Morning Makeup Routine: 5-Minute Face

As a professional career woman, having a 5 minute makeup routine is one of the things that has saved me a ton of time during the week. Not only figuring out what products to use but also practicing how to do everything faster! Beautycounter, one of my favorite beauty brands, makes half of that easier. Their Flawless in Five with 6 products they recommend every girl has. But does it pass the test?

For those that are new to safe beauty (products without toxic chemicals), read this post about certain ingredients in our beauty products or this series for more details on what you find on your labels. It’s a little concerning at first but I laid out a good approach to making the shift to better products. My approach has always been make changes where you can and where it makes sense for you. A few must read posts if you’re looking to make the switch to safer products that are better for you:

• Why you need to be using face oil (yes, you!)
• Night skincare routine
• Morning skincare routine

But today let’s talk makeup. Here’s the break down of Beautycounter’s Flawless in 5 Makeup Set. The best part about this set is that if you buy it all at one time, there is a $49 discount! That’s HUGE. I will to walk through each of the products individually next to give you all the details. If you want buy the entire routine and get the discount, the website walks you through each step here. Otherwise, you can purchase things individually if you only need a few things right now!

Morning Makeup Routine Step 1: Tint Skin (Foundation).

I don’t know about you but I rarely leave the house without foundation. My skin has a lot of different pigments and dark spots so this step is a no brainer in my mind! This Tint Skin is one of the best products out there. It is light to medium coverage and can be layered if desired. It does not look cakey at all. I always say it makes your skin look like the best version of itself. I actually noticed an improvement in my skin when I switched back to this foundation after using a bunch of other brands for a few years. That’s an added bonus!

I use the color Sand in summer and Linen in winter! The product blends really well so there are no awkward streaks around the edges of your face. There is also a 60 day free return policy if you feel like the shade you ordered doesn’t match.

Morning Makeup Routine Step 2: Concealer. 

Raise your hand if you have dark circles! I do! That makes concealer (almost) a must! There are definitely days where I’m too tired to apply but the Beautycounter concealer comes in a click pen format which makes it super easy to use. It also makes things less messy in my opinion. I typically use a beauty blender to distribute it across my skin evenly. If you have very dark circles, I’d recommend going a shade lighter too. Remember, that if you’re off a shade, you can return for free within 60 days.

I use the shade Light! Note that when you first get the product, you will have to click probably about 20 times before the concealer comes out!

Morning Makeup Routine Step 3: Brows. 

Dark brows are one of my favorite ways to get someone to ask if you did something different today. In a good way. People notice. While I might not use a brow pencil every day, it’s a great way to up your makeup game. It’s incredibly easy to use. Brush your eyebrows up first and then go over them with the pencil end.

I used the color Medium!

Morning Makeup Routine Step 4: Mascara.

Their mascara is amazing!! They have 2 different mascaras – one is lengthening and one is volumizing. While it’s tough to choose, I go with the volumizing one 90% of the time. It’s definitely possible to build length with this mascara if you use the proper technique. Having a safe product near my eyes is something that is a must in my opinion. Since I know the product gets in my eyes, I love knowing it’s not causing me any harm!

A side note, mascara is incredibly hard to make a safe, non-toxic mascara. I’d call it impossible if Beautycounter didn’t make one. If we want to talk science for a minute, the formula takes years to perfect without using certain toxins known for those show-stopping lashes we all crave. These chemicals are called phthalates. The chemicals in regular mascaras that make your lashes look amazing or make the pigment stick to your lashes through a tidal wave are usually the ones causing harm.

Morning Makeup Routine Step 5: Blush.

Blush is almost as essential to my routine as foundation. Nothing makes you look more “alive” than a little bit of color. My signature shade, if you will, is Flamingo/Apricot. I like a little bolder color. That said, it’s not so bold that you look like you just left the MAC counter ready for prom. The color builds gradually and you can control it so I would recommend this for almost everyone. That said, the Beautycounter 5-Minute Face does help you figure out a color if you want to play it safe!

Morning Makeup Routine Step 6: Lips.

This step makes the most difference in terms of giving you the edge. Whenever I wear lip color, no matter how subtle, my coworkers notice. Even my male coworkers. So whether you’re a Bare Shimmer or a Ruby kind of girl, there are 8 beautiful shades of lip gloss to complete your 5-Minute Face. I used Peony today!

PS. I had put a basket full of Lip Sheers in various colors in the bathrooms at our wedding as favors for the girls to take. All 60 Lip Shears disappeared into people’s clutches not even an hour into the wedding. People could not get enough and came up to me asking where they could get more! If you’re looking for long lasting, bold color, try these Color Intense Lipsticks!

So who is this makeup routine for? Everyone. But specifically, people looking to make their morning routine more efficient and anyone trying to make the switch to safer beauty. As I talked about here, there are always sacrifices when it comes to safe beauty in terms of efficacy. However, knowing that the stuff I put on my face this morning isn’t causing dermatitis, skin tumors, or worse, is something that I feel makes it worth it. To me. But it’s up to you! This is a very personal thing. Do what makes sense for you.

I tried this routine this morning and it took me 7 minutes! Since I was using a few new products and unwrapping packages, I feel like that was pretty good! I can definitely get it down to 5 minutes in the future though!

Now, let’s see if my coworkers notice a difference in my makeup today…