Every morning at approximately 7:00 a.m…(snooze)…OK maybe 7:15…(snooze)…7:30 (snooze)…7:45…
Every morning at 7:45 a.m. I hear the dreaded sound of the worst noise I’ll hear all day. That high-pitched BEEP BEEP BEEP that gently sweeps in like an elegant morning songbird, trying to ravenously peck your eyes out.
Let’s get one thing straight: I am not a morning person. Nor am I really a daytime person. In a nutshell, unless it’s 5:00 p.m. it’s not really my time of day. Nevertheless, I have a job, so get up I must.
For those of you, who like me, consider each morning the worst morning of your life, but are narcissistic enough feel the need to go to work with perfectly coiffed, okay acceptable hair, not smelling like last night’s beer, here is my simple morning checklist:
Step 1: Drag self out of bed.
Step 2: Drag self into shower.
Step 3: (Very important) Drag self out of shower.
Step 4: Begrudgingly dry hair, as your were born with a messy tangle of fly-aways and cowlicks that look like an over-used broom if you don’t.
Step 5: Make up.
Ahhh, yes. Make up. The one thing that separates the women from the men…well, maybe not the one thing. But it does give us a great advantage: we can look bright, chipper, and fresh as a daisy on the outside, even though on the inside we’d really love to dump our venti cup of Starbucks on any passerby that looks at us the wrong way.
There are actually very few tools you need to look picture perfect each and every day, broken down into 4 areas of your face: skin, eyes, cheeks, and lips.
First, the skin. Those of us in our twenties might think this is an easier area to skimp because the gravitational forces of nature have yet to wreak havoc all over our well-hydrated and glowing skin. WRONG. Ignore your skin now, and it WILL get revenge, one of these days.
Wash and dry your face. Apply moisturizer and lots of it (Fifty year old you would be thanking me for this tip). Next, apply a light coat of a base that matches your natural skin, to even out discoloration, which is probably there even though you don’t notice it. If, like me, you were blessed with an entire airline’s worth of baggage underneath your eyes, apply a concealer that’s one shade lighter than your skin tone. Use the tip of your finger to dot the concealer into place (never rub). There. Much better, right?
Next, the eyes. If eye make up is applied properly your co-workers will never know your happy hour the night before was actually happy 5 hours. You need 3 things: a set of multi-toned eye shadows, eyeliner, and mascara.
There are many variation of color that you can use on your eyes, but there are three that look great on anyone, no matter what your natural coloring may be: light pink, light tan, and a darker brown. Close your eye and apply the light shade of pink all over, from the lash line all the way up to your brow. This will instantly brighten things up. Next, use an eye shadow brush, wand, or even your finger to apply the light tan shade over the lid area, from the lash line to the crease. Finally take the darker brown color, and modestly apply in a line tracing the crease of your eye. If you look like a hung over raccoon at this point, don’t worry. You just need to blend. Take an eye shadow brush, or again, your finger, and blend the crease shade into the tan below. Wipe away smudges. (Quick tip: If you want your eye shadow to last longer, you can start by applying concealer all over your lid. It will give it a sturdy base to stick to).
Next, eyeliner. Many people like to skip eyeliner for the daytime look, but I think it makes all the difference in the world. That is, if you don’t go overboard. Take a shade that is not too dramatic (like a nice soft brown…save the black for the evening out, and the bright blue for 1987), and gently apply right above the lash line on the top lid only. Make sure you cover corner and corner, or it may look like you just gave up on the job half way through. Smudge slightly to blend. For the daytime look, this is enough. Do not apply to lower lash line. If done poorly it will only serve to make your eyes smaller. If you want a bit more drama, take that dark brown shadow we discussed early and trace a thin line across your bottom lash line. Trust me, it works.
And now the mascara. Caution: never attempt this while driving. Never attempt putting on make up while you drive (even though you know you’re guilty), but especially mascara. Not even at stoplights. Bad idea. One false move and you’ll really look like you had a rough night. Take the wand out of the bottle and clean it off with a tissue, to avoid clumps. Put it back in to coat the wand, and apply a thin coat evenly to both upper and lower lashes. Concentrate a little extra in the center lashes to make them appear longer.
See? Now we’re getting somewhere.
Now comes the easy part: blush. Even if you’re not usually a fan, pick some up. I promise there’s no better way to get a quick little healthy glow even in the dead of winter than with some cheap drugstore blush. It’s $3.99 and totally worth it. To apply, dip the brush into the blush and blow it off. That’s very important. You don’t want to look like a 5 year old who got into your mom’s make up. Now make a fish face with your lips, and gently sweep the brush in a downward diagonal motion following the line on your cheeks (I don’t know if that line has a name, but make the fish face and you’ll know what I’m talking about). If it looks like you went a little overboard when you puff back up, no biggie, just blot off with a tissue.
One last thing: lips. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of lip wear for work, I hate when lip stain evidence gets all over my coffee cups, the jelly doughnuts in the conference room…etc. Just a little tinted lip balm with SPF does it for me. But for those of you who want lasting lip wear: use a bit of lip liner that matches the tone of your lip shade, and softly line the outside of your lips. Hell, line the inside too, just for good measure (did I mention that this should be a subtle tone??). Anyway, finish by applying a thin, subtle coat of lip color, and blot.
And there you have it. Do this routine daily and you’ll have it down in five minutes.