Clever Makeup Hacks For A Five Minute Face

Although I would like to pretend that I have the patience to get my makeup to be as flawless as Adele's "Hello" beauty look, I am a lazy makeup girl at heart, so a five minute face is essential. Ever since I started wearing makeup in middle school, I would always rather take that extra 10 minutes to sleep than perfect my blush application. These days, my daily makeup routine still only takes about five minutes, max.

My makeup routine works quite well for me, but recently I began wondering how long other folks were spending getting ready. Perhaps it's all of the professional makeup artists I follow on Instagram who piqued my interest in everyday makeup wear. Regardless, I took to Twitter and posed the question about makeup application times, and the responses were really across the board — split between people who spent five minutes and those who spent about 25, and a few in between who said 10 to 15. But no one said anything longer than 30 minutes.

What I realized is that everyone has their makeup comfort zone. Some people prioritize doing their full foundation/concealer routine while others just wear mascara when in a pinch. I am far from a makeup pro myself, but I am someone who is just lazy enough in this area to try out something new and save a little bit of time. If you're looking to cut down how long you're spending on your makeup, here are a few of my favorite time-saving hacks to consider.

1. Red Lipstick As Under Eye Concealer

I have already stressed how much I love to sleep, but I often don't get enough of it. That's where this red lipstick hack comes in handy. Jen Choy of Yahoo Style suggests applying the lipstick right underneath your eye and gently dabbing your foundation over it as you normally would. And while you're at it, wear that red lipstick on your lips so you don't waste any time searching for a different shade.

2. White Liner Is Your Friend

When I was researching makeup hacks, one thing that came up over and over was white liner. It sometimes gets a bad rap for some reason, but it's actually pretty useful. If you apply white liner underneath your shadow, it makes the shadow stay on for longer. For those who don't want to spend time re-applying their makeup throughout the day, this is a worthwhile hack. I also saw another tip that said to use white liner as a base on your lips to make a more basic color pop.

3. Just Wear Lipstick

There was a time in my life when I worked a job that required me to be in at 7 AM. As someone who is not a morning person, this was not so fun. One day, I remember looking in the mirror at noon and realizing that I was only wearing bright red lipstick. I had completely forgotten to put on the rest of my face. But what I also realized was that punch of color was just enough to make me look like I wasn't still asleep. I don't do this all that often anymore. But when in a pinch, it totally works.

4. Scotch Tape Cat-Eye

OK: So when I first read about this Scotch Tape hack, I was totally skeptical. But then I watched this tutorial from AlexandrasGirlyTalk and I was finally convinced of its usefulness. In the video, she shared five different ways to incorporate Scotch Tape into their makeup routine. But one that really impressed me was the cat-eye. By using the Scotch Tape, you are able to do the application a little quicker without worrying about being so precise because the tape does the work of making the line straight for you. It's genius, really.

5. Use Translucent Power To Matte Your Lips

I am obsessed with liquid to matte lipsticks, but sometimes it takes me applying them three to four times before I actually get things to look right. When you just don't have the time to apply the perfect matte lipstick, use a shiny lipstick that you know has an easy application. Then you can use a tissue to apply a translucent powder to turn the lipstick matte. The process is so simple and achieves the same matte lip look in half the time. YouTuber Beautyby Dora has a great tutorial.

6. Double Shadow As Liner

I usually hear the word "eyeshadow" and I immediately associate it with five more minutes I don't have to spend on my makeup. But photographer and blogger Kitty Wood reminded me that doubling your shadow as your liner is a way to add a pop of color to your face with very minimal time added. An angle brush is really the only additional tool you need to make this happen.

7. Don't Wear Makeup At All

Hey, guess what? You are a total babe with a full face of makeup or without anything on at all. So if you want the perfect face and you're feeling really rushed, you can always go makeup-free. "Perfect" when it comes to beauty is really just a social construct, and you should do whatever feels right for you.

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