daily beauty: fresh faced

because i get up early to work out before i head into the office, i’ve developed a quick and dirty makeup routine that can be applied pretty much anywhere (that includes the dreaded subway application, which, at my old agency, happened more often than i’d like to admit). generally, i’m showering, blow-drying, dressing, and “putting on my face” (as my grandma used to say) in the bar method locker room, which means that i can’t exactly carry the entire kitchen sink around with me. luckily, my makeup routine has gotten much simpler over the years.  i used to gravitate toward eyeshadow, eyeliner, lipstick – the works – but the older i get, the less makeup i want to put on. i still love a good glittery shadow for a night out, and a bold lip had saved me on more days than i can count, but for the most part, i’m keeping it short and sweet. i can apply the look above in under 5 minutes, which is my saving grace on days i’ve got to get to a 9am meeting or can’t seem to find any available mirror space.

nars has long been my go-to makeup brand; i wear their bronzer, illuminating stick (the multiple is pretty much the best thing that’s ever taken up space in my makeup bag) and blush every single day.

when it comes to eye makeup, i’m ALL ABOUT my eyelash curler. i have never, not once in my life, applied mascara without curling my eyelashes first. curling makes a HUGE difference. in just 20 seconds, your eyes look larger, brighter, and all together more awake. you can’t go wrong.

i vacillate between favorite mascara brands. for a while, i was all about this covergirl lash blast, but i got a little mini diorshow in with my sephora points recently, and man, was i missing out! i actually used diorshow for a few years when i first moved to NYC and went a bit makeup crazy, but had switched to the drugstore brands because they’re way more affordable. i forgot how darn good it is. i swear, it gives you falsies! without actual falsies!

last but certainly not least, i put something on my lips. sometimes, when i’m going for fresh and easy, like above, it’s (pun not intended) fresh’s lip sugar in cherry – a fabulous lip moisturizer that also adds a good amount of color (much more than the average chapstick). if i’m feeling more adventurous, i’ll go for bright lipstick instead of the above  – but that’s a different post for a different day ( i love me some bright lipstick).

follow the 6 steps above, and you’ve got an easy, natural beauty look that can get you out the door in five minutes or less. perfect for weekend brunch, an early morning at the office, or just a go-to everyday face.