Over the years, my makeup routine has become more and more involved. I still don’t do eye makeup on a daily basis, but I do concealer, eyebrow pencil and shaping, powder, blush, and some sort of lip goo. It takes me about 10 minutes to do it all. 15 minutes on a day when something goes awry and I have to start over. (Usually brow-related.)
If you do any makeup at all, how long does your routine take? What are your essential products? Has your routine changed over the years? Is it longer/more complex or shorter/simpler now?
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I never really learned how to apply fancy makeup except for the stage, and I am (knock wood) blessed with my dad’s smooth, age-defying skin, so my routine has always been minimal. These days it’s moisturizer, mineral powder foundation, a little eyebrow pencil, a little lip color. That’s it.
Definitely more products now than when I was younger. My latest additions are a lightweight foundation that I mix myself (it’s a combo of sunscreen & mineral foundation), & eyebrow color. In addition to those 2 products, lipstick (with sunscreen), blush, a little bit of contouring color, mascara and eyeshadow are my everyday staples. Even though I use more products than when I was younger, it takes me less time now because I’m much more organized and all of the products are quick to apply.It takes me 5 minutes if I’m in a rush and 10 if I’m not. The only item that takes a bit longer is eyeliner, so I only use it if I have extra time to get it on properly.
This has my fingers itching to type! I love nothing more thank talking makeup! My typical routine takes me about 10 minutes, 15 if I can’t decide on the eyeshadow color for the day (I have issues!). I love a good tinted moisturizer, and while I’ve been using Stila for years, am on the hunt for one that has slightly more oomph in the “tone-evening” department. I don’t want pancake face, but do want something to get rid of splochies! I use Bene-Tint on my cheeks and lips year-round. It is perfect and doesn’t budge all day. I have discovered a drug store mascara I adore-L’Oreal Lash Tubes. I have oily skin and it doesn’t smudge at all. Then I use eyeshadow for all other eye make-up. I wet the brush and use that for eyeliner (top lids only…I’m not normal!). I rarely leave home without a little lid tint. I’m never over the top though, even for a night out. My lips vary from just Bene-Tint to full on red. Since our son was born 5 years ago, I can do all of this in the 10 minutes I mentioned (rather than the 20 I took when I was younger) I love, love, love playing with makeup. It is a fun way to play up my features I love. Somehow I always feel like that little girl sitting at my grandma’s vanity-even at 33!
Definitely, as I get older, my routine becomes more involved, and (I feel) essential. I just need (In my mind) little boosts to make me look less, well, old and tired. Daily products: sheer foundation (pretty excited about all the BB creams now available on the market, I’ve been using Clinique’s), concealer as needed, eyebrow pencil, eyeliner, mascara, sometimes a tiny bit of blush high on the cheeks just for a hint of color. Some kind of lipglossy stuff throughout the day if I remember to apply/reapply. My feelings are pretty well illustrated by this cartoon: http://www.happyplace.com/15639/an-honest-look-at-why-women-wear-makeup
How do you like Clinique’s BB cream? Does it wear well throughout the day? I have pretty normal skin with mild to moderate acne that isn’t bad enough for me to obsess over, and classic Asian yellow undertones (MAC NC30) but I don’t want a whitening BB cream like so many of the Asian brands out there.
I really like it; enough that I bought more after I finished the first bottle (I am normally pretty fickle, brand-wise) it wears well and looks natural…it just evens out my skin in a nice way. It is pretty thick, so it really only takes a small blob, and I’m careful to ‘dot’ it around all over my face before blending together, otherwise I can get too concentrated in one place. I also layer it over lotion, and if the lotion is still a bit on the surface it aids in blending/making it look a little dewier. My skin is very pale (also with some acne issues), so the lighter shades work for me. When Prescriptives was around I was a ‘light yellow-orange’ so I started with shade 2 (for golden undertones) with the Clinique, but there was too much ‘color’ for my taste, so I switched to shade 1 and have stuck with it. I just noticed there is now a shade 3, which is darker, but also for golden undertones. I ordered through Sephora, they have a liberal return policy, so if you try it and it doesn’t work you can always send it back!
Most days I do my makeup at my desk at work (bad, I know) so it gets slapped on in a few minutes. I do Tarte tinted moisturizer, Mary Lou-manizer on my eyelids and cheekbones, and Benetint on my cheeks and lips. I use Burt’s Bees Chapstick and C. O. Bigelow mentha lip shine. Sometimes I put on eyeliner and mascara during lunch break (Clinique Quickliner and Physician’s Formula organic mascara). On weekends or for going out at night I can take much longer because I’ll switch up my products and do dramatic eye makeup, but my normal routine takes 5-10 minutes. My favorite look is bold eye makeup, but it’s easier to use lip products at work. My favorite makeup trick is heating my eyelash curler with a hair dryer to really set the curl. Any mascara looks good after that. I’ve had glasses since kindergarten and contacts since I was 14. I’m 23 now and still obsessed with showing off my eyes, I think because they felt hidden for so long behind lenses! Don’t get me wrong, the look of glasses can be great, and I have two pairs I love, but to me my natural face is without frames.
My make-up routine is about the same as always and takes about 30 minutes. I seem to do a lot more “spackling” and covering of brown spots as I get older. I used to feel guilty taking time to put on make-up on until I realized I like wearing it and see it as just another way of presenting myself at my best.
I do full make-up every day and it takes 10 min tops. My essentials include: foundation or tinted moisturizer, concealer, eye primer, brow powder, multiple eye shadows, eyeliner, mascara, blush and lipstick and/or gloss.
Mine comes and goes. Right now it’s too hot, so it mostly goes. This morning, I put on sunscreen, concealer (I’m sad to say that the very expensive YSL Touche Eclat is magic for my particular dark circles, and replaced my old two-step process… although, if I think about it, I suppose it does cost the same as or less than the ingredients of the two steps), and then some tinted lipbalm.
