Happy Tuesday! Two weeks ago, I went to Neem Medical Spa to get a Hydrfacial and ever since, my skin has been looking amazing! I mentioned on Instagram Stories that lately my skin looked irritated and clogged up. Well, it was and now it feels so clean, smooth and glowy.
All that to say, now that my skin is looking and feeling better, I’ve been loving applying my make up. I’ve been focusing on a quick, five minutes routine because the older I get the more simplified I want things. While I love a full coverage look or a contour/highlight for a date night, 9 times out of 10 I’m keeping it simple.
Here is my five minute routine with products that I’ve been using for over a year and some as long as four!
MY SIMPLE FIVE MINUTE MAKE UP ROUTINE
1.ORIGINS PORE PERFECTING PRIMER
After my moisturizer has soaked in, I apply a dime size amount of this primer. Primer is something you may not yet be using, but it’s a game changer. It works as a barrier between your skin and your CC cream, setting a smooth skin surface to work with by blurring imperfections and evening pores. You’ll also find that primer makes your skin feels and look fresh all day. If I accidentally forget to apply, I know I’ll have that 3PM ‘meh’ feeling on my face where I want to get my make up of. Not with a primer!
Finding the right one for your skin takes some time. I have three primers I love and about 25 I’ve tried that I dislike. I’m currently wearing this one that has a cooling sensation that reduces redness and puffiness, on top of working as a primer!
2.TARTE SHAPE TAPE CONCEALOR
SHADE: 22N LIGHT NEUTRAL
APPLICATION SPONGE
I don’t have dark undereyes, but I still use an under eye concealer. Why? Under eye concealer adds dimension to your face and the consistency should be different than a CC cream or foundation.
I use a under eye concealer that is one to two shades lighter than my foundation because it adds that dimension into your face makes your eyes pop a bit more.
You also want something ab it more creamy sitting there, rather than what you’re applying for foundation, because your eyes have fine lines. Whether you have some baby wrinkles or just some little creases when you laugh, everyone has some little lines there. I’ve found that my foundation just sits in the lines whereas a creamy, hydrating, thick under eye concealer doesn’t settle into any fine lines.
Be careful to not go too light when selecting your color. I went through a phase of the lighter the better and it’s like a reverse raccooon lol. Just go about two shades lighter than your foundation!
While I enjoy a couple different brands, my holy grail, cannot live without, game changer under eye concealer is this one by Tarte. The color selection is vast and even includes your undertone which helps match you just that much better. I’ve worn this for The thickness and creaminess are the perfect consistencies and it’s super blendable.
Note, Tarte’s Double Duty line, which includes Shape Tape, is exclusive to Ulta – womp. Sephora has an exclusive line with Tarte known as Rainforest of the Sea. If you go into Sephora looking for Shape Tape, they will suggest their Tarte Rainforest concealer – Aquacealor. I tried it and don’t suggest buying it because the consistency is really thin, doesn’t have strong pigmentation, settles into lines and dries you out.
3.IT COSMETICS CC CREAM
SHADE: NEUTRAL MEDIUM
APPLICATION BRUSH
90% of the time I’m wearing make up, I am wearing IT Cosmetics CC cream. Any of the lines of IT Cosmetics CC cream is amazing and I’ve repurchased each myself. It’s a product I discovered four years ago and now cannot live without. Like when I’m half way through my bottle, I order one because I don’t want to be without it.
Every version available [regular, illuminating, oil-free matte] has worked great for my skin, but I prefer this version. I never knew why it worked so great for me because I thought I had normal dry skin, but then at a recent Hydrfacial at Neem Spas, I learned I am regular, but lean oily. Now it all makes sense lol.
One reason I love this oil-free matte version is because it stays in place and feeling fresh longer for me. When testing this before it went to market, I learned that it reduces shine and controls oil for 12 hours! It even stood the test of South Carolina in July.. my make up looked great even after a day full of roof top bars in the highest humidity I’ve ever experienced!
