Makeup doesn’t have to be complicated to look good. If you’re a busy gal on the go, you’ll love my latest super simple 5 minute makeup routine.
Disclaimer: Please note that some links in this blog are affiliate links. The Plus Life will earn a small commission at no cost to you if you make a purchase. Read our policy here.
Quick & Easy Steps to a 5 Minute Makeup Routine
Step 1: Start with Skincare
The key to being able to put together a nice makeup look quickly is to be working with a good base – AKA your skin. A good skincare routine doesn’t have to be crazy or expensive. But you’ll at least want to wear a good moisturizer and sunscreen every day!
Step 2: The 5 Minute Makeup Face
If you have perfect skin (lucky you!) you can possibly skip this step, but most of us could benefit from at least some sort of face covering. For a quick, everyday look, you don’t necessarily need a heavy foundation. I love a tinted moisturizer with SPF for a light coverage look that does triple duty.
Step 2: Conceal and Brighten
A good concealer is key to cover any blemishes and brighten the under eye. You can also use the concealer to highlight any areas you might otherwise accentuate with a highlighter.
Step 3: A Pop of Color
The pop of color is where you can really get a bang for your buck (or help make the most impact with limited time dedicated to your routine). I like to focus on one area of my face and use a bolder color to attract the attention there. This allows you to spend your time on this one area and allows you to go less intense with the rest of your face.
The top areas I choose for pops of color are cheeks, lips, or eyes. For my 5 minute makeup routine, I almost always choose to use a bold lip gloss because it’s SO fast to swipe some on. I can then do very minimal eye makeup (if any) because the attention is on my lips.
Step 4: Brows and Lashes
Brows and lashes can be time consuming aspects of a makeup routine, and on days you have plenty of time.. go for it with your intense looks! But for a 5 minute routine, it’s important to focus on what makes the most impact.
For the eyes, you can skip eyeliner and go in with a couple swipes of your favorite mascara.
For your brows, I highly recommend a brow gel like this because the application is so much faster than brow pencils. Ain’t nobody got time for drawing individual hairs.
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR A 5 MINUTE MAKEUP LOOK
Tip 1: Skincare is Key
When we take care of our skin, it will look better overall and be a better base for any makeup look. Especially when using fewer products with lesser coverage, it’s important to have a good base. You can use less foundation and concealer when your skin looks its best.
Tip 2: Have an “Everyday” Makeup Bag
I find myself minimizing my belongings in many ways, but one thing that has saved me SO much time when getting ready in the morning is ONLY keeping the products I use every day in my makeup bag.
I do have a bigger bag tucked away under my sink with products I use for more in depth looks, but there’s no need to be digging through 100’s of products every morning!
Tip 3: Use Multi-Purpose Products For a 5 Minute Makeup Look
Out of all the tips I’m sharing here, I think this is my favorite. Finding great multi-purpose products can save both time and money. Who doesn’t want that?!
I *LOVE* this tinted moisturizer with SPF and often use it in place of my sunscreen, moisturizer, AND foundation on busy days!
This blush is another multi-purpose fave because you can use a small brush to swipe the center and use the light shade as highlight.
And my FAVORITE multipurpose product is this ELF Halo Glow Liquid Filter. I use it as a primer, a highlight, and even in place of a tinted moisturizer on super light makeup days. Not to mention… it’s only $14!
Tip 4: Have the Right Tools
Having the right tools to do your makeup helps make the whole process faster. The right tools don’t have to be anything expensive.
I keep it simple with a small makeup bag, a beauty blender type sponge, a fluffy blush brush, and an eyeshadow brush.
Most days I don’t even use the eyeshadow brush and swipe the leftover blush and bronzer from my fluffy brush onto my eyes.
Tip 5: Choose a Focal Point
Choose one focal point for the face so the rest can be minimal (bold lip, eye makeup, or bronzy glow).
I’m sure you’ve heard tips and tricks about not going crazy with ALL of your makeup on the same day. For example, if you’re wearing a hot pink lip, you can skip a dark smoky eye. Or if you’re going for an intense bronzy glow, you can keep the rest of your face neutral.
