So here I was, lounging away another day reading some favorite novels and arranging my lipstick collection [I can never look enough at them!] when my friend called and asked me to be at the door in under 15mins to meet her gang.
So 15mins.... and I was still in pajamas! And then came my laziness to the rescue. So here goes what I did to prep up.
1. Washed my face in ice-cold water [which is easy here considering the climate!] but if you dont have ice water flowing from taps, suggest always keep a bottle in fridge for such emergencies.. :)
Time: 1min
2. Dabbed some aloe vera gel on my face and neck and on top of eyelid. Did away with moisturizer and primer in this quick step :) :) If you dont have aloe vera gel, use rose water for freshening up and use moisturizer or primer.
Time: 1-2 min
3. Dressed up in my favorite top and jeans and pulled on my boots giving the gel time to settle on my face
Time: 4-5 mins
4. Dabbed my favorite
mineral loose powder from FACES Canada all over my face, neck and eye area
Time: 2mins
5. Used my coal black kajal pencil to quickly and thickly line the upper eyelid lash line and the corner of my lower lash line to give an instant cat-eye look. Trick here is to have a nicely pigmented jet black pencil for use and lotsa practice to get that line instant :)
If you dont trust to do a fast work with eye pencil, you can do a quick mascara coating of eye lash - just concentrate on giving 2-3 quick coatings on the upper lash area without trying for the root-to-tip model.
Another trick is to use a
black eyeshadow or pigment with a narrow tipped brush. Apply a thin line on upper lash line and the lower corner for a cats eye effect and lightly smudge.
Time: 1-2mins
6. Dabbed on my lip balm and used nude/brown gloss over it. Added an extra layer on my upper lip and middle of lower lip area. You can speed this process if you have a nice tinted lip balm or a liquid lipstick in a nude-pink or whichever shade that flatters you. If you are in doubt, here is a suggestion - keep a
bronze/copper color lipstick or gloss with light shimmers and a lip balm stick ready in your emergency kit.
Dont use a nude shade for the 1st time in an emergency, you may end up looking washed out. Also, nude shades dont work well if your makeup is not perfect.
The
bronze/copper shade is a universal color and will instantly brighten up almost all complexions as compared to the nude lip shade which may not suit some skin tones and can even be used in a formal setting if applied lightly.
Time: 1-2mins
7. I still have 2mins which I used basically to run to the door and wait.. :)
Guess the underlying lesson here for every lazy girl is to keep a basic makeup kit ready especially if like me, you dont care about looking dressed up at home.. :)
My suggestions for a basic makeup kit for makeup under 15mins:
1. A moisturizer / primer/BB cream that can works good and fast on your skin. Spend some time on finding this.
This is the most important item in your kit as it basically sets your entire face. If like me you cant be bothered much and if you have occasional acne etc, go for aloe vera gel or such natural gel/cream. Use this on face, eyes, neck [back of the neck included], ears and any exposed chest areas.
2.
A powder based foundation and a good applicator. Dont rely on cream/mousse/liquid foundations for emergency. These require good attention for usage. Using a powder based foundation makes it easier to change layering and to cover up any mistakes made.The key to good application is in remembering to cover all 3 areas as flawlessly as possible -
Face, Neck [including back of the neck] and any exposed chest areas
3.
A basic smoky eye shadow kit and black mascara. It is easy, it looks good on almost all skin tones [yet to find one that it doesnt!] so get an easy-to-apply kit.
4
. Dont use blusher/bronzer or any contouring/highlighting product in a hurry. This is one item in your makeup that can easily end up making you look like a clown. So unless you are perfect with this, dont add this to your makeup kit.
For Mascara, dont go for heavy application when you're in a hurry. Go lightly and dont go for root-to-tip application, stick with darkening the tips.
5.
Lipbalm+Lip color: This is purely personal choice. I would suggest a combo of lip balm plus a copper/bronze lip color. Use a lip balm as much as possible to shield your delicate lip areas from chemicals. If you can get a nicely tinted lip balm all the more better! However, the color stays very short for tinted lip balms usually, so use it alone only if you have nice natural lips or if you have a realllllly good lip balm.
Copper Bronze color with light shimmer suits almost all skin tones, can be applied to suit any setting -party or formal and best of all - doesnt highlight any flaws in your makeup the way a nude lip color would do!
And no, dont keep a coral/peach lip color as your emergency lip color either - unless you have perfect skin always, it tends to highlight skin problems pretty easily.
6.
Face Tissues. Get good ones, multitasking ones if possible. If you love wet wipes, keep one but keep a good set of dry ones as well as wet ones can mess your makeup.
If you have excess makeup, eye shadow fallout or oil breakout, take the dry tissue, fan it out to cover the whole face in one layer and press it to your face with increasing pressure. Do not ever
rub in as it messes up the remaining makeup. Just pat it stronger in the problem areas.
If you have to decide between using a kitchen napkin and a washroom tissue[ god forbid, but may still happen] go for the kitchen one as bathroom tissues are too soft for the purpose.
7.
A good multipurpose makeup applicator - no, im not speaking about fingers though that will do in most cases. I use either a good Kabuki brush [small one] or the Beauty Blender sponge. This can help with most makeup items.
