I'm one of those people that whether I have 5 minutes or 2 hours I will take that amount of time to do my makeup, no standard 20 minute routine here. This means that most of the time I take forever (which I enjoy!) but I have the advantage of being able to do my makeup in a flash if needs be.
Below are products that help me achieve a speedy makeup look (we are talking under 3 minutes here!) without looking like I've just rolled out of bed. These are products that apply with speed and ease, requiring no makeup brushes or extra products such as eyelash curlers and powder that would hinder my 3 minute routine.
Max Factor Xperience Weightless Foundation
£7.99 - Boots/Superdrug
First up, foundation. When in a rush applying foundation with a brush is out of the question so going for a foundation that is easy to blend with finger tips is what you're looking for. BB Creams would seem like the best option but they can be hit and miss I've found as they can be quick thick sometimes. So instead I like to go for a light but good coverage foundation. My favourite has to be Max Factor Xperience which is beyond light but does give coverage, enough for me to even skip concealer. I also love the colour range with some super light shades that are fairly neutral, giving a very natural finish. I also highly recommend Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation (£9.99 - Boots here), again a light foundation that is so easy to apply and blend with just your fingers.
Bourjois Shimmering Shine Eyeshadow - £2.99 Amazon here
Rimmel Colour Mouse Eyeshadow - Under £3 from eBay
Bare eyelids for me is just something I can't do even when in a rush. If I'm wearing makeup my eyes need to stand out, especially as I'm a glasses wearer. Powder eyeshadow that require blending is out the window here as it would of course take too long and there's a risk of fall out and not blending it enough. Which is were liquid eyeshadow comes in! Above are two of my favourites that take seconds to apply and blend with fingertips. I also find that due to their metallic nature there's no need for a crease colour as the natural shadows that come from the metallic finish are enough and really do look pretty. If fact whenever I use a liquid eyeshadow when time is of the essence I also wonder why I don't use them more often as they are simply stunning.
Benefit Gimme Brow (in light)
£17.50 - Look Fantastic here
Next up is brows which is normally a 5 minute affair with multiple products for me. I put this down to having super fair brows but again it's just because I like to take my time when I'm applying my makeup. Multiple products and excessive faffy are definitely a no-no here, you simply want to brush through your brows with something that will give them definition and keep them looking neat. This is were Benefit Gimme Brow comes in and does that job in seconds. The tinted brow gel can be easily brushed through the brows with the handy tapered brush to give a groomed effect in seconds. This is also great for giving the appearance of fully looking brows so other products just aren't needed.
L'Oreal Miss Manga Mascara
£8.99 - Boots here
Mascara is without a doubt a personal choice especially as everyones lashes are different. But my main suggestion when in a rush is to go for something that you find easy to apply! This isn't the time for poking yourself in the eye with an over sized brush or getting a nice blob of mascara on your eyelid due to an over-wet formula. It's also definitely not time to be giving a new mascara a try, something I realised last month with a mascara that seemed to take forever to dry and then I went and sneezed *facepalm*. At the moment my go-to mascara is L'Oreal Miss Manga which is a surprising choice for me as I'm not generally a fan of even medium sized brushes however the tapered shape really works with the not too dry or too wet formula.
Revlon Baby Sticks
Discontinued but can be found for £3.45 (free p&p) on eBay here!
Last but not least, lips and cheeks. This is an ideal time for picking a multi-use product. This saves on time but also I feel ties in the look that bit more. Revlon Baby Sticks are a great foolproof way to get both jobs done in seconds, a swipe along the cheeks which needs to be dabbed out to look natural and the same with the lips to give a hint of colour. Alternatively a matte lip crayon works just as well with Models Own Lip Stix (£5.00 - Superdrug here) being my favourite to use for this purpose.
Fee xo.
