When you have children, it is amazing how many everyday things that we do without a second thought, seem to vanish into thin air. For me and many other Mums, time becomes our enemy and as we often tend to put ourselves last, we don’t always have time for things like popping on some makeup in the morning.
Sick of having dark circles under my eyes and dull skin, I came up with a five-minute makeup look. Which, I hope, will help you as much as it did me to feel fresh, bright and awake (even if it is a pretence) and ready to face the day. The best bit is you only need a few items to achieve this look which also helps the budget:
- Tinted moisturiser or foundation whichever you prefer. You can also make a tinted moisturiser by squirting a little of your foundation and moisturiser onto the back of your hand and mixing them together
- Concealer a couple of shades lighter than your tinted moisturiser/foundation
- Mascara
- Blush
- Lipstick, lip gloss or lip balm again whichever is your favourite
Step 1
Using your hands, pop on some tinted moisturiser or foundation onto your moisturised skin. Dot the foundation onto your face and then blend into your skin with your fingers. Don’t forget to blend around your hairline, jaw and slightly down your neck so there are no harsh lines. Then rub your hands together to make them warm and then gently press them all over the face to help sink the foundation into the skin to make it look fresh and natural.
Step 2
Take a concealer that is a couple of shades lighter than your tinted moisturiser/foundation and dab a little under your eyes where you need it. This lighter shade will help brighten the undereye area and help cover those dark circles. Using your ring finger gently blend in the concealer tapping it into place. Then with whatever is left on your fingers take the remaining concealer across your eyelids. This will brighten your eyes and give a lovely lift without having to use any eyeshadow. (Optional ? if you like to use a setting powder, place a light dusting over the undereye area and anywhere else you might get shiny through the day e.g. forehead or chin)
Step 3
Take your favourite mascara and give your lashes a lovely coating. If you are wanting a more dramatic look you can add a couple more coats to make your lashes really stand out.
Step 4
Using your favourite blush (I love a good rosy pink colour with a hint of shimmer), smile and place some on the apple of your cheeks either using a brush or a makeup sponge. If you are using a cream blush you can use your fingers to blend into your cheeks. If you feel that you have put too much on just use your fingers to blend out the edges of the blush.
Step 5
Apply your favourite lipstick or for a softer look a lip balm and you are all done.
Once you have done this routine a few times it becomes second nature and you can do this in under 5 minutes or even with little ones around you. It is amazing how with a little makeup you can feel a bit more put together and ready to face the day.
Written by Ashley Longstaff – Ashley, a busy mum of 3, recently started her own freelance makeup artist business after a much loved passion for makeup and beauty. She loves applying makeup for special occasions, as well as teaching classes (group & individual) to show busy mums how to get the best out of their own makeup and re-create easy everyday looks. Specialising in fresh and natural makeup, Ashley is a firm believer that you can wear makeup to enhance your own beautiful features – makeup shouldn’t wear you!