My Five Minute Daily Makeup Routine
I’m about to let you in on a little secret…it is totally possible to feel put together and human like in 5 minutes or less using only 6 key safer beauty products. Let’s face it, these days the faster I can get dressed and ready and out the door, the better. I’ve got one kiddo asking to research Gila monsters on the computer every morning, and the other kiddo asking if she can brush my hair and wear my lip gloss too. And while it’s all precious and memorable, I also need to get myself ACTUALLY ready - and not like kid-ready, meaning lip gloss smeared all over my face with a brow gel smudge NEXT to my brow, and a generous pat of mattefying powder…IN MY HAIR.
When I first started working from home, I just rolled out of bed, put on yoga pants and went with it because hey, I was going to take FULL ADVANTAGE of my new found freedom to be totally and completely makeup and give-a-care free! And while NOTHING has changed about the daily yoga pants, what I have found is that I feel SO MUCH BETTER if I actually put a little makeup on and do something with my hair…I feel like a human again who is ready to tackle the day, matcha in hand! So maybe you need to get glammed up for your job, or maybe you just like to feel human at home too….either way, I’ve got the perfect 5 minute makeup routine that won’t leave you looking like a clown, but enhance your natural beauty while being safer to boot.
WHY SAFER MAKEUP?
If you’ve been following along here for quite some time, you know I’m passionate about the products I use for myself and my family. Once you know that there are over 85,000 chemicals registered for use in the marketplace (and more hitting the market each year!) and that approximately 70% of those chemicals have not been analyzed for safety, then it can be really hard to UN-know just how potentially hazardous to health the conventional products we use can be. I’m all about doing the best we can with what we have, and prioritizing swaps in order of importance, which is why I put my makeup at the TOP of my swap list for a multitude of reasons.
I like to swap out the things that sit on my skin the longest FIRST. Our makeup, unlike our shampoo, sits on our skin all day until we wash it off (usually before bed) and for lots of us, that means spending more than half the day in our makeup. As it sits, potential toxins can be absorbed into our skin continuously. For me, I can make the biggest impact on my health by starting here.
In addition to the intentional toxic ingredients that some companies use to formulate, so many makeup products (especially color cosmetics) can contain what we call UNINTENTIONAL contaminants, namely heavy metals. These are essentially toxins that attach themselves to the ingredients being harvested for intentional use, and that oftentimes go undetected in our cosmetics because NOBODY IS TESTING FOR THEM. Heavy metals include compounds like Lead, Arsenic, Cadmium, Mercury, Nickel and so much more. Heavy metal toxicity is a problem, especially for people with compromised detox systems (which can be genetic and spontaneous). The good news, Beautycounter is the only company that I know of currently testing for not only common toxins, but for unintentional heavy metals as well. (If you know of any others, please let me know!). What this means is that even companies who claim to be “natural” or “organic” or any other variety of greenwashed terms can still potentially contain toxins in their products if they are not testing.
The sourcing of ingredients like Mica, which is heavily used in the cosmetic industry, is sketchy as hell. So not only can our products be toxic in their chemical composition, but if we want to look at a product from start to finish, we must look at how we’re sourcing the ingredients to make them. Mica, which is the compound that provides the beautiful shine and sparkle we love in our favorite eye shadows, lip glosses, foundations, and more has a long and historically shady history of using child labor for its harvesting. While the ingredient itself is safe, at Beautycounter we care about products, the planet, and PEOPLE. We can’t turn a blind eye to what’s going on in the Mica industry, so we’ve spent the last 18 months traveling around the world to visit every single mine where our mica is sourced to make sure they uphold our responsible sourcing standards. As a result of these audits, we have dropped some suppliers that didn’t meet our standards, which I’m so incredibly proud of. In short, seeking companies that are doing the work is incredibly important to me, and if you want to get involved and stop the importation of products that are the result of child labor, you can text MICA to 52886 in addition to choosing to vote with your dollars by buying safer beauty!
FLAWLESS IN FIVE
Now that we know WHY choosing safer makeup is so incredibly important, let’s talk about how! The absolute easiest and most budget friendly way to transition to a safer makeup routine is to invest in our Flawless in Five Makeup Bundle. Not only is this bundle ALWAYS offered at a 20% discount compared to buying these products individually, but these 6 products are what I like to call the “essentials”. Meaning, these products are all I really need to feel put together day in and day out. If your work requirement or personal preference is a more glammed up look, these are still the products I’d start with, and then use individual add-ons, or our second bundles called, “Get the Look” to up your glam factor. I love that navigating this bundle and making color choices on the website is SO EASY too! So what 6 products do I use every morning without fail? Let’s dive in!
Dew Skin or Tint Skin Foundation - First, you get to choose a facial option. Our two “foundations” include the Dew Skin Tinted Moisturizer with SPF and the Tint Skin Medium Coverage Foundation. In my opinion, the Dew Skin is not a true foundation, as in it does not provide what I would consider “coverage”. What it mostly does is provide a light evening of your skin tone, extra moisture (hence the dew) and protection for light incidental daily sun exposure. It’s my go to choice for weekends at home, or when I want my most natural look. I also like to layer it under my Tint Skin as a primer or for added coverage when I want a more glam look. I would choose Dew Skin if you are a more minimal makeup gal, or are looking for extremely light coverage. The Tint Skin is a traditional medium coverage liquid foundation. Let me say, before I tried the Tint Skin, I was ALWAYS a powder foundation gal. I used both loose and pressed powders for foundation and I was SO HESITANT to try a liquid foundation because I didn’t want my face to look caked on. I am now 100% a liquid foundation convert, and I think it has to do with the fact that the Tint Skin is medium coverage. You can expect this product to provide coverage for light blemishes and skin spots, but it is not FULL coverage, so things like freckles, heavy blemishes, etc. will still be partially visible - which I actually like! I still look like myself, even with a full face of makeup on.
