One of the design faults of my personality type is that I seriously under estimate how long things are going to take. I am frequently running late and I totally stress myself out and it’s entirely self inflicted! Aggh. Here’s a classic example: At 10.00am on Sunday morning I organised to meet my Mum for coffee at 11.00am. “Tonnes of time” I thought. Then, nek minnit (Kiwi speak for next minute, FYI), it’s 10.40am, I am still in my PJs, I haven’t washed my face let alone whacked a face on. Believe it or not, I’m not adverse to going out in public with no makeup on: I do it often. But, on this particular day, I looked haggard, tired and my eyelids were unusually puffy. Heading to our local cafe au naturel , frankly, wasn’t an option. So, first I invested approximately four minutes in face washing/prepping (skipping this isn’t negotiable) then I pulled out my five minute makeup face. Here’s what I did.
Face Regime: Here’s the products I’m using at the moment – I’m not particularly original I’m still stuck on Cetaphil cleanser and the Moreish range (which you’ve heard me wax lyrical about already). I use the Moreish spray toner and Day Cream Light and I adore both products (what a bugger that this range has been discontinued). After toning I move into anti-wrinkle cream and serum using Avon’s Anew Clinical A-F33 range. In my humble opinion this serum is blinkin’ magic and I’m adamant it’s erased a few fine lines, I totally understand why it’s won so many beauty awards. I use both the Pro Line Corrector Eye Treatment and the Pro Line Corrector Treatment (the latter goes all over my face) night and day. After a quick glance in the mirror I reached for eyedrops. I’m always astonished at how the whites of my eyes go from bloodshot to bright and sparkly when I use Clear Eyes.
5 minute Makeup
- Base: No time for primer, it was straight in with my fingers to apply Garnier BB Cream all over my face. Over the top of that I dusted Rimmel’s Stay Matte powder to set the BB Cream (with my oily skin the BB cream doesn’t last otherwise and my face will resemble an oil slick by 2pm).
- Concealer: I hid a few zits and concealed under my eyes. I used the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer ($15 from Countdown) and blended it in with my index finger.
- Eyebrows: Generally I prefer filling in my brows with eyebrow powder, but I use a brow pencil when time is of the essence. I used Rimmel’s Eyebrow Pencil in dark brown (a great cheap brow pencil but bloody Rimmel have changed the colour slightly and their new offering is too light for me!).
- A dash of contouring/Warm up of my skin: I nearly always bronze or contour my face, I reckon I look like a corpse without it. I dusted Benefit’s Hoola Bronzer in the the hollows of my cheeks (under my cheek bones) as well as lightly along my hairline. For blush, I used Collection’s Shimmer Shades (also $15 from Countdown).
- Eyes: I flagged eyeshadow (no time for that malarkey), but I did invest 30 seconds in applying a bit of matt bronzer (Benefit’s Hoola) to the hoods on my eyelids, which is one of my favourite makeup tricks of all time and a MUST DO if you have hooded eyelids: Get a fluffy brush and apply a matt brown eyeshadow or bronzer in a medium shade to your eye crease, blending it up high towards the browbone. This will place a shadow on the hoods, creating the optical illusion of looking like the hood is pushed right back (so it is less obvious). Your eyes will look more open and bigger. Then I lined the outer 1/4 of my upper and lower lashline with Rimmel’s black eyeliner and smudged it slightly with my finger to make my lashes look thicker. Lastly, I gave my eyelashes a quick curl and coated them with Maybelline’s The Falsies mascara (waterproof, to hold the curl).
- Lips: Drum roll: I used Clarins Natural Light Lip Perfector. This is one of my ALL TIME favourite products and I’m currently on my third tube. It’s a half balm/gloss, really nourishing, with a hint of sheer colour and it lasts a long time. I can’t be without it! No matter what lipstick I put on in the morning, every time a coconut, I end up with this on.
Five minutes? Yup, you betcha!
Oh, by the way, I did make it to meet Mum for coffee on time (well, I was one minute late, but Mum is always early… We are the opposites in personality in that regard!
