Here is a quick and easy make-up look that works for all ages!  Whether you are in a hurry, brand new to make-up, or you don’t like to wear a lot of make-up; this is for you!  If you take 5-10 minutes for your make-up you will notice a difference!  It will open up your eyes and give you a brightness that will make you feel better all day!  Say good-bye to the “tired” look!!!

Doing your make-up in a short amount of time and having it look good is all accredited to your tools.  This means good brushes and good products, that doesn’t always mean pricy!  Sigma brushes are by far the best brushes on the market, and about half the price of most high-end brushes.  Having a concealer and foundation that is your perfect shade and applying it with the right brush is the most important thing in this look.  Since we aren’t applying eye make-up, the skin must be flawless.

Here I am with a bare face, 5 minute look, 10 minute look.

~5 Minute Look~

Here is the break down of this look.  If you are just starting out this may take you a couple minutes longer.  But once you get the hang of it you, in no time you will be doing it in 5 minutes!

Minute 1: Curl Eyelashes
Minute 2: Concealer
Minute 3: Foundation
Minute 4: Powder & Blush
Minute 5: Mascara

Curl Eyelashes- I use a MAC eyelash curler.  Any eyelash curler will work, as long as it is not pinching the skin around your eye.  If yours does that, take it back and try a different one.  There are so many different eye shapes, different brands of eyelash curler are shaped differently.  Find the one that works for you and stick with it.  This will really open up your eyes and give you a feeling of “awake”!

Concealer- With this look there really is no other concealer I would use other than MAC Pro Longwear Concealer.  It doubles as an eyelid primer and it will last all day without creasing or moving.  Take that concealer, with a Sigma F86 Tapered Kabuki Brush ~ I’M IN LOVE WITH THIS BRUSH!! ~ and apply it under the eye, on the lid, around the eye and anywhere on the face that you have extra redness or something to cover.  I always put a little in between my eyes and around my nose.

Foundation- The most important step in this look, so let’s get it right!  I have tried so many foundations in my life, mostly because I’m so picky and I keep looking for that perfect one I want to marry for the rest of my life.  I think I have finally found it, AAAHHHH!!!!  YSL Illuminating Foundation is the best thing that ever happened to my make-up drawer!  Squirt some on the back of your hand, dip your Sigma F80 Flat Top Kabuki Brush and apply it to your entire face.  The best thing, this foundation is layerable.  Meaning, you can apply a 2^nd or 3^rd layer of foundation to any area of the face that you want extra coverage and it won’t give you that cakey look.  It is a medium to full coverage, but it feels like I’m wearing a tinted moisturizer.  It feels like silk on my skin!!  Ok, enough about my love affair with my YSL foundation.

Powder & Blush- I am dry, so I don’t use a lot of powder.  All I do is take a big fluffy powder brush, dip it in my powder and dot it in my under eye area, just to set my concealer.  And I might breeze it across my forehead and nose, but not always.  I use MAC Mineralize Skinfinish with Sigma F30 Brush.  I love blush!!  I love a glowing cheek!  My new obsession is NARS blush in color deep throat, applied by Sigma F10 Brush. This has the perfect balance of pink and peach with a hint of a highlight.  Put it right along your cheekbone.  Start with a small amount and you can add more it you want more color.  This blush has a subtle glow to it, which makes it perfect for a quick look.

Mascara- This is extremely important to give the attention to the eyes.  There is no wrong way to apply mascara.  Be sure to change out your tube of mascara every 6-8 weeks to avoid clumpiness and fall down (those black specks under your eye).  For my daily mascara I use L’Oreal Voluminous in color 680.

~10 MINUTE LOOK~
We are going to do everything the same as the 5 minute look, we are just adding a few steps.

-Curl Eyelashes
–Undereye Primer, Concealer
-Foudation
-Powder, Bronzer, Blush, Highlight
–Smudged Eyeliner
–Glowing/Highlight Eyeshadow
-Mascara
–Lipstick

Let’s talk about everything I just added.

Undereye Primer- I cannot live without MAC Prep & Prime Highlight in Radiant Rose.  The tube has a brush on the end, so smudge a little right under each eye.  Take your finger and gently blend it out all around the under eye area.  This will brighten and highlight your under eye area, making you look more awake and alive.  Apply this before your concealer.

Powder, Bronzer, Blush, Highlight-  My absolute favorite product for this look is Urban Decay Naked Flushed.  It has all 3 products in 1 package and all the colors are beautiful, how much easier does it get?  And with all of these colors, you can apply a little then layer more if a darker color is desired.  First apply powder as mentioned above.  Then apply the bronzer right below the cheekbone using Sigma F20 Brush.  Next apply blush (reference above), then apply the highlight using Sigma F05 Brush on the top of the cheekbone right under the outer eye; bring it slightly up to the temple.

Smudged Eyeliner- Use eyeliner and rim the inner part of the lash line of the upper lid only, I use MAC Technakohl Eyeliner in Photogravure.  Then take a darker shade of eyeshadow (Urban Decay Busted) and use Sigma E30 Brush and apply it to the upper lash line just as you would eyeliner.  Blend and smudge it out, keeping it slightly darker on the outer corner.  I some times take that brush without adding any extra color and do a little on the lower lash line, keeping it towards the outer corner of the eye only.  Or I use a color slightly darker than my skin that has a shimmer to it (Urban Decay Suspect) and add it on the lower lash line.

Glowing/Highlight Eyeshadow- The areas of the eye to add a quick spot of glowing color is the brow bone, inner corner of the eye and the middle of the eyelid.  I use Urban Decay Bootycall for all 3 of these areas.  If I feel like changing it up I use Urban Decay Chopper for the eyelid.  Use a small brush and dot these 3 areas with the eyeshadow.  I use Sigma E20 for the brow bone and inner eye, and Sigma E55 for the eyelid.

All of the eyeshadows I use can be found in the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette.

Lipstick- If I’m wearing this look to drop off my kids and get groceries I go for more a natural pink lip like MAC lipstick in color Snob with NARS lipgloss in color Turkish Delight.  If I want to switch over to going out for drinks I put on a bold pink or red lip.  My newest obsession for a bolder lip color is Marc Jacobs, Lust for Lacquer in color Studded Kiss.  Everything about it is heavenly!  The smell, the softness of the brush across my lips, the smoothness of it on my lips, and it stays in place for hours!

If you are brand new to make-up, don’t be afraid to try.  I used to practice my make-up at night right before I washed my face.  If it looked terrible, oh well!  If it looked good, then I would recreate it the next day and wear it out.  Make-up is supposed to be fun and our friend!  So don’t ever fret over it.  I can’t tell you how many times I wiped off a lipstick or washed my face because I was trying out a new look and it was terrible.

If this is your quick out the door look.  I like to have duplicates of everything and keep it in a small make-up bag.  This way I can take this bag anywhere around the house I can find an open mirror, or in the car.

I hope this is helpful!  If you have any questions leave a comment and I will try to answer them.  Thanks :)