We have all been there… waking up from a great night’s sleep and then realising that you’ve missed your alarm! It’s such an awful feeling and leaves barely any time for choosing an outfit, let alone going through a long-winded makeup routine.
So, with time most definitely not on your side, here is a quick and simple makeup routine to help you feel confident, beautiful and ready for the day ahead:
Skin: base layer
Everyone has their own preference when it comes to using foundations, BB creams, CC creams etc., so use whichever one works best for you.
Start with a clean, moisturised face. The first step is super quick and easy, but is also the most important for ensuring even and flawless-looking skin.
Foundation
There are two options here:
1) If you have problem skin, you may want to apply a thin layer of foundation over your entire face and blend well to ensure all-over coverage; or 2) if you have quite good skin, you could just apply a small amount of foundation to the areas that need it (this will save you time as well!).
CC Cream
‘CC’ (Colour Correcting) cream is a great product to use when you’re in a rush. It’s subtle, easy to apply and contains light diffusing particles to reduce any redness in your skin and give you a soft, dewy glow.
Simply apply evenly all over your face using either your fingers, a sponge or a brush for beautiful looking skin in no time at all.
Skin: concealer
Let’s face it, we are probably at our least glamorous first thing in the morning – bed hair, puffy eyes and dark circles. Which is why concealer is a huge saviour in any morning routine – especially when you’re in a rush. Concealer is great because it gives maximum results with minimum effort.
It’s important to mention that for your concealer to be able to really work it’s magic – it should be a couple of shades lighter than your base (foundation) shade. Simply dot the concealer on under your eyes/in any problem areas and pat it gently into your skin using a beauty blender or your ring finger. This will help to lighten any dark areas and make you look wide awake!
Skin: bronzer
Bronzer is an absolute must for adding definition to your face, especially when you don’t have time for a full Kim K contour session!
You can use either shimmery or matte bronzer, depending on the look you want to achieve – if you want a glowing and summery look – shimmery bronzer is the one to use. Whereas, if you have quite shiny skin already – a matte bronzer may be more up your street.
Just pop some bronzer onto your makeup brush and then apply it sparingly onto these specific areas of your face: the top of your forehead, along your cheekbones and along your jawline (like a ‘3’ on one side of your face and an ‘E’ on the other). This is a really quick way to add a healthy colour and some definition to your face in no time at all!
Eyes: mascara
Mascara is another makeup bag essential – out of everything you have in your cosmetic bag, it’s probably the only one you could not live without. So, applying mascara is an important step in this routine as it will make your eyes appear more open and your lashes look fuller and longer.
Quick tip: using an eyelash curler before you apply your mascara will make your eyes look even better and much more awake.
Brows
The style of your eyebrows can dramatically alter the shape of your face and they really make a difference to your appearance. But you’re probably wondering why eyebrows are included in a post about a quick and simple makeup routine – it takes ages pencilling, filling and carving your brows, right? Well, not really.
Ok, so eyebrows can be quite time consuming and getting them perfectly even can prove to be a real challenge at times. But sometimes, even small changes to your brows can have a really positive effect on your appearance.
When you are in a rush in the morning, quickly applying some brow powder to fill in any sparse areas can make a real difference. Or if you already have quite dark, thick brows – you can just brush them into shape with a spoolie brush to tidy them up.
Lips
Lipstick and lip gloss are great for adding a finishing touch to your makeup and bringing your whole look together with a splash of colour.
Ensure you try to keep your lips moisturised generally as this will make your lipstick appear smoother. However, if you have quite dry lips, you may wish to apply a little lip balm at this point. Then, find your good old faithful lipstick/lip gloss shade that you feel most confident wearing and apply it evenly to your lips.
Suggested read: How to Prep Your Lips for Matte Lipstick
And that’s it, you’re done…
Simply beautiful!