My 6 Minute Face

Makeup and skincare have always been a form of self-care for me, almost like meditation. It always helps me to relax and feel calm and grounded. I notice a huge difference in my mood when I take the time to do my makeup in the morning and my skincare routine in the evening. In the past 5 months since I had my daughter I've obviously had a lot less time to myself. It's rare that I get time on my own to play with makeup as any free time is usually spent doing laundry, cooking or cleaning. I have taken to applying makeup while feeding my daughter in the morning as its the only way I get to do it on weekdays. Breastfeeding pillows are amazing as it means I have two hands free to apply makeup while she feeds or contact naps. It also means I get to write blog posts like this one. I know this won't always be the case so I like to take advantage when I can. 

 

There are days when I have to get ready quickly because we have a doctor or public health nurse appointment (let's face it that's all we're really doing at the moment) or if I just want to get out for a walk and don't have time to apply a full face of makeup but I still want to look a bit more fresh and awake. On such days I have my speedy makeup routine. I've timed myself applying the below products and I've got it down to 6 minutes. It's a short amount of time and a small number of products but it does wonders for making me feel more like myself and less like a sleep deprived zombie. 

 

The minimal makeup routine will be different for everyone depending on what you want. Some people might spend longer on their base, they might want to wear concealer or fill in their brows or wear bronzer instead of blush. I chose products that I feel make a difference to my face. I also wanted products that I could apply with fingers as that makes a huge difference to how quickly I can apply them. I don't always use these exact products, sometimes I use a different brow gel or for example today I wore Lisa Eldridge Velvet Dragon lipstick as I had a bit more time. 

 

 

 

 

 

* bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Defense Radiant Tint Protective Moisturizer SPF 30

I apply sunscreen every single day that I know I will be outside for any length of time. I used to be a only sunny, Summer days SPF person until a few years ago when I learned that the UV rays from the sun can damage your skin even on a cloudy day in the middle of Winter. Any Dermatologist or Esthetician that is asked about ageing will consistently say that sun protection is the number one way you can slow down the ageing process. The way I see it, why would someone spend a fortune on expensive skincare, makeup and treatments and then not use a sunscreen? You're undoing all of that work and wasting all of that money spent looking after your skin. I usually use a separate moisturiser and sunscreen but when I'm in a hurry and want to amalgamate these two products, I use the bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Defense with SPF 30. It's ideal for me for when I'm going out for a quick walk in the Winter time. It hydrates my skin and has a luminous finish which helps me look more fresh.

 

 *Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Oil Free Natural Skin Perfector SPF 20 (ON1 Petal)

This is one of those cult products that I hadn't tried until last year but now I can understand why it's so loved. Over the past 6 months it's become a firm favourite for minimal makeup days because it's just so easy to apply. I use my hands with this most of the time and blend it into my skin as I would a moisturiser. It's one of those products that's undetectable on my skin. For about a month before I had my daughter up until about 4 months afterwards I had hormonal pregnancy acne which has now thankfully settled down. It's a very small price to pay and although it did bother me some days I knew it wouldn't last (well I hoped anyway). I'm now left with some scarring, red marks and texture which is my own fault because I tend to pick at my skin. I also have some pigmentation from being on holidays a few years ago that was made worse when I was pregnant too. None of these things bother me too much but I find that this tinted moisturiser evens out my skin tone and covers the redness and pigmentation enough for me to feel a bit more confident with my skin. You can see the light coverage in the photos above, my freckles can still be seen which I always prefer. I find this shade works perfectly on my skin tone which is something else that's essential when you're applying minimal makeup, you don't want to be messing around with shades that don't work for your skin. I would consider it an almost perfect light coverage base apart from the shade range. There are only 20 shades which is fair enough, I don't have much of an issue with that as they're quite flexible because of the light coverage. The shade distribution is uneven and as with many brands, it leans in favour of lighter skin tones. I think Laura Mercier would be doing themselves a huge favour if they added more deep shades in order to be more inclusive because it really is a beautiful product and everyone should be able to wear it.

 

Smashbox X Becca Under Eye Brightening Corector (Light/ Medium)

I use this product almost every time I do my makeup as I find it really does make a difference to cancelling out the purple/blue colour under my eyes and in my inner corner. The formula is quite creamy and almost sticky and therefore I just apply a small amount otherwise it interferes with the other products I use around it like concealer and lower lash line mascara. I only apply it in the area that I want to colour correct so it has lasted me a long time. Becca Cosmetics is no more as a brand but Smashbox will continue to sell this product as they were under the same umbrella company, Estée Lauder. There were just two shades in the original product which is awful, there are now four which is still terrible so I don't think I'll be repurchasing it (although I do have a backup to get through first). I'm now on the hunt for a colour corrector with a more inclusive shade range if anyone has any suggestions. Sometimes I will apply a concealer instead, it just depends on how bad the dark circles are that day.

 

Glossier Boy Brow 

I've been wearing Boy Brow on and off for almost 5 years now. It's the tinted brow product I always go back to because it has everything I want, volume, hold and a tint that matches my brows. It's so easy to use I can literally use it without a mirror because I know it won't get on the skin around my brows and make it look muddy. It makes my brows look a bit more full and groomed and that's all I really want when I'm wearing minimal makeup. Read my full review here.

 

*bareMinerals Strength & Length Serum-Infused Mascara

As you can see from the photos this is one of those mascaras that just makes it look like you have amazing natural eyelashes. It almost fans out my lashes, lengthens them and doesn't clump at all making it so easy to apply. You can build it up for more volume but I tend to just apply one coat like in the photo above and I find it just defines my lashes which is all I want for a more natural look. I love that it also has ingredients similar to a lash serum that help to strengthen your lashes as you wear it. I don't find it smudges on me and it's easy to remove.

 

Fenty Beauty Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Blush (Strawberry Drip) 

This is a cream blush for people who want something effortless. You can't really overdo it with this blush. As you can see from the photo it's quite a vibrant shade that some may find intimidating but I can assure you it's so easy to use. I just dab my fingers into the cream and then pat it onto my cheeks and it melts into my skin. As it's a cream that's going onto a hydrated base, it almost has a sheen to it which acts as a highlighter would. I find blush brings life to my face and makes me look much more fresh. If you wanted to be even faster with your makeup you could pat some of this onto your lips too. There are great shades in this range, something for all tastes and skin tones.

*Clarins Water Lip Stain (03 Red Water)

Clarins is one of my favourite brands for lip products and I'd wanted to try this product for a while as it seemed similar to Benefit's Benetint which I used to wear years ago. It's quite different to Benetint, much more hydrating with glycerin and aloe vera as some of the top ingredients. It leaves a stain on your lips so it's long lasting. My lips feel hydrated but don't look too shiny or glossy which makes it an ideal lip product for wearing under a mask. I apply it with the brush applicator, then pat it in and seal in the moisture with a lip balm. It gives my lips a beautiful, low maintenance red tint but they still feel nourished.

*Laura Mercier Hydrating Lip balm

I've been using stick lip balms a lot recently because they're so much easier to apply one handed as I rarely have the use of both hands these days. This one feels beautiful, has a faint rosy scent and does what it says, hydrates my lips. It has squalane, cold-pressed plum seed oil and rose extract. It's very lightweight so it works great as a lipstick primer too. I don't have much more to say about this, I've actually just used it up and I'm using a bareMinerals one now but I really enjoyed using the Laura Mercier one.

 

*PR Samples 

What are you go to products for a quick and easy makeup look? Have you used any of these products?

Emma x