Things I might or might not wear on a given day are powder and/or mattifying primer (usually Laura Mercier or the Smashbox antishine stuff), concealer, eyeliner and/or minimal shadow (the eyeliner is Maybelline Eyestudio Gel; the shadow is a “smoky eyes” double palette by Urban Decay in a kind of dark plum colour… the colour is the same, ironically, as my dark circles are, unconcealed, and yet somehow it looks much better ABOVE my eye than below…), eyebrow gel (tinted, Anastasia), gel blush (Tarte), mascara (Blinc tubing), lipstick (any of several NARS shades, because NARS doesn’t make my lips peel). I wouldn’t normally wear all those things at once, though.
Things I never wear: foundation, or foundation by any other name — tinted moisturiser, BB cream, whatever. I hate everything about it.
It doesn’t seem to really matter what I do; it takes about 20-30 minutes all told to do the “head prep” stuff in the morning — makeup, hair, brushing teeth — which is the last thing I do after breakfast and before I leave.
My only makeup essentials include concealer (only when I have pimples to cover up) and some kind of lip product, like Burt’s Bees’ lip tint or similar. I used to try to wear makeup but nobody ever taught me how to do it properly and I feel like I’m wearing a costume whenever I put it on. It just seems like so much work, and I look fine without it. I like looking natural, and I’m not sure why I should spend 20 minutes in the mirror rubbing chemicals on my face trying to make it look like I didn’t just do that. Yeah, I guess I’m not very glamorous, but I’m OK with that.
Hear, hear! I always feel like a clown if I wear anything more than a very small about of blush and maybe a lip stain.
I’m with you- on regular days, I don’t wear any makeup, besides lip balm. When I have something important, I’ll put some on, but it still doesn’t take very long- my wedding was the only time I’ve bothered with foundation.
I am a scattered makeup wearer. I use tinted moisturizer every day and mascara most days. Eyeliner is next in line. And very seldom I use eyeshadow. I work in film & have gotten some tips from makeup artists, but my version never quite compares
All in all: 5-20 minutes (dependent on how many times I need to re-do my attempts at eye shadow application). It’s fun to be a girl (woman!)!
I am nearly unconscious when I do it now, it’s so familiar! Takes about 15 minutes, and results in a fairly minimal-but-professional look. On the weekend, I love to do without!
I never really learned how, and never found makeup fun enough, or necessary enough I guess, to be patient enough to work/play with it.
I do sometimes put on lipstick for playing music on stage.
If I put on makeup it seems like it looks crappy or is gone within an hour anyway.
Probably not doing it right.
Make up ? I’m super lazy, so for me it’s : wash with water, hydrating cream and sometimes eyeliner for the eyes.
Else I’ve found out that glasses do an amazing job at hiding eye circles and highlighting my eyes. What else ? =)
I don’t really have a routine, though my days “with” makeup are more frequent now than they used to be. I don’t know if that’s age or lifestyle related–I used to live in France, where people don’t make up as much… But I think it’s mostly age.
I very often do some sort of eye-liner (anywhere in between a thin line of transparent grey liner and thick liquid black liner) and concealer. A little less often but still frequently, I will also dab some eye shadow (sparkling white) and wear a tinted cream and mascara (tip of lashes + light touch on the eyebrows).
Lips are more of an accessory to me, I do a red lip when I feel like or it fits with what I’m wearing and I have time to do it. As for blush, I should since I’m quite pale, but always seem to forget.
With all that, the routine varies between 1 minute (just eyeliner, no need for concealer that day) and 10 (including lips), but I’d say 5 minutes average.
I have worn makeup since I was about 12 I think, but my routine is never more than about 5 minutes. For one, I dont have the patience to take any longer and I really don’t know what else I would put on. I use a foundation, blush, eyeliner, (eyelash curler), water proof mascara and lipstick. Eyeshadow just ends up in the creases unless I put on a shadow base, so I don’t bother. Used to use a concealer for dark circles but I don’t bother anymore. (maybe I should!). I guess I dont use a lot of makeup but I dont go out without it on either! I am mid 50s but still have oily skin, with breakouts. My pre-maekup routine – creams, lotions etc. has gotten longer. As I write all this I am starting to wonder that maybe I should try adding some more products to my routine such as concealer…LOL!
I forgot I use that clear mascara stuff for my eyebrows– they are plenty dark so I just need to keep them in line!
Depending on how dolled up I want to be it can take between 10-20 minutes. Daily it takes me about 10 minutes, and on special occasions when I put on mascara and blush it takes 20 minutes. Daily, I use foundation mixed with moisturizer, eye shadow, eye liner and lipstick.
Have you seen this pin on Pinterest…so freakin’ funny to me because when I was younger I would not go out of the house without makeup. Now, I will do it occasionally (as long as I’m not all hormonally pimply).
http://pinterest.com/pin/202450945718683481/
I wear a lot less makeup now than I did when I was younger. Before I wore a full face, every product (foundation, powder, bronzer, blush, pencils, mascara, etc) and it took me about 20-30 minutes.
Now I wear mascara and lip color day to day, which takes me about 5 minutes.
On Date Night with my husband I wear full eye makeup and lipstick. Some concealer if I have a blemish, but that’s it. That takes me about 10 minutes. I got lucky and my skin tone evened out in my mid-twenties and I don’t have to mess with foundations and powders anymore.
I went from being total non-makeup wearer to minimal makeup wearer in the last couple of years. I aim for a polished but discreet look. These days I do moisturizer with SPF, concealer under eyes, dusting of powder over face to take out shine from moisturizer, very light blush and some tinted lip balm. I avoid any eye makeup because my eyes are sensitive (especially during this time!) and in any case, every time I try to put some on I end up with raccoon eyes by the end of the day, which completely negates the concealer I put on for under-eye circles. My routine takes about 5 minutes.
my routine is very similar to alice’s – and also pretty recent. i used to do mineral powder instead of foundation b/c it was easier and has sunscreen benefits. but then i turned 40 and found that powder seems to age me – takes away my youthful glow.
so now: moisturizer w/ sunscreen (sometimes tinted, sometimes not depending on occasion), concealer (eyes and blotchy spots), quick eyebrow grooming, eye “light” instead of eye shadow (physician’s formula), just to make me look awake, clear mascara (my eyes are sensitive, the clear stuff doesn’t sting me), light blush and tinted lip balm. really all i’m trying to do is look a little more awake and put together. 10 minutes tops.
