by Alexis Novak

When I was 12 my bestie Maureen and I would mix food coloring into talcum powder then leave the mush on my driveway for the sun to bake it into homemade makeup. While my parents are disappointed to this day that I didn’t become the next Estee lauder, I still have a serious love of product.  Makeup is transformative. Even if I have kiddie hand stains on my jeans from the knees down, a decent face makes me feel put together and ready to conquer the crap my day is surely going to toss me.

Here are the products that moms must have on hand to do a quick morning makeup. I give products ideas for both Frugal Chicks following the budget and Eff It Gals who don’t care to.

Step 1- A tinted moisturizer that does double or triple duty.  Neutrogena Healthy Skin Enhancer Tinted Moisturizer ($12.29) is for the Frugal Chick.  With SPF 20 and Retinol, this product is a good primer before anything else, filling in pores and evening out the blotchies.  Then ranging from $55 to $85 depending on where you buy it, you can score Neocutis Journee Bio Restorative Day Cream with PSP.  Apparently PSP is a growthhormone helping patients post-surgery heal faster though I really don’t care what it is so long as it keeps making my skin all dewy.  It also has anti-oxidants, hyaluronic acid and SPF 30.

Step 2- Next, a light makeup like Maybelline Instant Age Eraser Treatment Makeup ($12.99).  The collagen in this product makes it glide and stay on and the weird eraser tip applicator rocks.  Or, Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 ($42) which I have been slathering on for about a month and received about four “you have amazing skin!” compliments.  No lie.  Go out and buy this today.  It says the coverage is lightweight but I find it more buildable and breathable than foundation.

Step 3-  In years of hardcore research that I would call age 12 ‘til now, I have never found a decent drugstore substitute for my dark under-eye-ness.  Now as a sleep-deprived mom, I believe nothing is more important than covering that shit up.  Do not go cheapo in this category.  I use both Benefit Erase Paste ($26) and Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage ($28), both on Sephora.com and both worth every penny.  The Benefit product is thicker so I use that when I need serious coverage like banishing a period zit.  The Laura Mericer kit has one light concealer and one a little darker for blending.  I’m a total sucker for blending because it makes me feel like the frustrated artist that I am.

Step 4- Look alert! I am a devout eyelash curler because it makes me look like I’ve actually slept.  The one that makeup artists swear by is Shu Uemura ($19) but the Tweezerman is a decent alternative for 12 bucks.  Then comes my favorite part- drenching my lashes in very black thick mascara.  I loved Lancome mascaras for years but then discovered Covergirl’s Lash Blast Volume ($7.79) which helps me achieve that full, dark, dramatic look that dangerously borders on stripper-ish, I mean goddess-y.  I look amazing from five feet away, just don’t get close-up.  Also, don’t get waterproof.  It layers poorly and you have to tug lashes out to remove it.  My current favorite mascara is Fairy Drops Scandal Queen mascara ($24) for the times when I want to look like one of Gwen Stefani’s teenage dancers who are dressed like big baby dolls.  For me, this is most days.  This mascara has a cult following and is the #1 selling mascara in Japan because it helps achieve that gothic-naughty-school-girl-thing with its freaky, patent-pending wand.

Writing all this, I am starting to wonder if I need more therapy.

Step 5- Blush is a tricky lair.  You buy a pale-ish pink and then it doesn’t even show up on your face.  Here’s the deal.  You need a cheery pop of color on the apple of your cheekand it should be darker, more rosy or mauve-y than you think.  I love all of the blushes in boxes that Benefit makes like Sugarbomb, Dandelion and Bella Bamba, it’s lastest spring look ($28 each).  I have no time to look for a blush brush so I like that the built-in brush is ready for me.  You can get the same look with Physician’s Formula Powder Palette in Blushing Rose ($10.99).

Step 6- Kissy face.  I’m currently loving Covergirl’s Outlast Lipstain in Cinnamon Smile, Saucy Plum and Teasing Blush ($7.99).  Don’t we all want to look as fresh and fun as Drew Barrymore? These pens actually do stay put and aren’t drying.  Later in the day I layer with a Burt’s Bees tinted balm.  Another good apply-once-and-not-worry-about-again choice is Stila long wear lipcolor crème ($20).

Step 7- Possibly the most important for morale and mojo is perfume.  Or scented-body lotion.  Something divine smelling that makes you feel a little less like a diaper-changing, dish-washing, bath-giving, meal-prepping beast of burden and more like a sexy fem-bot.  Well, even just a little bit.

Up next, my fave skin products list…

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Written by Alexis Novak • 2 Comments