With the holiday break upon us, life has gotten crazy for most moms. There's no time for makeup or beauty, or sometimes, even brushing our teeth. The kids are home from school, you have even less time for yourself and things are rapidly spinning out of control. At the same time, because of the holidays, there are more people visiting you, or staying with you and more parties and get-togethers you have to attend.
If you're freaking out at the thought of having no time to yourself to get ready but needing to be out and about, don't fear- these 6 beauty products take just minutes to transform you from looking exhausted and run-down to fresh and ready to face the world. They won't necessarily make you feel that way- but they'll definitely help you fake it till you make it- through yet another holiday season!
Below I have shared MY personal favorite brands. However, you don't need to purchase those specific brands. None of the links are affiliate links and I'm not getting paid anything to promote any of them. There are tons of options at the local drugstore or Target that will fully suffice. It's not so much the brand, but the actual item that makes the difference so let's dive in and see these five magical weapons in your beauty arsenal.
CC Cream
I know BB cream was a huge thing back when it first became popular. CC Cream is even better- CC stands for color correction and it basically works as a tinted moisturizer that helps even out your skin tone, gets rid of that redness all around your nose and gives you skin this beautiful, smooth and finished look. You can apply it just like a moisturizer using your fingers or you can use a brush. The best part about CC cream, at least the iT cosmetics CC cream is that it also has SPF 50+ UVA/UVB protection so I don't need to worry about putting on my sunscreen and then the CC cream. It's a one-step wonder that packs a massive punch. You can find the it Cosmetics CC cream that I use right here, but I've seen many different options both at high-end cosmetics store as well as drugstores so there are lots out there.
Concealer
I tend to stay up late and wake up early. The thing that shows my exhaustion the most: the massive bags under my eyes. I have found that using a good concealer under my eyes really helps brighten them up and reduce the signs of fatigue as well as aging (yep, getting that point in life!). When picking a concealer, use one that is lightweight and not too thick and ALWAYS set it with powder while looking up to the ceiling to make sure that it stays all day and doesn't crease. My personal favorite concealer of ALL time is the Nars Radiant Creant Concealer. However, Maybelline has a super accessible and much more reasonably priced concealer called their Age Rewind concealer, which works just beautifully and has amazing results. Here's a link to the Nars Radiant Concealer and one for Maybelline
Blush
If you live in a cold place like I do, you're probably not getting a lot of sun. The lack of vitamin D can make our skin look pale and tired, not to mention making our brains feel sluggish too. If you want to look fresh and ready to go, a great way to accomplish that is with a couple of swipes of blush, It's good to note that it's always better to use a light hand, blend well and build it up rather than looking like a clown. I personally ADORE these Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes. They not only come in a beautiful range of colors, they also have this iridescent quality to them that makes it look like you're glowing from within.
Neutral Eyeshadow
While this isn't an essential part of looking well put together, a few cleverly blended sipes of neutral eyeshadows can give your eyes a wide-awake look, and enhance your eyes which are most likely your best feature. I generally prefer making my own quad using neutral eyeshadows from Mac or Anastasia Beverly Hills and this means I can pick the exact range of colors that I know I will use. I just deepen my crease using a medium brown or taupe, swipe a brightening shadow on the lid and blend the two. It takes a total of 3 minutes but makes such a nice visual impact.
Mascara
Even if you run out of time and can't do eyeshadows, a couple of swipes of good mascara will REALLY help your eyes look more awake, bigger and have more of an impact. Try and never use mascaras that are more than 6 months old or ones that have a goopy texture because they'll make your eyelashes look clumpy. The mascara that I personally love the most is the Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Major Volume mascara. It literally makes me look like I'm wearing false lashes (and I have really straight non-existent lashes).
Liquid Lipstick
Now some people will disagree with me here, and say that liquid lipstick can be drying and doesn't' always look flattering. I feel that as long as you use some kind of primer, so like a tiny dab of vaseline or chapstick even and then a quick application of liquid lipstick, it always looks better than regular lipstick, and more importantly, it has more staying power. Many liquid lipsticks boast 6-12 hour wears and for me on the go, that is amazing because it means I don't have to constantly reapply my lipstick and not always be worrying about it rubbing off. One the colors and formulas that I'm in love with right now are the Pat McGrath Labs liquid lipsticks. They are creamy, super buttery, not drying and just gorgeous color payoff.
So there you have it. These 6 things will get you looking ready to face the world, or the party, or the family dinner in 10 minutes or less and make you look great. They're also great to have with you if you're travelling and don't want to take an entire arsenal of makeup with you. 6 things and you're good to go!
I hope all of you have a beautiful, safe holiday season with your loved ones and if you do end up using one of these items, I'd LOVE to hear about your experience.
