I am a busy woman so I don’t have the luxury of taking at least an hour to finish my makeup. However, I’m not also one who’d scrimp on the steps on getting my makeup done right. For me, putting on makeup is like painting on an appropriate face. I’d like to face the world and make them feel important because I’ve put on the “extra effort” to be presentable. The thing is, extra effort need not take long. I put on my makeup at an average of 15 minutes (more or less, including moisturizing and all that stuff).

Let’s start with a clean face (i.e. cleansed, toned and moisturized).

Here are my 10 steps to everyday makeup:

My everyday makeup steps

1. Primer will make makeup application smoother and easier. I use Laura Mercier these days but I also like Smashbox‘s primer. Any primer that suits you will do.
2. Tinted moisturizer is good for daytime makeup. I use oil-free foundation only if I have after-office-hours meetings or dinner because this will last longer. I also prefer Laura Mercier but I’ve used VMV Hypoallergenics, benefit, Make Up Forever, MAC and Bare Escentuals–they are all nice too. I’ve tried so many foundations because I have very picky skin, so the ones I’ve mentioned are those on my shortlist. If you prefer BB cream, I like Heroine Make or Rachel K (both Asian brands) but other BB or CC creams are available from Chanel, Maybelline etc.
3. Concealer hides your dark undereye circles and blemishes. Shiseido concealer is good but I’m using Undercovercover Pot from Laura Mercier so it will be consistent with my makeup base.
4. Eyeshadow primer makes your eyeshadow stick and last long. My favorite so far is Urban Decay’s Eyeshadow Primer Potion.
5. Eyebrow kit by KATE is quite good for natural-looking brows. If you prefer pencils, KATE’s is also good.
6. For eyeshadow and eyeliner, I use palettes from Stila, Sleek and Sephora. I really like palettes like these because it gives me many choices to mix and match. For this photo, I chose Stila’s Garden palette since the springtime colors match most of my everyday clothes.
7. Cheek makeup is important because it gives you that healthy blush and define your cheekbones. I swear by benefit’s Tropi Coral for that peachy coral blush or if I go on the barely-there pinkish side, I skip this step and head on to #8.
8. This 3D blush and cheek highlighter from benefit, Bella Bamba, gives you that pinkish highlight on your cheekbones and subtly defines it.
9. Finishing or setting powder is important to keep your makeup on. Remember how your face seems to melt after lunchtime? This is the answer to that. It will set your makeup and make it last long. I like Laura Mercier’s Invisible Loose Setting Powder compared to Heroine Make’s.
10. Lastly, lip color. For everyday makeup, I prefer Burt’s Bees tinted lip balms for natural-looking color. You may use a lip primer prior to applying lip color to make your lips look smoother. Don’t forget to moisturize your lips at night.

How is fast makeup application possible? Organize.

I used to use trays to segregate my makeup but after I’ve subscribed to Vanity Trove, I received lots of reusable boxes and I like recycling. I placed the makeup I use everyday in these boxes and stack them in usage order. For the glittery and party makeup, they are all stored in a separate box away from this stack since I won’t be using them everyday.

Here’s how I organize makeup using Vanity Trove boxes

Top drawer: primer, foundation and eyeshadow primer. Anything that is for contouring my face is here. That black box contains my jewelry.

Top drawer: makeup base

Second drawer contains my eye makeup: eyeshadow, eyeliner, pencil sharpener, eyebrow kit. The glittery eyeshadow pots are not here because, as I’ve said, I don’t use them everyday.

Second drawer: Eye Makeup

Third drawer houses my lip and cheek makeup since putting them on comes later. I should have 3 shades of blush on: pink, coral and a bronzer.

Third drawer: lip and cheek makeup

Fourth drawer has all my facial and eye masks. I get a lot of them as samples and I place them here. I don’t use them everyday but I use them about 2-3 times a month.

Fourth drawer: facial and eye masks

Fifth drawer contains my serums and other beauty samples. I place them here so I can remember to try them and then blog about them. I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t done a lot of reviews but I’m getting back to doing that soon.

Fifth drawer: serums and beauty samples

So you see, this is how I am able to finish putting on makeup fast–everyday. The key is finding what you need fast. I’m curious about how others organize makeup. Send me a message on how you do yours!

Love,