I find I’m wearing less these days. Part of it might be a job where I’m the only female in the department, part of it is getting older and not worrying so much what I look like. I curl my lashes and apply mascara (my lashes are black, but the mascara holds the curl, which makes me look more alert), and I put on a sunblock/primer in a yellowy color (Philosophy “Keep the Peace”) to tame the redness in my skin. That’s it!
If I go out I’ll wear “real” foundation and some eye color too, but I’m finding as I get older that more makeup looks aging.
My usual is primer, mineral powder, (now that it’s warm weather) sometimes bronzer, a swipe of eye shadow, eye liner, mascara, tinted lip balm. This takes less than 10 minutes unless I try something new, don’t like it, and decide to start over.
I’m having fun with makeup these days. My mother wears only lipstick, I have never seen her with anything else. So I grew up thinking that real, strong, smart women don’t do makeup. But I like how I look with some simple eye makeup…so I do that. Shadow, liner, mascara. A bit of lip stuff of one variety or another.
My daughter turned 14 this spring, and her new big privilege is to wear a little makeup. So I did a bit of research about basic makeup “essentials” to get an idea of what to buy for her…and learned a lot for myself. Like eye makeup primer. I don’t wear foundation, because I hate the way it feels, and how it comes off on my phone and clothes. So my eye shadow has always creased, without something to make it stick. Now it doesn’t. Yay! Only took until I was 48 to figure that out.
And thanks for your blog, I love to see what you’ve got each day!
You’re make up routine should never take more than 10 minutes; from start to finish. Less is more in the summer. You should always start with a clean palette. Freshly washed face. Remember to use a scrub every other day just to keep the dead skin cells sloughed off. Then a great moisturizer with sunscreen, on face & neck, even if you have oily skin, (this will prevent your face from thinking it needs to produce it). You can buy an oil-free if needed. And a really good eye cream.
Smooth on a great tinted under-makeup primer; I use Spackle as well. A sheer liquid bronzer/primer is great for the summer.
Then your under eye concealer. Paint your lightest concealer all over the eyelid, up to the brow line & just under your lower lashes. I go all the way around the eye, making a V shape with the concealer from the inside of the corner of my eye down to the top of the cheekbone & back up to the edge of the outer eye. If you have some yellow concealer, apply a tiny amount only to the center of the V shape and to cover any dark spots or blemishes you may have. You can add your light concealer to the edges of your outer creases of nose if you feel you have red lines/veins. Blend smooth with a sponge block applicator.
Use a fine white eye defining pencil to line your cupid’s bow (the outside of your lip). Then a liquid foundation on the lip itself or a lip concealer if you have it.
Next add your blush, from the top of the ear to the apple of the cheek. Don’t get happy with the blush here, its daytime. You can add more later; after dark.
Cover your entire face with a liquid to powder or just a powder foundation. Sometimes, when my face feels dry, I use a liquid foundation all over – before my blush, not often, more so in the winter.
Line your lips with a nude to med. shade of pinkish lip liner. Not too dark. its just to keep the lipstick from bleeding.
Paint lips with a good glossy pinkish lip gloss/stick; darker shades in the daytime or summer, make you look hot, but not in a good way.
Finish with the eyes. Your eye’s are your most important facial feature, its where everyone looks first. Now just on the inside of the eye to the middle and up to the crease or all over if its light enough, add a LIGHT shade of shadow in ??? pink, blue or whatever you love, then with your chisel brush from the outside edge to the middle, to crease in your lid, with a deeper shade of greyish, purplish, blueish, or whatever you love. Now blend the two lightly w/ a fan or clean blush brush.
Take a black eye defining pencil above and below the lids – only half way to the center. Now take the same white pencil that you lined you lips with and draw > & < to the inside of both eyes next to the nose. Buff lightly, if it needs blended. You can draw a white line below the brow-line as well, if you like that, but I never do, I don't think it looks natural.
Grab your brow matching eyebrow pencil (usually a taupe or light brown) and only fill-in what mother nature has left out (don't darken the brow). Start straight up from the inside corner of the eye, using quick strokes, to the center of the arch, then down to the outside corner of the mid-eye. Use a clear gel brow mascara to get the hair to stand up. I have brow stencils that I use only for special occasions.
Lastly, use a black mascara, as soon as you buy it, pull the wand out, and bend the end of the wand so that the head is sideways. This will aid in faster application of product, and will keep you from pumping air into the tube and the mascara drying it out faster. Now run the end of wand back & forth across all of your lashes, then upward to push them up.
Note: If you feel you need more curl to your lashes, you can use an eyelash curler, but I'd save that for special occasions only, because it will break your lashes off.
Buy the best set of brushes you can afford, they're the key to speed.
Don't buy a lot of eye shadows. You'll never use them up. Find the two that you love & go with it. Most companies will put to many, usually 4 or up to 20 in a compact. You'll see that you only use up one to two of the shades. The rest will end up in the trash. The perfect shadow compact has two shades of blended colors; one light & one dark. You'll probably still use one side more than the other. Just pick the one you love.
It seems like a lot of steps, but if you keep it all organized and next to the sink, once you get the hang of it, you should be done in less than 5 minutes. I know I am.
If your really skittish about how to apply makeup, go ahead and pay the $20 for a makeover at the mall. Yes, they'll try & sell you their products, just tell them that you're not ready to commit. Do have her talk you through it, this way you'll get an idea as to what she did & why, but don't be quick to judge, it will take about 10 to 15 minutes for the redness to go away and look even after you have manipulated the skin.
Then take your hair down, shake it out, spray it, add some shine if needed. Put your jewelry on. Grab your keys, purse, tote, cellphone, water bottle & sunglasses… smile & walk out the door.
It’s great that you have a routine that works for you, but it’s a little patronising to assume that all women should follow the same routine snd take the same amount of time. I take more time over my makeup than you. It doesn’t make me wrong.
Thank you! Before I scrolled down I was wondering if it was justifiable to be so annoyed. I’m glad I’m not the only one who found this off-putting.
I found it… astonishing, but I think I could save even more time simply by painting all of this stuff on a bag and putting the same bag over my head every day. Or maybe I could paint it on my shoulder, and create an entire face there. No matter how little time it takes, this seems rather a lot for a daily routine.