Especially now in the days of non-stop Zoom meetings, I love keeping my face pretty simple and going really bold with a hot pink lip.
Sometimes, though, I’ll do a rosy cheek or bronzed face with neutral eyes and lips.
Generally, this tip is helpful because it allows you to focus your time and efforts on only one part of your face while glossing over (pun intended) the rest.
Tip 6: Keep Lipsticks In Your Purse to Save Time On Your 5 Minute Makeup Routine
While I do keep lipsticks and lipgloss in my everyday makeup bag, I often skip it when applying my makeup in the morning and only put in on before meetings or as I’m leaving my house.
Given that we have to reapply throughout the day anyway, you can save time by skipping it during your morning makeup application.
Tip 7: Set a Timer or Film Yourself
If you’re TikTok obsessed like me, you probably see women sharing videos of them doing simple tasks like applying their makeup or cleaning their kitchen.
For some reason, I can’t get enough of watching these videos but I never think to film myself doing random tasks.
I heard a tip recently from a friend who said she likes to set up her camera and film herself cleaning. She pretends she’s going to post it to TikTok (then never does) but uses it as motivation to keep going and to be efficient.
I LOVE the idea of doing this with makeup too. It’s kind of fun to play YouTuber while getting ready and it’s also motivating to try and beat the clock.
If you don’t want to go to the trouble of filming yourself, setting a timer can be equally motivation to speed up your routine!
Tip 8: Use Blush or Bronzer as Eyeshadow
In the past few years since becoming a mom, I have all but stopped wearing eyeshadow. I just don’t have time on a day to day basis for precision type makeup application.
I often just swipe my leftover blush or bronzer from my fluffy makeup brush onto my eyes. Just squeeze the bristles together to concentrate where you’re applying.
Of course, you could also just use your eyeshadow brush swiped into your brush or bronzer palette too.
5 MINUTE MAKEUP ROUTINE: CURRENT PRODUCTS USED
Admittedly, I’m a makeup lover and thoroughly enjoy testing new products. As such, my makeup routine changes pretty consistently.
For right now, this is my routine:
You can over over any of the images in the collage to shop or I have direct links below the image.
1- ELF Halo Glow Liquid Filter // 2- Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer with SPF // 3- ELF Hydrating Camo Concealer // 4- Fenty Beauty Match Stix Matte Contour Skinstick // 5- Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic Blush // 7- Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara // 8- NYX Butter Gloss
As you’ll see, I use a mix of higher end and more affordable products. I have become SUCH a fan of ELF Cosmetics products lately because they’re so affordable and work so well.
The ELF Halo Glow and Hydrating Camo Concealer have become two of my holy grail products that I use daily.
NYX Butter Gloss has been a go-to affordable fave for years. They have SUCH a great color range at an amazing price. If you want a bold hot pink, I can’t recommend Summer Fruit enough.
I didn’t WANT to love this Lancome Mascara as much as I do. I bought it when one of my favorite influencers, Kathleen Barnes, recommended it and it is SO good. I have thin, short lashes and feel this product is great at adding both length and volume.
WHY YOU SHOULD HAVE A 5 MINUTE MAKEUP ROUTINE
If you’re here and reading this post, I likely don’t need to convince you that a 5 minute face is a good idea, but just in case you’re wondering if it’s right for you… I’ll share a few reasons I love having these tricks in my arsenal for those extra busy days.
- It saves time
- It allows you to feel put together even when you’re on the go
- It’s easy to tweak the routine for more or less glam
- It helps you minimize the products you need (saving $$ too)
- It allows you to create a “signature” look with flexibility to change things up too
Any other reasons you can think of that a 5 minute routine is a good idea? I’d love to hear those below along with any favorite products, tips or tricks to make a quick and easy makeup routine a reality!
This post was all about 5 minute makeup. I hope you’ve enjoyed it and are feeling inspired to create a routine that works best for you!
