WIT mama Friday: Make up in under 5 minutes

I have about ten minutes to get ready in the morning, really. It's not an art I have had much time to master being this my second week at work, but I've already gathered it will take a lot of organisation to keep up my daily posts with child! I plan my outfit the night before, I also think of a backup warmer/colder variation so that I am never caught off guard.. living in the UK I prepare for the worse most days. Thanks to George Northwood my hair is now not a problem. I strongly recommend that you invest in a good hair cut that doesn't need too much attending too, it makes all the difference.  My make up is another story and I've had to come up with a repertoire of easy, "daily looks" that can be applied quickly and effectively while Greta sits on the floor impatiently.

It pretty much go like this: whatever I can achieve in terms smooth, radiant skin and then it's either an eye or a lip, never the two together.

The "lip" look

• Prep: Wash and dry face. I use water only in the morning and leave the heavy duty cleansing for the evening (15 seconds)
• Moisturise: I like something light and quenching which is quickly absorbed into the skin. At the moment I am finishing off Skinceuticals Ultra Facial Defense (30 seconds)
• Base: I'm a big fan of tinted moisturisers but since I've momentarily run out I've started using Clinique's Moisture Surge tinted moisturiser. It's a bit thicker than regular tinted moisturisers, which isn't all bad as I need a bit more coverage these days. Probably not good for oily skins as it tends to give me a bit of a T zone by the end of the day. I just squirt a little bit on top of my hand and then dot small amounts on my face making sure I even it out. When I finish this I will probably go back to my old time favourite Laura Mercier
  Tinted Moisturiser.  (1 minute)
• Eyes: When I'm doing a lip only I do the bare minimum on the eyes so I tend to use an eye lash curler and maybe one coat of mascara. To this purpose I am loving Bobbi Brown dual mascara because it has two applicators, one that gives you a more natural look and the other one that gives your lashes more volume. In this case I use the "Everything Mascara" side. (1 minute)
• Bronzer: I hate being pale, it just doesn't suit me. Living in the UK doesn't aid to my desire of an all-year suntan, but since I don't do fake tans (can't stand the smell) or sunbeds (I don't have time), an old fashioned bronzer has to do the trick. At the moment I am using Clinique Superbalanced Powder Bronzer in Bronzed 1. I love the shade (a good balance of matte and glow) and I particularly like it because it works with a grinder inside that releases how ever much powder you need.You know that fiddling around with your brush to get rid of excess powder? No need to to this with this bronzer. (20 seconds)
• Lips: I purposely choose matte lipsticks which tend to last longer and only need one coat. I don't bother using pencil or brushes, I much prefer a messier "just kissed" lip. My favourite winter shades are: Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella, Face Stockholm for J.Crew Chilli Flake and Nars Lipstick Red Lizard.  (20 seconds)
• Blusher: My finishing touch is always with a little bit of blusher. It gives me that healthy, fresh face look that I love. I don't have a favourite and tend to fall in and out of love with different brands, at the moment I am using Bobbi Brown Farda Joues blush in Washed Rose. (10 seconds)  

 Done!

 Total time 3min and 45 seconds

My inspiration

The "eye" look

• Prep: Wash and dry face. I use water only in the morning and leave the heavy duty cleansing for the evening (15 seconds)
• Moisturise: I like something light and quenching which is quickly absorbed into the skin. I am finishing Skinceuticals Ultra Facial Defense (30 seconds)
• Base: I'm a big fan of tinted moisturisers but since I've momentarily run out I've started using Clinique's Moisture Surge tinted moisturiser. It's a bit thicker than regular tinted moisturisers, which isn't all bad as I need a bit more coverage these days. Probably not good for oily skins as it tends to give me a bit of a T zone by the end of the day. I just squirt a little bit on top of my hand and then dot small amounts on my face making sure I even it out. When I finish this I will probably go back to my old time favourite Laura Mercier
  Tinted Moisturiser.  (1 minute)
• Eyes:  Step 1 - Eyeshadow - I find that nothing at all on the eyelids doesn't quite work so I choose a very natural, matte shade of eyeshadow. I absolutely love MAC Paint Pots (Quite Natural.) Step 2 - Liner  I love an Alexa Chung flick. I'm still to master the art of it and for the moment every day is a new result! I prefer a marker pen and I recently bought L'Oreals Black Buster Super liner which is not bad although not as black as I would have liked. I've been watching this video on how to draw the perfect line and found it quite useful.  Step 3 - Mascara - When I'm doing an eye look I like thick lashes so I use the other side of my Bobbi Brown dual mascara  that gives your lashes more volume. In this case I use the "Lash Glamour Extreme Lenghtening" applicator side concentrating at the base of the lashes. (2.25 minute)
  
• Bronzer: I hate being pale, it just doesn't suit me. Living in the UK doesn't aid to my desire of an all-year suntan but since I don't do fake tans (can't stand the smell) or sunbeds (I don't have time), an old fashioned bronzer has to do the trick. At the moment I am using Clinique Superbalanced Powder Bronzer in Bronzed 1. I love the shade (a good balance of matte and glow) and I particularly like it because it works with a grinder inside that releases how ever much powder you need.You know that fiddling around with your brush to get rid of excess powder? No need to to this with this bronzer. (20 seconds)
  
• Lips: When I'm doing an eye, I keep lips to a bare minimum. I apply lip balm, currently loving Dermalogica Age Smart Renewal Lip Complex. Sometimes to give my lips a little bit of definition I roughly colour them in with a super natural shade of lip pencil. Top Shop Lip Line in Ceramic is a great shade. (20 seconds)
• Blusher: My finishing touch is always with a little bit of blusher. It gives me that healthy, fresh face look that I love. I don't have a favourite and tend to fall in and out of love with different brands, at the moment I am using Bobbi Brown Farda Joues blush in Washed Rose. (10 seconds)  

 Done!

 Total time 5 min

My inspiration