Just have to say that this post is well-written and helpful, and the makeup advice is spot-on and not all that complicated or time-consuming; especially if someone WAS looking for this kind of info. Time was taken in crafting the post and I feel bad reading some of these comments below.
Very interesting information…however, these same type of steps take me 20 minutes. And I’ve done them for years. I don’t think there’s a “should” time-limit on how long it takes, lol!
Every day I do concealer, mineral foundation, blush, a cream eyeshadow all over my eyelids, a powder eyeshadow in the ceases, eyeliner, mascara, and lipstick. It takes me about 5 minutes. I’ve been doing some version of that routine since I was 13 or so. I guess that’s why I’m so fast! Sometimes on weekends I’ll skip the eye shadow and liner but wear everything else. I definitely wear makeup for me. It’s part of my routine and makes me feel put together and ready to face the day.
Five or six days out of seven, I wear a light application of foundation on nose and chin, cream (not powder) blush, mascara and lipstick. If necessary I use a concealer under my eyes or on a zit. The routine takes ten minutes flat.
Some days I don’t bother with mascara or lipstick, but I always do the face makeup and blush.
On fancy days or evenings I might darken my eyebrows, do eyeliner and eyeshadow, and wear fire engine red lipstick. Sometimes I’ll even colour in the orangy-brown mole that’s on my cheek with a darker brown eyebrow pencil.
I forgot to add: I usually use a lipliner with my lipstick now. That’s the main thing that has changed with my makeup routine as I’ve got older. I’ve been doing blush-foundation-mascara-lipstick (or gloss) since I was sixteen, but in the past few years I’ve noticed that the demarcation between lip and skin has faded. Lipliner helps with that.
Since I read one of Bobbi Brown’s makeup books, I find myself wearing more make up, but not looking like it. I prefer a “natural” made up look, which to me means just enhancing your features. I do wear mascara and eyeliner but otherwise keep the rest as “natural” as possible. Most of my lip colors are just slightly deeper hues of my natural lip color, but I also love a winey-red. I use Benefit Pore fessional (pore minimizer), lightly applied clinique foundation and pressed powder, light blush, clinique mascara, brow pencil to fill in one side that is sparser than the other and a shimmery beige eyeshadow. I sometimes experiment with colored eyeshadows and liquid liner but that’s my routine most days. It takes me about 15 minutes to apply makeup, but I can do it in five if I have to. I won’t leave the house without mascara and lipgloss, at a minimum – because these are the products which make the most difference in my appearance. I am lucky to have naturally “tan” skin, so I use a lot of moisturizer with sunscreen.
I’m not very skilled at makeup, and I don’t wear much (compared to most other 24 year old women). I start off with a tinted moisturizer with SPF (I’m very light-skinned and burn/freckle easily, so SPF is a must for me!). Then I do a shimmery eyeshadow that is a light taupe, followed by a little eyeliner and a coat of mascara. I top it off with Pomegranate Burt’s Bees lip balm.
That’s it! Takes about 5 minutes and stays nicely on my face all day.
I spend about 10 minutes on makeup every work day. I think it is pretty basic. Moisturizer w/ SPF (Neutrogena), followed by Bare Minerals powder makeup. I don’t wear blush because I have rosacea, and my cheeks are plenty pink enough already! Then I use eye shadow primer (Bare Minerals again) and any combination I feel like of eye shadow from the Too Faced “Naked Eye” collection (LOVE!) followed by the eyelash curler and good old pink-and-green tube Maybelline mascara. Lip balm. Done. I have never learned to like lip stick in practice.
Weekends it’s just the moisturizer, Bare Minerals powder, and mascara. I very rarely leave the house without at least this much because I am dealing with the rosacea. It’s under control with meds, but has left behind a mess of broken capilaries. I worry that people assume one drinks too much when they have them on their face! So coverage is important to me.
I have a pretty basic daily routine. Concealer, tinted moisturizer, a light powdering, mascara, some variation of Burt’s Bees Lip Shimmer (they are really popular among the commentariat here, it seems! very cool). Lately I’ve been throwing a little bit of eyeshadow on too- I have a color that is so close to my actual skin tone that all you see when I put it on is a nice, light shimmer. I think it brightens my eyes up nicely. How long it takes really seems to depend on how long I have; if I’m in a hurry I can do it in five minutes or less, but if I have all the time in the world I average around ten minutes.
I don’t usually do eye liner unless I’m getting fancy, as it tends to tack on an extra ten minutes all on its own (I blame myself for being so fanatically devoted to the cat eye- it’s still hard for me to get those wings even).
When I was 13 my mom let me start wearing mascara, which with my light eyelashes I was excited to see them!
40 years later….
I always wear moisturizer, foundation, blush, lip gloss or lipstick and eyebrow pencil every day. When it is hot outside this all I can handle. I learned that on hot days my face feels like it is melting and lighter means better.
Some days I put on neutral eye shadow and mascara.
Some days I put on 3 shades of shadow, liner, and mascara.
Night time when I have a date with my husband I dress it up!
When I do teaching weekends I dress it up, but keep to the neutrals.
The key I think is “moisturize me” ! This is the base for everything I do!
My daily routine takes a little more than five minutes – tinted moisturizer, a tiny dash of eyeliner, mascara, concealer, and blush. Tinted lip balm or lipstick goes on at work or in the car after I’ve eaten my breakfast.
I’ve been doing this same routine pretty much since I first started wearing makeup in high school. Over the years, it’s the pre-makeup routine that has gotten more involved; it used to be nothing and now there’s a face wash, two to three moisturizers/serums/sunblocks, and contacts.
I do admit to enjoying those lazy at-home or errand-running Saturdays where I do no makeup but my mascara and a little concealer and blush, but for work and church I like to present myself well.
My routine is usually about 10 mins.
Light foundation – L’Oreal
Brow filler – Maybelline
Eye primer – Benefit LemonAid
Shadow – one of a zillion shades of rose, gold, or peach
Brushed-on powder – Neutrogena
Mascara – L’Oreal
On days when I am rushing out the door, I skip the final three and just put red lipstick on at work.
Hmmm. At 27, I’d say my makeup routine is definitely more complicated than it used to be, but it’s also completed much faster and it’s easier to adjust to different occasions.
