The 5 Minute face

It never fails.

You're getting ready to go someplace and suddenly time gets sucked into some weird otherworldly vortex. Something about feeding and diapers and spit ups and getting dressed and then the ensuing diaper explosion... how do moms get anywhere on time?? But does motherhood HAVE to equal frump?! I like to think not, but there is definitely a need for easy routines and organizing the tiny amounts of time we do get for ourselves. Today I'd like to share with you my Five Minute Face. If you can spare 5 minutes, you can go from tired and frumpy to transformed and fab.

First, the goods:

1. Prep: Primer (Laura Mercier)
2. Prep: Shadow Insurance (Too Faced)
3. Face: Foundation (Bobbi Brown)
4. Face: Concealer (Bobbi Brown)
5. Face: Bronzer (Laura Mercier)
6. Face: Blush (Tarte)
7. Face: Powder (Mac)
8. Eyes: Eye Shadow (Mac)
9. Eyes: Eye Liner (Revlon)
10. Eyes: Highlighter (Mac)
11. Eyes: Mascara (Benefit)

That might look like a lot of items, but I guarantee you, I have timed myself on multiple occasions and in 5 minutes (usually less) I can be made up and done! Each time I do my my makeup, I apply it in the same order, so when I'm short on time, I pull out what I need and organize it into 3 groups: Prep, Face, and Eyes. This way, I'm not rifling through my makeup bag trying to find the next item on my list, which in the end actually saves me time. Plus, laying my makeup out in the specific order that I apply it allows me to grab, apply, and toss back in my bag quickly. Another pre-Five Minute Face must?? A clean face of course!

Oh Lawdy. There I am with ZERO makeup. On the Interwebz.

So once you've got your makeup ready and your face ready, it's time to get moving. First step is prep. Adding in a face and eyelid primer takes only a few seconds, but keeps your makeup looking great all day. Not only that, but with a little face prep, your makeup goes on faster, smoother, and you use less! After finishing your skin prep, it's time for step 2 which is face/base makeup. This includes foundation, concealer, bronzer, blush, and powder. Don't get weary! It'll only take a couple of minutes-- and you've got five, right? Start with the foundation and use it only on the important parts: forehead, nose, and chin. You'll be putting bronzer and blush on your cheeks, so don't worry about covering your entire face with foundation. Dotting it on those three spots will cut down time from covering and blending over your entire face. Two or three quick swipes and done. Concealer is for those dark under eye circles... perfect for covering up that "I-was-up-three-times-last-night" look.

See? Already starting to look smoothed out. Next is bronzer & blush to warm up your face and give it a little life. The bronzer goes down each side of your face in a "C" shape, meaning you start just above the temples and swoop it down and under your cheekbones. Blend it around and then tap on a little blush right on the apples of your cheeks. On top of all that is a quick dusting of powder. Face is done!

A little contouring and flushed cheeks. She's alive! She's alive!

Last step is eye makeup! You're almost done!! If I weren't taking photos of this whole process, I'd be a little past the 3 minute mark. Next is eyeshadow, liner, highlighter, and mascara. With the five minute face routine, I like to use a neutral, medium dark colored eyeshadow. Easy to apply, not too light or too dark. I also splurge on good eyeshadow, because they're more pigmented and smoother meaning it is easy to apply and doesn't take much to make an impact. Currently, I'm using Mac Satin Taupe and I LOVE it. Apply one good swipe to each eyelid and then liner on each upper lid. After this comes the two most important steps of the whole burrito. Yum... burritos. I'm so hungry. Focus, Hollie, Focus! 45 seconds left! On the inside corners of each lid, put a little highlighter -- it'll really open up those peepers and fake a wide-eyed awake look. It's worth the extra seconds, and I rarely leave the house without it. Currently, I'm using Mac Crystal Avalanche. Lastly is mascara, which I also rarely leave the house without. Give your uppers & lowers a good coat and toss it in the bag. Take a step back and check out your hard work. You're done!

So there you have it, five minutes later and you're looking fresh and alive. Starting with the primer means your hard work will last all day. Now, whether or not you get around to hair also, that's a whole other story. Take some time today to make yourself look (and then feel!!!) gorgeous! (By the way, these are the products I use everyday *obvsly. I wasnt compensated in any way for using them in this post or including the links. I just really like them and I think you might as well. Over & Out.)