5-Minute Makeup Tips for Lazy 40-Something Ladies

OK, so I'm not a beauty blogger, but I feel like one! Yesterday I appealed to my Facebook friends to help me understand makeup better. I see women my age with flawless skin and bright eyes and one chin and I want to know how they do it.

This is me before


I got TONS of advice:

Drink water
Moisturize
Exfoliate
Botox
Facelift
Primer
BB Cream
CC Cream
Concealer
Powder
Set your makeup
Black eyeliner
No eyeliner
Brightener

It was crazy how helpful everyone wanted to be and it was overwhelming how much advice I received.

I decided to go through the responses and see what came up the most:

Moisturize. I do that already.
Concealer. Got it. Buckets of it, actually.
Brightener. Huh?
Primer. WTH is that?
BB Cream. WTH is THAT??
CC Cream. OK, am I being punked? Do these things actually exist?

I headed to the store to try and see what I could do.

The helpful lady let me know that BB cream and CC cream, while miracle workers, are out of my realm. I'm not cut out for that kind of work and commitment. Instead she directed me to a nice, inexpensive primer and a brightener. Those I could handle. She gave me some easy tips. I told her I needed to be done in less than 5 minutes.

This morning I decided to experiment and see if I could use the advice I'd been given. Lo and behold, it took me right around 5 minutes and I look a lot better.

This is me after.
The Hubs was a little surprised by my transformation. "What are you doing? Are you going out tonight or something? You look weird."

Thanks, dear.

I told him that I'd put up a selfie and see what the internet thinks since I value their opinion more than his. Good thing I did that, because I've been riding a wave of love all damn day. Now I see why Kim Kardashian puts up selfies. Good grief. You feel like a model and a rock star all rolled into one. Thank you!

I had a few people ask me what I used and the order I did things and I thought I'd write this post and share it with you. So here's Jen's 5 Minute Makeup Tips for Lazy 40-Something Ladies:


1. Wash face with Bare Minerals Cleanser
2. Bare Minerals Vital Power Infusion
3. Bare Minerals Lightweight Emulsion - This is a new regimen for me. I started a few weeks ago because I was breaking out. I'm a big fan of Bare Minerals and they'd given me some free samples to try when I bought a shit ton of lipgloss. I liked it, so it made sense to keep it in the family. So far I'm happy with the results.
4. e.l.f. Primer - This was a new adventure for me. I really like how my skin feels. It goes on light and fluffy and makes my face feel soft. I'll add this to the daily upkeep.
5. Bare Minerals Liquid Foundation - I bought this for a television appearance, but I don't normally wear it because it feels "heavy" compared to the powder. I'll do it again for special occasions, but not for every day.
6. Bare Minerals Powder - I've never put the powder AND the foundation on. This was decadent. I will stick to doubling my usual amount of powder and dropping the liquid foundation.
7. Mabelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer under my eyes and on my lids. This stuff is serious. You can get a little crazy drawing all over your face so be careful.
8. e.l.f. Brightener on my lids and inner corners of eyes. Huh. Who knew? I liked this. It made a difference.
9. Benefit Gimme Brow. I received a free sample of this a few months ago and it changed my life. I finally have eyebrows.
10. Natural Nyx eyeshadow. I bought this new based on a recommendation. It's really nice, especially for the price! I used the lightest one all over and the second to darkest one in the crease and called it a day.
11. Nyx eyeliner. I don't usually wear black, but I remembered I bought this when I thought I'd try Adele's perfect eye wings. HAHAHA!! I only lined the lower lid and smudged it a lot. I didn't do the top because my hand isn't steady enough to do the upper.
12. Benefit Roller Lash. I got a free sample of this a few months ago. I'm kind of a mascara whore. I will try any and all of them on my puny lashes. I like this one the best because nobody has time to curl their lashes.
13. Bare Minerals Blush. I got this one for free. It's not my favorite. It's a little TOO pink. I like Physician's Formula Powder Palette usually.
14. Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie lipgloss in Maverick. I should own stock in this lipgloss.

It really didn't take all that long. It's a lot of slathering stuff on. The main thing I learned was that I don't use enough product. I'm stingy with it and I need to be more generous if I want to really cover some flaws.

Also, many of you were kind to comment on my hair. Normally when I know I'm going to be leaving the house or getting photographed, I blow dry and straighten my hair. It's a shit ton of work, so if you see me with straight hair then you know you're special. However, if I'm not going anywhere except the bank and Target, I let my hair go curly. I'm always looking for newer, better, faster products to help in this department and a few weeks ago I stumbled on a game changer.

This:


Redken Sea Salt Spray. I put it in wet and scrunch my hair and let it air dry. It doesn't get too frizzy and it keeps its curl. This spray freed up enough time for me to do my makeup now. I just saw that it's on sale, so I'm heading out stock up on more.

I hope this helped some of you. I know you've got some great advice too, so leave it in the comments help us all look a little better with a lot less effort.

When you're done fixing your face, go and read my books!

2 comments:

Cade2010 said...

The makeup aisle gives me hives, strikes fear into my heart, and makes me run and hide in the band-aid section of the pharmacy. But I saved this, because this I might be able to do someday should I have to you know, ever dress up nice. So, thanks!

Expat mum said...

Thanks for this. I'm a 5-minute girl and older than you so it all helps. Word of warning - I did the salt spray stuff all summer (loved my "mermaid" hair) but I spied the people at the salon looking at each other over my head as they discussed how "damaged" my hair was.

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