My everyday essentials are foundation or tinted moisturizer and powder, plus some mascara. I don’t leave the house without those. If I want to do something a little fancier I love doing my eyes up all fancy which involves primer, liner, under-eye concealer and about a million colours of shadow. Even with the full eye I can have things done in about ten minutes or less now.
I wash my face with Ivory in the shower in the morning. Then it’s a bit of face lotion (not brand-picky, but always spf 15 or more) mixed with a dab of concealer/foundation. Light coat of brown mascara (I’m a pale blond), some pressed powder if I’m feeling shiny, and maybe some lip gloss.
I don’t wear makeup as a rule. I love the look of a bare face and I find that my outfits are flashy enough, I need to casualify (is that a word? It is now!) my outfits. No makeup achieves that really well. I also feel like it looks really modern. That being said, I am known to bust out a full dramatic face on occasion. But I have no day-to-day routine and it means that everybody sees my authentic face, rosacea and large pores and all
I love the look of a beautiful pair of eyes without makeup on them.
My daily makeup takes less than five minutes: concealer (corner of eyes), eyeliner (pencil), mascara, blush, and lipstick. I don’t use foundation because I don’t like the look (on me or others). I take good care of my skin, but I don’t want to hide my freckles, moles, and age spots.
From my middle-aged perspective, I think women should enhance what they’ve got rather than try to cover up so-called “imperfections”. Focus on skin care for smooth, glowing skin, and add a little makeup for colour and definition (could not live without my eyeliner–it’s my “look”).
I noticed many comments about brows. While I do tweeze them, I don’t use pencil on them as I have bangs. I don’t particularly like my brows, and I love the look of my bangs (the rest of my hair is past my shoulders). If you don’t like your brows (too thin, too big….) grow bangs–it’s a youthful, “cool” look.
My routine doesn’t take longer than 15 minutes on most days, but when I’m dressing up or trying something new it can take a bit longer. I can’t live without my moisturizer with SPF built in, eyeliner (I’m a redhead, so my eyes are non-existent without it) and some lip balm. That’s the basics for the weekend, but most days I also use Bare Minerals foundation, eye shadow, a touch of bronzer, blush and mascara. I’ve also just started doing lipstick on a regular basis. I keep it natural, but feel much more polished with my face done.
I’m a big blush fan – I think it a light brush of natural colour makes anyone look prettier.
My weekday routine varies a bit but tends to be:
Concelear under my eyes and any other trouble spots (I’ve developed a big age spot on my cheek!!)
Powder with quite a bit of coverage all over my face and down my neck a bit.
Blush mainly on the apples of my cheeks
Usually some fairly neutral eyeshower – lighter beige on eyelids, outside corners and under eyebrows, soft brown in crease. I’ve been using the brown as a eyeliner in a thin line under my lower eyelashes. I’m not fond of the heavy eyeliner used by folks like Kate Middleton – I think it looks a bit hard and aging.
At the moment I’m not bothering with eyeliner – if I use it, it’s usually brown and on my top lashes then blended into brown eyeshadow.
I do use an lightly coloured eyebrow pencil as my eyebrows are a bit thin.
Mascara, usually only on the top lashes as most of them smear under my eyes. Currently using ‘They’re Real’ by Benefit – great looking lashes!
For my lips I tend to use something fairly light and neutral that I can just slick on at the my desk during the day. At the moment it’s Burt’s Bees coloured lip balm unless I’m being a bit more formal and wearing a nudish lipstick or pinkish gloss.
Weekends vary depending on what I’m doing and how I feel.
Going out I amp up everything, sometimes use black liquid liner and/or coloured/ sparkly eyeshadows. I haven’t worn bright lipstick for about 10 years – I’ve tried it but it just feel aging and odd.
My grandma can’t leave the house without a full make-up routine but my mom rarely wore any and neither do I. It’s just too much work and one more thing to worry about during the day. Plus, the vast majority of women I’ve seen look FINE without make up! It especially makes me sad to see young women and teenagers slathering make up all over their already beautiful skin. I wish we could get to a place where women don’t feel the need to wear make up all the time. It’s telling, I think, that it’s a women-only phenomenon.
On an everyday basis, I mostly wear just black eyeliner (felt-tip liquid black liner, either Nars if it needs to last all day & then some, or Sephora house brand if it just needs to last thru work) & a dark lipstick. Once or twice a week, I’ll add some eyeshadow, something matte & subtle. But that’s it! Takes 5 minutes.
I only wear face makeup (concealer, foundation, powder, a mix of Benefit & MAC products) for going out at night, for costume events, or sometimes when I’m teaching / giving a presentation at work. This adds another 5 minutes.
I wear much less makeup now than I used to. Even through college I loved to wear different eyeshadows and blush and sometimes lipstick, but now all I do – every single day – is dot on concealer, curl my eyelashes, and put on mascara. It takes two minutes, which I love.
Fascinating to read everyone’s must-wear v. can-skip steps! I work at home so many days wear only a tinted lipgloss (Burt’s Bees or Clinique chubby sticks). When I’m going outside: Serum and SPF moisturizer first, and then: light foundation or BB cream; concealer; Stila cream blush; mascara; pencil eyeliner, smudged; lip color. I’ll add shadow(s) or liquid liner for date night. If I had time for just one feature, I would do my eyes, as they disappear without mascara and liner. Changes from when I was younger: After 40 I switched away from mineral/powder foundations to something dewier, and I won’t wear a dark or matte lip anymore; it can be bright or natural but it has to be glossy.
I usually cannot be bothered to wear more than mascara, so on most days, my make up routine takes about 10 seconds. If I add eyeshadow/liner and some lip goo, I can still be out and about in under 5 minutes.
My routine takes maybe 1 or 2 minutes. I put on sunscreen, mascara and lipgloss. Sometimes I’ll use some blush.
5 minutes here too. Moisturizer and foundation because it calms and evens out my facial skin which tends to react to heat and wind, black mascara and rosy bronze lipstick. I tend to do much less than I used to and feel much better looking.
