The ten minute make up routine for busy mornings

If you're anything like me, you don't do mornings.

I struggle with motivating myself to get ready at the best of times but getting ready to go at 6am on a weekday does not equal a happy Amber. 

Sadly though we all have to make ourselves look presentable for work and that usually requires putting on a bit of make up to hide my under eye bags make myself look and feel better.

As much as I love make up most of the time I don't have the energy to create something spectacular on your average week day. 

Particularly because it's cold, dark and nobody will notice what my amazing eye make up looks like once I'm sat behind my partition at my desk. 

So I have whittled my morning make up routine to such a peak of efficiency that it now takes me less than 10 minutes to achieve.

Base

I always start with my bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted  Gel. This stuff is fab and great if you like to wear a bit of a base but don't want anything too heavy. 

I find this gives a 'soft focus' effect (similar to Charlotte Tilbury's Wonderglow) and blurs imperfections rather than hiding them. This foundation is light and it will not cover a blemish or hide redness. But it does give a smoothed appearance without hiding what your face actually looks like.

It's long wearing and I find it works well on my combination skin. It is best applied with your fingers and less is DEFINITELY more with this (which is good because it lasts a long time). You need a pea size and that is it. Any more and you will not get it to blend evenly. I love that it can be applied with fingers because it means less brushes to wash and its quick and easy.

A word of warning though, this product does NOT get on with any sort of silicone primer. I once tried it with The Ordinary's High Adherence Silicone primer. Big mistake. They did not mesh well together and it peeled off my face in huge strings of gloop. I had to wash it all off and start again.

In all honesty this product doesn't need a primer as it stays put well by itself. 

I wear this in shade 06 Ginger but it comes in a large shade range which should suit a lot of people. 

It also contains SPF 30 which is perfect for me in the winter when I'm inside an office all day. 

To hide my tiredness I use my Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser which twists up and you apply it directly to your under eye area using the sponge applicator. I wish this came in more shades as it doesn't give you many options. 

I blend this using my Primark Beautyblender (these are amazing btw) and that's my make up base done.

Brows

I probably spend the most time on my eyebrows and use three different products ( I know, I'm high maintenance). 

I like a soft natural look so I use an angled brush to apply my Mac eyeshadow in Cork in small feathery strokes. I define the underside of my brow first and work upwards.

I have a bald patch in both my eyebrows where the arch is (one is worse than the other) so I use my NYX eyebrow pencil to fill in any sparse areas and then the spooley on the other end to tidy things up.

I set my brows using my Benefit Gimme Brow eyebrow gel, which keeps everything in place throughout the day.

Eyes

On mornings where I am getting ready this quickly I only bother with mascara. At the moment I am using the Lancome Grandiose mascara which has it's very unusual swan neck wand. I actually really like this mascara and find that the different shape of the wand does help you to evenly reach all of the awkward bits. 

This mascara stays put all day and doesn't flake off. It's only annoying thing is I struggle to apply this without getting some of it on my upper eyelid. I just dip a cotton bud in micellar water and do a two second clean up.

This does give quite a bold, thick look to lashes, which might not be to everyone's liking but I quite like a dramatic look. 

Cheeks

This is the part of the look I switch up the most but lately I've been exclusively using my NARS blusher in Orgasm. I've recently seen a lot of people saying they don't like the cult favourite but I personally love it.

It's a soft pink with a gold shimmer running through it. I find it gives a natural flush to the cheeks and the shimmer means I don't need to use a highlighter which saves me time.

NARS blushes are legendary for their staying power and this stays put all day. 

Lips

I also like to mix up my lip colour but my Clinique Chubby Stick Intense in Curviest Caramel never leaves my handbag.

I usually apply this in the rear view mirror of my car as I'm about to get out and go to work and I love how easy and fuss free it is.

The twist up pencil doesn't require sharpening and it has good staying power. The formula is more lipstick like than the other chubby sticks and as a result it only needs reapplying a few times throughout the day.

The colour is incredibly flattering and is a warm nude with just enough brown. It's my favourite nude shade and easily my most worn lip product. It's perfect for any time that you want to 'play it safe' like a job interview but also when you're in a hurry like me in the morning and don't have time to be worrying about your lipstick. 

So that is how I get myself out of the door in time without scaring my co workers. Do you have any favourite products for when you're in a hurry? Let me know in the comments as I'm always looking for new products to speed up my routine even more.