My pro tip: Go for a Retractable Foundation Brush ALWAYS. For me, the application always comes out smoother, and I can keep my hands clean! (From now until January 27, 2020 you get a FREE retractable foundation brush with your Flawless in Five order - that’s a $35 value!)
Concealer Pen - The next choice is what shade of concealer pen you’d like. I am in love with our Concealer Pen because it works SO WELL. Concealer is yet another product I wasn’t familiar with before the age of 32….I was a self admitted makeup newbie for most of my life, and it wasn’t til I had two kiddos that I noticed the bags under my eyes needing a little attention. I can honestly say I love our concealer pen and it’s performance, however, here are a few tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way:
Ideally, you will want to select a different color for what your goal is. If you want to brighten the undereye area, you’ll want to select a shade lighter than your foundation. If you want to hide blemishes on the skin, you’ll want to select a shade that matches your foundation color.
It takes about 68 (no lie) clicks to get the pen started when you first get it. Be patient, and keep clicking!
Try not to apply your concealer to oily skin, or on top of eye creams or facial oils - it can run.
Apply undereye concealer in lines coming from the inner eye to the outer eye area. You can also apply to the eye lid as well.
Let your concealer sit for 30 seconds or more to thicken for better application.
If you feel like your eye makeup is constantly running, try investing in our Mattefying Powder and swipe a light dusting on top of your lid and under the bottom lash line to absorb oils and prevent creasing.
Pat your concealer to blend with your ring finger, don’t smear it. This will give more coverage and prevent damage to the delicate under eye skin.
Brow Gel or Brow Pencil - Your next big decision is what type of brow enhancer product do you want to use? You get to choose from our Brilliant Brow Gel or our Brow Pencil and let me tell you girl, both options are good! In my experience, I love the brow gel on women who don’t have a problem with sparse brows. If you have fairly full brows and just have to do general upkeep to corral straggler hairs, a brow gel is going to work beautifully to add some color, or to control the hair and keep it in place for a more polished look. You can choose a colored gel or clear gel if you want to just keep the hairs in place. I on the other hand am a victim of the late 90’s/early 2000s over plucking pandemic that swept the nation, and STILL to this day, can’t seem to grow a full brow, which is sad to me. For sparse brows like mine that needs more filling in, a brow pencil is more than likely the way to go. For brow pencils to work really well, you need a sharpened point to create small hair like strokes, imitating the look of real hairs. You may need to warm your brow pencil before applying as well so that the wax becomes more supple. I always start on the inner brow and work outward, again trying to create small hair like strokes versus broad crayon like singular lines.
Lengthening or Volumizing Mascara - Decisions, decisions! You also have the option of choosing one of our two mascara options as part of your bundle. First things first, I need to set some expectations about safer mascara. IT IS SO HARD to formulate safer mascara to match the performance of conventional. Conventional mascara uses highly toxic ingredients like Carbon Black, and the same ingredients people use to make things like car tires. Which is crazy to me. There are a lot of potentially hazardous chemicals that go into formulating a wet mascara that creates a dramatic lash. Because we are limited to ingredients that aren’t on our Never List, the quest for a glam high performing mascara is one that is a challenge! With all that said, I still love our mascaras, but it may or may not take some adjusting for you depending what you’re used to. Here are some tips to get your safer mascara working really well:
Warm up your mascara before applying. I stick mine in my bra while I’m doing my hair and makeup and apply it last. But you can roll it between your hands, or let it sit in a cup of warm water as well. This helps to warm the product for easier application.
Apply to your lashes both horizontally and vertically to get the best coating.
I like to curl my lashes prior to mascara use.
Swirl your wand rather than pump it in the container. This will coat the wand better and prevent air from getting in and drying out the product.
I really love both our lengthening and volumizing options for my every day look, and I’ve really come to love and appreciate the natural, not goopy look and feel! When I want to go glam, I’ll reach for this Honest brand version as my backup.
Satin Powder Blush - Now we’re getting to the fun part..COLOR! There are so many options for blush color within the Flawless in Five but my absolute favorite is Nectar. If you’ve ever used the NARS Orgasm Blush, this is our safer dupe option. It’s really light and buildable and also so versatile for most skin colors. I also like Melon as a backup for Nectar, and Date as the perfect Fall/Winter berry color.
Lip Gloss - Last, but not least, we get to choose or final touch…a Lip Gloss! The choices are endless here, but here are a few of my favorites
Favorite Nude: Buff
Favorite Pink: Peony
Favorite Berry: Fig
So that’s how I do it friends! Simple, straightforward and so so easy. When I want to spend an extra minute or two, I’ll add my favorite eyeliner or a quick swipe of eyeshadow from my favorite palette and call it good. But most of the time, these are the stars of my morning routine show!
The really cool part is that not only can you get all these products for 20% off every single day through the Flawless in Five bundle, but from now until Monday, January 27, 2020 you can get a FREE Retractable Foundation Brush (value: $35 USD/$44 CAD) with the purchase of any Flawless in Five customizable makeup kit!
If you have questions, drop them below in the comments. I can help with color matching ALLLLL DAY (it’s my favorite thing to do!) or we can chat about which products would work best for your needs. Be on the lookout for a post coming soon on what I call Makeup Boosters, so you can go from day to night makeup quickly!
Watch the video below to see how easy it is to make your selections!