My Five Minute Face

Time is god-darn precious in the morning. I would much rather an extra half hour in bed with a brew, snuggling my dogs than spend an eternity making up my face, for me to then spill tea down my blouse, walk into a door frame and smudge an eyebrow all before 9am. Like I said, that extra half hour is precious.

I have become the master at doing my makeup in less than five minutes. I can actually do a whole going-out look in around 20 minutes these days, if it’s a trusty go-to look and my eyebrows co-operate that is.

During this heat wave, whether or not you like it, your makeup doesn’t. Wearing a full face of makeup in this heat can literally feel like you’ve melted a box of Crayola on your face. It does not feel good.

These are the products I’ve been using to create a super quick look that’s fresh and helps you beat the heat.

When I go downstairs to make a cup of tea, I reach in the fridge for my moisturiser. I always keep it in the fridge during summer because it helps wake me up, makes my eyes feel brighter and cools me down. I’ve currently been using the No7 Men’s anti-shine lotion, and girls, I don’t want to start a conspiracy theory, but since using it my skin has cleared up so much!

What I love about this is that it can also be used as a primer, and is perfect for those with oily skin like myself. It balances the oils in your skin and helps keep you shine free all day, meaning no shiny forehead come dinner time. It’s also got 5* UVA and is SPF15, so great to use in the summer for that extra skin protection. I then get back under my covers, drink my tea and have a good scroll through Instagram.

This is where my five minutes begins.

BB Cream

I find that I opt for a BB Cream in summer, just because it’s lighter on my skin ad doesn’t feel gross after an hour. My all-time holy grail is the Beauty Balm by Dr Jart. I picked this up in a Boots clearance sale for £1 thinking even if it’s pants it was only £1. Now, I don’t know what I’ll do without it as it retails at over £30. It’s incredible though. It’s quite a thick formula, and is super creamy and you really only need a small amount. It blends beautifully and actually has an intelligent colour element where it blends into your tone. It leaves my skin feeling dewy, fresh and ready to take on the day.

Brows

If I’m only running errands, going to a lecture or popping to the shop, I will just brush a brow gel through my brows to add a little colour and to tame them in place. I always use the Natural Collection Brow Gel in Dark. If I am seeing more people or feel like doing a little extra, I use my Anastasia Beverley Hills dipbrow pomade in Auburn to shape and fill my brows. I’ve kinda got that routine down to a fine art now.

Eyes

Cream shadow is your best friend for a quick, one swipe application. For a quick eye brighten I use the Primark Nudes Metalic Eye Cream. This is a pinky, shimmery number that makes it look like you put that little extra bit of effort in. It also makes you look like you defo didn’t just roll out of bed and stumble into class.

I then use a nice lengthing mascara for fluttery lashes. Recently I’ve been pairing Benefit Rollerlash for a fanned out, natural look.

Cheeks

A swish of blush and a swipe of highlighter usually does the trick. I’ve been dusting Benefit Rockateur on my cheeks then using the No7 Skin Illuminator to highlight. I much prefer using a cream or liquid highlighter in the warmer weather because it feels a little less cakey on top of my foundation.

Lips

I try and keep my lips as low maintenance as possible. I want to reduce the amount of times I have to reapply, I don’t want to have to use lip liner and I don’t want it to feel uncomfortable after a few hours. The lipstick I often reach for MAC Velvet Teddy, and as you can tell, it’s a much-loved product! If I really don’t feel like wearing lipstick, I will go for a hydrating lipbalm like Palmers.