Let’s be honest, ladies—how many of us wake up with more than 30 minutes to spare before we have to run out the door to school/work? Sleep is valuable, coffee is a necessity, and makeup often gets put on the backburner. Instead of taking an hour to contour your face, use these quick makeup hacks to look hot in less than half the time.
- Wash your face with a deep oil cleanser. You should be doing this twice a day whether or not you wore makeup that day, but it’s especially important when you’ve had a face full of product for 12+ hours. In the morning, don’t skimp on cleansing time. Oil builds up on your skin while you sleep, so if you don’t use a deep oil cleanser, your makeup won’t last longer than two hours. If your skin is naturally dry, avoid face cleansers with 10% Benzoyl Peroxide so your skin doesn’t become red and irritated.
- Use more than one makeup wipe if they’re all you’ve got. It’s always a good idea to wipe off your makeup before going to bed, but lots of women don’t realize how much of your makeup actually doesn’t come off the first time you use a makeup remover wipe. Sometimes, the dark circles you wake up with aren’t from a lack of sleep; they’re usually from leftover mascara or eyeliner from the night before. Get rid of those “night before” smudges so you can start with a clean, fresh face. (Or, better yet, forgo the wipes altogether and wash your face properly with a washcloth and proper face cleanser!)
- Start with primer for that long-lasting look. If you don’t want makeup running down your face by noon, it’s probably a good idea to start with a light coat of makeup primer. The neat thing about primer is that there are tons of brands to choose from. The even neater thing: some of the best primers I’ve ever used were the cheapest products.
- Don’t neglect the powder. The smooth, polished finish that most contoured girls’ skin has can be easily matched with a liquid/power combo. Once you’ve put on primer and your choice of a thicker, liquid-like foundation, seal the look with powder. That light feel of powder prevents your face from looking oily, but the liquid foundation holds the powder all day. If you hate liquid foundation, or it breaks you out, invest in some awesome primer and just try the light powder coat. If it holds all day, just stick with it.
- Invest in Glamoflauge. It’s camouflage makeup, hiding traces of acne, crows feet, dry skin or other blemishes. Once I started using Glamoflauge, I never used concealer again. I lightly dab this product on my skin after I’ve applied my powder and my face looks flawless. Do you want to know something even better? One tube of Glamoflauge lasts me, on average, a little over a year, and it only costs $7.15 at your local WalMart.
- Brush on some bronzer—the sparkly kind. Don’t pick just any shade of bronzer and cake it on. You’ll look like a spray tan gone way wrong. Instead, match your skin tone with the bronzer by choosing one that’s a shade darker than your natural complexion. Buy the sparkly bronzer for a shimmer effect, and dust it on the outline of your cheekbones. The darker, shiny look on your cheekbones will create the defined contour look. (And you won’t even have to use 10 different makeup brushes like they do in the “how to contour” videos.)
- Ditch the heavy liquid eyeliner. The contour craze focuses more on facial structure, not so much on the eyes. Walk away from heavy liquid eyeliners that take 15 minutes to even out. Chunky, uneven penciled eyeliner can go, too. Invest in a thin eyeliner brush/pencil of your choice, brush it lightly under your lower lash line and smudge it. The smudge, in addition to some smoky eyeshadows, will create a dramatic look if you want to go all out and evenly balance the contoured skin with the eye makeup.
- Find a mascara that works best for you. Mascara’s a lot like dating. It’s all trial and error until you find the perfect one. Then, you never think twice about having options because you have the best thing on the market. Whether you need lengthening, separating or thickening mascara, always use mascara if you’re using any other eye makeup. This creates a balanced look. Don’t overdo the mascara, putting on so much that you seem to only have two eyelashes. However, use enough to complement your eyeliner and/or eyeshadow.
- Shape your eyebrows. When we wake up, our eyebrows are usually a mess, sticking up and out in all directions. Do yourself a favor and smooth those wild things out. Don’t be afraid to buy an eyebrow brush and pencil to shape and define your eyebrows. Go as thick or thin, soft or angular as you want. Either way, brushing and filling in your eyebrows only takes about thirty seconds and completes the contour/eye makeup look. You can’t go wrong with that combination.