For years I wore no makeup at all during the day but trowled it on at night if I were going out but in the last few years or so (since I turned 30 probably) I’ve built up a nice little routine. I wear lid primer, luminizer, eyeliner and mascara for work and add either smoky eye or bold lip for going out. Probably takes me 5-10 minutes to get done in the morning and just helps me feel confident about my day
I’ve never actually timed my makeup routine…. I usually only do it for weekdays at work, or if I’m feeling fancy.
First I put on foundation. Then I put on some eye color (at least two colors, white under my brows and next to the tear duct and dark on the lids themselves. Sometimes I’ll do pale pink under my eyes). Then blush. And I’ll grab some sort of lip stuff out of my purse (where it stays so I can reapply it, instead of with the rest of my makeup).
My absolute minimum, if I feel I need to wear something but don’t have time to put on everything is the foundation and lip gloss/chapstick. And out of that, I can put the lip stuff on in the car at a stoplight, so I would only need to do the foundation at home.
How crazy – I just wrote a post on the “makeup” topic today! Check it out: http://www.ayearwithoutmirrors.com/2012/05/making-over-my-makeup-makeunder.html
PS – I’m aiming for sunscreen, foundation, blush and mascara most days, with a few bare-faced and a few fancified days thrown in, based on occasion!
I love the act of applying make up, and I feel good when I wear any variation of a made up face. (I love painting as well, and for me, makeup is an extension of that activity). My routine varies — usually between 10 – 20 minutes in the morning. The more time I have though, the more I take, even though I can finish up in five minutes if necessary.
I begin with foundation — either tinted moisturizer, or concealer, then I use an under eye cream (Benefit bo-oing, although clinique works as well). This takes about a minute or so.
I then use loreal transluscent mineral powder, just to pad things down, and then blush (especially if I wear dark colours, as I am pale). This takes about 30 seconds.
I have a gold eyeliner that goes on really soft (big pen), that I use and smudge, and a copper eyeshadow — I love both these colours, as they match about everything. (this takes about a minute to apply). If I have time I sometimes use a dark indigo eye pen near the lash line, or do a smokey eye, or a lavender eye — whatever I have time for, but usually, for work, I do the justthe gold as I run out the door.
I put on mascara (loreal), and last, but my favorite (I can leave the house without makeup, but I ALWAYS wear lipstick). I wear all colours of lipstick, from pinks, reds, corals, — you name it. (last step takes about a minute for both mascara and lipstick). As I mentioned, the more time I have, the more I take — I just apply slowly, carefully, and add more steps — to the eye, and I layer a few lipstick colours for effect. I personally enjoy make up, and wear it almost every day!
Just to add though — I do not feel I have to wear it everyday (I do go without it as well), I just like how it adds to my overall look. I have many friends who do not wear makeup at all, and they look beautiful without it. For me, makeup is another accessory!
I use concealer if I have a pimple; if I’m low on sleep I use a bit more at the inner corner of my eyes and also use a cheek stain. I use a Chapstick product that looks and acts more like a gloss, but with an added moisturizing bonus (it’s their “overnight lip treatment”). I put on a swipe of eye shadow if I want to feel “made up;” I use an eyelash curler when I know photos will also be taken (eg at a wedding).
And, related to the “I wear more makeup as I get older” thing – I’m (nearly) 35, and this is pretty much the amount of makeup I’ve worn for at least the last decade.
My makeup probably takes about 10 minutes, but I’ve been doing the same routine for so long that I’ve gotten pretty quick.
I now wear much less makeup than I did when I was young (I’m 57, and in retrospect I’m amazed that my parents let me out of the house in all the makeup I wore in high school). Lipstick is now essential, and eye makeup is down to tubing mascara and maybe a little liner. But my coloring has changed over the years, so I feel as if I’m spending at least as much time applying makeup as I ever did, just because I’m trying to find a foundation/concealer/BB that looks right. (And 57 or not, I’m still breaking out, especially in summer.)
In my teens I used makeup to disguise and distract from my cystic acne – I was an actor and dancer, so I learnt the best tips there and toned them down for real life. Now I’m in my 20s but am still covering up acne scars and the odd spot with primer, foundation, concealer, powder (this takes me only a few minutes). I fill in my sparse, blonde brows and apply lip balm. Eye makeup is optional for daytime. As for nighttime, I love doing a full face – my usual stuff along with liquid eyeliner, multiple shadows, false lashes, lipstick and contouring powders (not to mention the appropriate primers, moisturisers and potions!). It feels great to do this for special occasions, I always feel like a turbo-powered version of myself. Makeup can be super fun; more so, I believe, if you know you look fab without it too (and everybody does! really truly). Once I began feeling better about my natural face and not worrying about my scars, I began enjoying applying makeup as an extension of my personal style.
Also, can’t forget that SPF!
I’m a little disturbed by the amount of people commenting saying they “won’t leave the house” without a certain bit of makeup on. I basically don’t wear makeup at all except for on weekends, which is when I have time to have a bit of fun altering the colours of my face. And yes, it is fun! But I never, ever want to get the point where it’s *compulsory*. The idea that I would ever feel like I can’t show the world my actual face is horrifying to me.
How nice for you. But your self-rightuous post also put down the “disturbing” amount of people on this thread that feel more comfortable with some minimum make-up on before leaving the house. Not to mention you just called the idea that people feel this way “horrifying.”
Hi ladies.
Broderie: While I can see how it might be surprising to hear from so many women who choose to wear makeup for all occasions, bear in mind that each person is different. We all have our own ways of feeling prepared to meet life, and for some makeup is a part of that.
kate: I understand your frustration, but Broderie did phrase her comment in reference to herself and her feelings. It sounds like she is mainly addressing how she feels about her own relationship with makeup.
I am surprised to see how charged this topic has become along several threads, and just want to remind everyone to please keep it civil. Thanks.
Kate (and others),
I’m sorry if what I said sounded like an attack. I should have paid more attention to the strength of the language I was using and qualified what I said by emphasising that they are my own feelings (thanks for reading between the lines there, Sal) and it’s fine if anyone else feels best if they wear makeup everyday (even when not leaving the house)!
