I really do love playing with makeup, but 99% of the time, when it comes to my beauty routine, I want things to be quick and fuss-free. It is because of this desire that my love for products that do it all is ever-growing. If I could have it my way, my morning makeup routine would consist of no more than three products that I can scribble over my face and blend out in seconds.
And it seems I’m not alone. According to recent insights from Bobbi Brown, 47% of consumers are currently looking for multi-purpose claims with all beauty searches. Whether it’s blusher that doubles up as lipstick, bronzer you can swipe over your lids or highlight that works as primer too, makeup products that have multiple uses are at the top of my shopping list.
Since dedicating my spending to multi-tasking products, I must admit that the amount of time I have spent on my face in the mornings has drastically reduced. With just a few dabs here and there (and minimal dressing table clutter), I have managed to perfect my morning makeup routine to such a fine art that it now takes me just five minutes. So, if you favour a natural-looking face that takes mere minutes to execute, keep scrolling for the multi-purpose products I swear by.
This is without a doubt one of my most-used makeup products. For days when I don’t fancy wearing a base and just want to give my complexion a bit of life, I just apply a couple of pumps all over and rub in with my fingers. It gives a radiant, sun-kissed finish. For days when I want a bit more coverage, I add a drop into my foundation for amped-up luminosity. If, as the day goes on, I want a little boost, it also works wonderfully as a highlight along the tops of the cheek bones. It’s pricey, but it’s the one product I swear by for instant natural-looking glow.
I’m putting it out there, I really don’t like wearing foundation. Not only does it feel pore-clogging and caked when it’s on, I find that blending it to a natural finish takes up valuable time. Instead, I just swipe on this super-creamy, but full-coverage concealer to my problem areas (under the eyes, around the nose and over any spots) and I’m good to go.
Trying to describe this product is tricky. Personally, I’d say it’s sort of a foundation with seriously amped-up glow. However, unlike messy liquid formulas, this stuff is in a stick format which contains a matte pigment on one side and a glow-giving sheen on the other. When swiped all over and blended in with the sponge on the end, it gives a full-coverage glowing base. It’s one of the most skin-perfecting products I own. When I don’t fancy heaps of coverage, I quite often just warm some of the product up between my fingers and dab onto the high points of my face to give my complexion a bit of life.
When it comes to choosing a bronzer, the key for me is that it has to be easily blendable. I want zero risk of stepping outside with big streaks down my face. Another important aspect is that the shade has to be wearable on my lids too. This cream bronzer compact covers all bases. It’s so bendable it basically melts into the skin, giving bronzed definition and adding depth. For days when I want to make a bit more of an effort, I use my ring finger to blot some onto my lids too.
This new product from Chanel has caused a bit of a stir for a few reasons. One, as a replacement, it has upset fans of the brand’s iconic Soleil Tan de Chanel cream bronzer. Two, it comes in one, relatively light shade. With that being said, I want to give credit where it’s due, because this product is genuinely one of the most versatile around. The issue is, Chanel marketed this as a bronzer, and you only have to look at its warm, orangey shade to see the flaws there. Even for me, someone who has white, but slightly olive-toned skin, this stuff isn’t dark enough to be considered much of a bronzer. I have found, however, that if you can embrace it as the multi-purpose, glow-giving cream that it really is, you can make magic. When it’s swiped over the eyes, patted onto the brow bone or, if you have darker skin, applied over cheekbones before foundation to give a dewy, glowing finish, it’s worth considering.
You can probably see a theme starting to develop here. Most of my go-to, quick multi-taskers are cream formulas that can be blotted on quickly with just my fingers. This stuff is a cult classic, and for good reason. The minute fingers touch the cream, it melts into a deliciously glowing, but sheer, pigment that can be blotted onto cheeks, lips or wherever you damn well please.
Technically, this stuff is just a liquid blush. However, it’s unbelievable glow-giving properties combined with the fact it can quite literally ‘sheer’ out to nothingness means that I often find myself dabbing it on my lips, cheekbones and eyelids, too.
Unlike some of the other lip/cheek hybrid products out there, Glossier’s cult Cloud Paints pack some serious pigment. There is nothing sheer about these little guys. The smallest dot onto the apples of the cheeks adds life into tired complexions instantly. To tie it altogether, I often blot the excess onto the centre of my lips.
Few things make me happier than a great stick product. This option from Stila has the most beautiful rosy tint that can be dotted onto cheeks and blended into lips for a delicate and pretty finish.
The vast amount of cheek products are based on pinks, purple and nudes, however I like most of my products to have an orange or coral base. These emulsions are designed to be used wherever and however you please and look just as great sheered out on cheeks as they do buffed onto lids with a fluffy brush. Plus, there’s a colour for everything and everyone.
You might not have seen a clear mascara since 2003, but trust me when I say adding one back into my makeup routine was one of the best things I ever did. For no-makeup-makeup days, I comb the wand through lashes, brows and sometimes even my hair in a bid to tame flyaways, for a laid-back but polished look.
As someone that has been blessed with poker-straight lashes, my eyelash curlers are probably one of my most prized possessions. Wearing mascara without first curling my lashes has always felt entirely pointless, until this stuff came along. You’ll have to forgive me because it’s not actually available to buy until Wednesday, but if you are glued to your curlers like I am, I highly advise taking a look. Since trying the new mascara for the first time two weeks ago, I haven’t reached for my curlers once. It somehow gives lashes a lift and length that lasts all day long. It’s a mascara that does it all.
Brow pencils have never been my game. I’m naturally very heavy handed, so trying to draw my brows on takes a lot of time, effort and patience if I want them to look even a little bit natural. Instead, I use this tinted gel every single day. It’s pigmented enough to fill in sparse areas but also holds strands in place all day for a voluminous, fluffy result.
If you haven’t already guessed, I’m not the sort of person that wants to hook out an eyeshadow palette everyday. These cream shadow sticks are my absolute go-to. I just scribble over my eye lid and smudge out with my finger. Plus, their precise nature means they work wonderfully on the lower lash line too.
Trust me, I wasn’t sold on a Morphe collab with Maddie Ziegler at first either. However, this gloss stick is kind of genius. Swipe it on lips, cheekbones, eyes, brow bones – wherever you fancy – for dewy luminosity.
Not worlds away from the Morphe Dew Stick, this product from Suqqu also works to add a dewy glow, except it’s turbocharged with a subtle pink shimmer. This limited edition product is one I plan to stock up on.