Now if you wear a foundation you may ask why you’d want a CC cream. Unlike foundation, it lets your skin breath. That’s why it’s great to wear day to day! I still use my foundation, but strategically. If I have an event where I’ll have my photos taken or I am shooting for the blog, I use a foundation because it totally blocks any imperfections. The CC cream blocks imperfections to the eye, but under a microscope [AKA a DSLR], dark spots and imperfections an show through.
This product also has the best coverage and pigmentation of any CC cream I’ve used. Previously to finding this product, I thought CC creams were a waste of money because if they aren’t providing even light coverage or color.. what’s the point? This one is fantastic! Plus it has SPF 40!!
Overall it is an amazing product that you can’t go wrong with. I could go on and on! Here is a blog post I wrote all about flawless base application.
4.TARTE AMAZON CLAY BLUSH
SHADE: PAAARTY
APPLICATION BRUSH
I’ve talked about this blush a lot on the blog, but as you can see two years later and it’s still my every day blush. The shade ‘paaarty’ is the most gorgeous mauve-y pink, the pigmentation lasts 12 hours [most blushes fade after 2] and it’s super blendable.
I received it as a Sephora sample and have repurchased it during every Sephora sale because nothing I’ve found compares.
5.ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS BROW WIZ
SHADE: MEDIUM BROWN
Another holy grail, ‘I need two as back up at all time’ product, but honestly that is every item in this blog post because they are so tried and true!
I personally have thick, low maintenance brows. I’ve never gotten them waxed and just lightly pluck once a week. I do have some sparse areas on my arch though so I fill them in lightly with this pencil.
A brow pencil allows you to mimic actual hair lines, where a wax or powder is literally just drawing on a block of color which is not natural looking. I have tried many brow products and find that a pencil applies most naturally.
You can watch this video where I fill in my brows too.
6.MARC JACOBS VELVET NOIR MASCARA
So, so good! I’m a believer that mascaras are meant to be mixed. They all have different strengths – lengthening, thickening, volumizing. It’s rare to find one that does all three, but honestly if I were to wear one mascara and head out the door it’s this one. I tested it before it launched a few years ago and rediscovered it a couple weeks ago. It’s so good!
7.URBAN DECAY VICE LIPSTICK
SHADE: BACKTALK
You probably heard me rave about this all last Spring! This lipstick is the only one I’ll ever need.
Not only is it super hydrating and full of amazing ingredients like avocado, jojoba oil, aloe vera and more, but the color is PERFECT for every day! It’s the most gorgeous mauve-y pink .
You can see me apply it on video here.
8.IT COSMETICS PRESSED SETTING POWDER
APPLICATION BRUSH
Another PR test turned holy grail. I never used a setting powder previously because I thought it’d make my make up look cakey. NOPE!
This product actually does as it says – bye bye pores. I thought it was marketing fluff, but this powder is the real deal. It blurrs out your imperfections while setting your make up to last all day. I have always used the pressed since I find it less messy than a loose powder.
This application brush is heavenly too. It’s so fluffy!
If you want to check out more beauty content, I have a bunch here! Let me know your holy gail products in the comments. Xo Mindy
SHOP MY HOLY GRAIL 5 MINUTE MAKE UP ROUTINE
ORIGINS PORE PERFECTING PRIMER C/O I
TARTE SHAPE TAPE CONCEALOR I IT COSMETICS CC CREAM C/O I TARTE AMAZON CLAY BLUSH I ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS BROW WIZ I URBAN DECAY VICE LIPSTICK C/O I IT COSMETICS PRESSED SETTING POWDER C/O
BRUSHES: BEAUTYBLENDER CONCEALER SPONGE C/O I IT COSMETICS FOUNDATION BRUSH C/O I BARE MINERALS BLUSH BRUSH I IT COSMETICS PRESSED POWDER BRUSH C/O
SHOP MY OUTFIT