For me it is tied up in my self-esteem; I know that I feel “prettier” when I have makeup on, but then I feel resentful that I “have” to look pretty and men don’t “have” to spend that time on putting on makeup (though again, they can if they choose). I guess I struggle consistently with trying to work out what I am doing because it is socially compulsory, and what I’m doing because I genuinely want to. (I particularly have these feelings about makeup, body hair removal, and gorgeous but uncomfortable shoes!)
My everyday makeup is tinted moisturiser, cream blusher, mascara, eyebrow pencil, and tinted vaseline for my lips. It takes about two minutes to apply. It makes me look polished but other people don’t always realise I am wearing makeup.
My makeup only takes a couple minutes. I wear a shimmery nude eyeshadow, black eyeliner along my top lash line, and some pink powder blush. I used to wear medicated coverup because I had acne and hyper-pigmentation. Then I started using this really great face wash. Now I still have some dark spots, but they’re no longer bad enough to justify the tedium of putting on coverup.
I have “extras” in my makeup bag that I only use if I want to be fancy– liquid eyeliner, lip stain, lipstick, lip liner, a few other eyeshadow colors, mascara, and the aforementioned coverup. I don’t bother with that stuff every day. I actually really like how mascara looks, but it feels gross to wear it.
I’m much more fussy about my hair than I am about my makeup.
I teach, and during the school year I wear mascara, eye shadow, and lipstick. Like Kelly, above, I have rosacea that is under control with meds, so my skin is quite pink already and I don’t feel the need for blush or foundation. During the summer, I rarely wear any eye makeup (it takes a week or two to get used to my face without it!) and just put on some light tinted lip balm or gloss.
I’m curious about what I will want to wear on my skin as I continue to age (I’m turning 39 this year.) Thanks to my use of sunscreen and moisturizer since high school, I have really nice skin right now, but that’s something I expect to change as I get older. I wonder how I will feel about wrinkles!
I love wearing and playing with makeup. Most of my knowledge came from starting to use Mary Kay, then becoming a consultant. Before that I really did not care for makeup because it felt like a mask, ’cause I wasn’t doing it right or using the right stuff.lol My routine has varied since I started MK. I used to do a full face but now not so much, because I lack the time mainly. No telling what your 2 year old son will get into while you’re putting on eyeliner.lol Luckily MK has some cool summer eye colors that come in a tube/brush form so I just click and swipe on.:) Currently it only takes me about 5 minutes for mineral powder foundation, eye color(if only using 1 color), cheeks(started using a cream blush), eyeliner(when used), and mascara. Usually I’ll do my lips just before I leave or at a stoplight. I keep all my lip stuff in my purse. Since summer’s here I’ve gone a few days with nothing on my face. I do try to use a tinted lip balm on those days just for some color, spf 15. Most days my color is muddled and just doesn’t look right to me, plus I have acne scars so the foundation helps me feel better about the evenness of my skin tone. There are other days when I do the whole shebang, liquid foundation with a primer, 3 eye colors, liner, mascara, lip liner, lipstick, lip gloss, blush, bronzer, highlighter. Those days usually my husband’s home and can keep the 2 year old out of trouble.:) My girls love make up, and I’ve given them some to play with but only on the weekends and they never leave the house with it on. I will usually let them wear a lip gloss or my tinted lip balm out. Before I let them wear it though, they will have a skin care routine in place.:)
As I age (mid 60s) I’ve noticed my eyebrows getting shorter. My mother’s eyebrows have not only gotten shorter, they’ve lost their color – so my chances of this happening to me are strong. Because I’ve noticed how flattering eyebrows are to the aging face, I had mine tattooed by a permanent make up artist. Best thing EVER! They’re natural looking and beautiful.
I still wear foundation, blush and eye makeup almost every day and I go through the process very quickly, but having one less step to do is such a luxury.
Sal – not sure if this is appropriate and you may want to edit, but here’s where I went for the eyebrows: (Twin Cities Area, Minnesota)
http://www.centerforpermanentcosmetics.com/locations.html
This is so true! About the eyebrows! I might look into the permanent thing… I use a pencil now, but also use a root hair color to. They just have gotten so light I don’t look like I have any! It’s freaky! I think they frame the eyes, better and are more important then mascara. But that may be because as I have gotten older, I want to draw less attention to my wrinkles, and dark around the eyes seems do that more for me.
Very interesting. I would say that I have a few more items that feel like “musts” in the morning. Mainly powders and concealers for avoiding looking tired. But I definitely have a much more time consuming routine than I did, even when I was younger and wore more elaborate eye shadow etc., and that is because I now have to use medicated creams, wrinkle cream, sunscreen, etc.
I thought I was somewhat up-to-date in the world of make up, but I had to google BB creams after seeing some of you mention them. I think I am now in the market for one. Any favorites that aren’t too oily?
My routine has moderated itself over the years. It’s simple, but I’m fussy about application so it can take 10-20 mins to get it just how I like. The biggest evolution has been discovering the efficacy and health benefits of using fewer, purer ingredients (thanks, EWG!) and my problem skin is in much better shape now.
My regular face cream (Luminos) and sunscreen (Solar Rx), both from Keys-soap, serve as excellent foundation. If my rosacea is angry I add a touch of mineral foundation (Larenim) on the hot spots (bridge of nose and upper cheeks) for added sun protection. I use Eye Butter (also from Keys) on my lips and tinted balm from Burts Bees on top (the new formlua that comes in the brown tubes is awesome!!)
My eyes are subject to day to day whim. Sometimes a littla mascara if I feel like it, sometimes the eyelash curler (gently!) if I don’t want to be removing mascara, sometimes neither. I have a lot of fun with my tiny pots of loose powder from Larenim (the mini trial sizes last and last) and they can double as eyeliner. If I want extra zing, I can dust one of the bronze shadows on my lids, cheeks, collarbone, etc.
Eyebrows are a special consideration. I have always kept them brushed, tweezed and shaped myself. Overall they look fine, and although they’d benefit from some “filling in” with a pencil (thank you trichotillomania), so far I can’t bear to add the step. I find my current bang-heavy hairstyle is very forgiving in this area!
oh my gosh, an essential I can’t believe I forgot to add – Dusk Til Dawn Recovery from Larenim. It’s a skin treatment and can also be used as powder/foundation. This simple stuff works wonders on my acne-prone oily skin and rosacea/telangiectasia.
