10 Beauty Timesavers
I’ve spent the past week recovering from an infection in my foot (whoops, guess I didn’t notice I had a paper cut and something like shampoo must have penetrated it). Anyway, I was still able to work and the team I’m in charge of delivered a great presentation this week despite my pain. Many of you may be fighting infections, pain, and fatigue while balancing numerous responsibilities (the kids, the house, your job, etc). As such, we could all use these beauty timesavers when we leave the house in the morning.
10 Beauty Timesavers
- Wear brown eyeliner–not black. When you’re in a hurry, it’s easy to make mistakes. Mistakes are magnified when you wear black but they’re not noticeable if you wear brown.
- Wear eyeliner–no mascara. A great eyeliner, like the ones I reviewed in my previous post, “opens” the eyes and makes them look more alive. Because of Tarte’s Amazonian Clay eyeliner (see my aforementioned post here), at work I often look like I have more energy that I really do! It keeps me looking employable.
- Avoid red lipstick. I love a good red lipstick when I mean business like being at the helm of an important staff meeting. However, red lipstick requires red lipliner first. If the lipliner and lipstick are not applied with precision, I look like like Bozo the clown. If I’m in hurry, I might use a coral shade or medium shade of pink. But if you really need bold lips, try a berry shade like this lipstick from Lancôme,which requires no lip liner.
Pictured: Violette Coquette–great for most skin tones.
- Just wear one eyeshadow. When I’m in a hurry, I wear only one shade (usually Plum Gorgeous or Lucky Charm because they’re great for brown eyes). I don’t believe in buying $50 eyeshadow quads from department stores. Being in a hurry makes it impossible to apply 4 shadows. Just wearing one great color over eyeshadow primer (like this one from Urban Decay at Sephora) really opens up a woman’s eyes. Ulta makes one of my favorite eyeshadows–their Baked Duo shadows are $8.00 and $4.00 when they have a sale. Ulta’s affordable eyeshadow can compete with many department store brands. Ulta is the best bang for your buck eyeshadow!
- Wear a tinted moisturizer.
If you have blemishes you want to cover (under eye circles, moderate acne), a tinted moisturizer like this one from MAC Cosmetics (at Macy’s) acts as a concealer and a light foundation.
- Try Pür Minerals 4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Makeup at Ulta. This foundation lives up to its promise: it takes one minute to apply! It’s also a foundation, SPF, concealer, and powder in one! This foundation also comes in 10 different shades.
- Use Neutrogena Deep Clean Makeup Remover Wipes. When I’m applying eyeliner, I sometimes make mistakes I need to correct because I can’t wink. These oil-free wipes easily remove stray marks on my lids and help me draw precise lines. Another important function of Neutrogrena’s Wipes is that they allow you to take your makeup off quickly if you’re too tired at the end of the day to use facial soap and moisturizer. Remember: sleeping with makeup on is a no-no.
- Use Neuma Style Extender. This hair product is awesome for women who can’t shampoo their hair everyday. Because of my foot infection, I had to use a shower cap for several days in the shower. But spritzing this on my hair in the morning made my hair look fresh. If you don’t have fifteen (or forty minutes) to spare for blowdrying, Neuma is a great timesaver. Just a little spritzing goes a long way!
- Use Goody hair claws from Target. If your hair is long and you don’t have time to brush it as thoroughly as Marcia on the Brady Bunch, these hair claws can help you looked polished in no time.
- Try Tarte’s Blush and Bronze on the Go (here at Ulta)featuring their popular bronzer, Park Avenue Princess, and one of their 12-hour Amazonian Clay blushes, Dollface. (Doesn’t Tarte Cosmetics come up with the best names?) With these small compacts in my purse, I can apply my blush and bronzer on the way to work. I take the train.
–Your Stylist, Jessica Gimeno