ‘amazing’ coverage and so I tend to reach for it on days that I want abit more coverage but don’t want the heavy feeling of a foundation on my skin.

3) YSL Le Tient Touche Eclat Foundation. For me this is one of the most comfortable liquid foundations to wear. It sits so comfortably on the skin and gives a very healthy dewy finish. I would say the coverage is light to medium and I tend to use a light layer of this and just add concealer to any problem areas if I need to. This is one of my staple foundations and I will definitely keep repurchasing it whenever I run out.

4) MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation. This is my go to foundation whenever I’m in a rush. It’s a foundation in pressed powder form and gives very decent coverage that is equal to any liquid foundations. Because it’s in a powder form it does feel lighter to the skin than regular liquid foundation. For me this is the most convenient, easy to use foundation ever; just a quick dusting with a big powder brush or a kubuki brush and you’re done. It’s absolutely perfect for days that you just want to get up and go.

5) BareMinerals Original SPF 15 Foundation. I save my all time favourite to last and it has to be the original BareMinerals foundation. Before I got into makeup I was only using this religiously every single days for years and it has done a great deal to my skin. This is a foundation in the form of loose mineral powder that has all kind of benefits and it is the only foundation that you can sleep with at night should you be too tired to remove it at the end of the day. So I also love this for when I go on a plane because I can still wear makeup and not having to worry about removing and reapplying or that it would break me out if I leave makeup on.

The way to apply this foundation can be a bit tricky if you are not used to loose powder foundation but basically I use my real technique buffing brush and just tap the powder on to the lid and swirl the brush around to gather the product. Then I tap any excess off and just start buffing it all over my face. You won’t feel ‘anything’ on your skin, it’s as if you are wearing no makeup at all, which I LOVE. But the coverage it gives is as good as any liquid foundations minus the feeling of cakiness that some foundations can give.

What’s your favourite foundation/base for Srping/Summer?