Today I wore eye makeup (just mascara and concealer) for the first time in a month. (I have extremely dry eyes because of an autoimmune disorder and some prescription drugs, and lately my eyelids have been swollen and puffy.) By the end of the day, my eyes were itching, and I didn’t even think I looked better with mascara. I miss having fun with makeup; I used to love it.
I’ve used both more and less in the past, but my typical routine today consists of:
Primer
Mineral foundation
Mineral powder
Eyebrow pencil or powder
Mascara
Blush (cream or gel, so it goes on fast)
Lip balm
All told it takes about two minutes, unless I’m being extra careful or something. Once in awhile I add eyeliner which adds a extra minute or so.
And if can do only ONE thing, it’s the eyebrows. It makes the most difference, for sure!
What I’ve just started spending more time on is my skincare routine. But even that only adds a few extra minutes. I’m a 20 minutes, bed to car kinda gal.
It seems like there are two camps here: minimal makeup versus lotsa makeup. I happily fall into both! I’m experimental and a bit whacky, so makeup is a great expressive tool.
Most days I just moisturize, maybe throw on some lipstick for colour. If I’m looking blotchy or need to look presentable, I’ll put my mineral foundation to work. I use a lighter colour around my eyes and blending onto my cheekbones, with a custom mixed shade (which changes throughout the year) on the rest of my face and jaw. Every now and then, I’ll even add a dash of mascara.
BUT, that said, I was working at a dance bar up until a couple months ago. That required full face makeup with concealer, foundation, highlighter, at least two shades of shadow, eyeliner, mascara, lipstick, and an awesome outfit/accessories, of course.
Thankfully, my brows are excellent, and just need the occasional pluck around the edges and between them.
I do a full-scale makeup regime, because I’m always tickled at how much nicer/different I can make myself look with makeup, however neutral or minimal. Wwhat I’ve found recently that helps a TON is the green-tinted color correctors; I have mild rosacea and this stuff rules! I’ve tried both expensive brands and drugstore Revlon, and both have made a big difference.
Hmmm I am 23 and my make-up routine has gone from nothing (till 17) through drag queen (19-21) and vintage vixen (22) to almost nothing (now).
While before I would be experimenting, wearing all sorts of whatever at my face and looking like a clown, nowadays I use:
1. Garnier BB cream (but I just ordered some Korean ones via eBay)
2. Clinique Almost Make-up powder
3. Max Factor Pan Stik concealer, if I remember, it also goes under my eyes where I have EPIC eyebags
4. a black Shiseido mascara (it’s THE BEST, it doesn’t fall off my short mixed-Asian straight eyelashes)
5. sometimes some eyeliner, ArtDeco has very good ones
6. sometimes a lipgloss, but usually just a lipbalm
I don’t really bother with eyeshadows because my lids are oily and everything smudges and looks disgusting…so the less I wear the better. In the winter I usually wear red or purple lipstick + blush, because I am so pale even vampires would envy me, so I need to do something in order to look alive
But that’s it, it takes me maybe 10mins max.
I know a lot of women that wore a lot of makeup in their teens and then have changed their approach, I’m the opposite. I didn’t -do- makeup in my teens. I loved clothes and playing with interesting styles with my long hair but my mom was of the feminist camp that make up was something that strong women just didn’t need and had never learned to use so I didn’t. Then in college I started playing with it as another way to have fun with appearance – I actually started with face painting for a summer camp and was amazed at how lines on a face could change the appearance of its shape. So my college make up was never a routine but something I did when I had time for some fun. I used mostly eyeliner and eyeshadow, enjoying wild colors and drawing on my face.
As an adult I do have a makeup routine. I’m young-looking (“blessings” of good skin, being short and having a small face mean that people will probably think I’m a teenager forever) so I feel the need to do a little makeup to look more sophisticated basically. But I’m very different than a lot of people it seems – I have never understood people whose idea of minimum is mascara and lipstick, I can’t stand wearing either. Mascara makes my eyes itch all day. The moment I put on lipstick I just want to wipe it right off. Even tinted lip gloss gets annoying so its just an occasional indulgence, mostly I am a constant user of lip balms (burts bees!)
What I do wear regularly is a light foundation with SPF. I used to do tinted moisturizer but it actually bothered my skin, so I do better with real moisturizer at night and then foundation. The other basic for me is eyeliner, usually brown or occasionally grey-blue to match my eyes. If I’m feeling like having fun with it I add eyeshadow and a tinted lip balm/gloss. I don’t do more than that ever anymore-I’ve found too many products that set off my crazy sensitive skin. I used to use under-eye concealers regularly, for example, but found that a week or two of use with any of them actually started my skin cracking.
All that said, there are still days that I skip make up entirely and just moisturize my face. What I have noticed is that I don’t feel like I “need” makeup in the winter (whereas I do need moisturizer) but much more so I want to at least have foundation in the summer. A lot of that has to do with allergies – I get pretty serious dark circles because of them no matter what drugs I’m on.
My routine takes about 10 minutes. I mix Loreal TrueMatch with my moisturizer, a little eyeliner, eyeshadow and mascara. Sometimes blush, so my coworker won’t tell me how tired I look, gotta love her.
I only really started wearing makeup regularly after I was out of college. Until then I’d do myself up for a night out, but essentially all I wore was mascara and gold eyeshadow. Somewhere along the line I was introduced to coverup (oh lovely coverup) and then stumbled my way through the crazy land of cosmetics for a while. Recently after much reading up on the subject, I decided to try out powdered mineral makeup. I am now a complete covert. My foundation, coverup, skin balancer, eyeshadows and liners, and lip colours are all from the lovely Etsy seller Earth Angel Minerals. I find it so much easier and more versatile than any other product I’ve used, it’s better for my skin and for my long-term health (no weird chemicals) as well as being very affordable and supporting someone’s personal business instead of a huge corporation. Plus, it’s so much fun! It’s like my face is a bare canvas and I ‘paint’ it with pretty mineral colours. If I’m just doing my basic makeup routine before work it’ll take me about 15 minutes from bare face to finish. If I’m going a little wild, like for a night out, or just feeling colourful, I can tack on another 15 just playing around with tons of colours and blending etc.