The best makeup tricks for when you’re having a lazy day

Sometimes we have those days. Days that make you wish you could crawl back into bed and spend your time reading things on the Internet and watching movies and eating pumpkin spice cookies. But alas, you have work, or school, or jury-duty and thus you need to get up and put clothes on and maybe makeup if you’re into makeup.

And as many of us know, putting on makeup can be a process —a time-consuming one. Applying makeup is truly an art form and – like with most forms of art – painting your face can take up a lot of time and energy.

But if you’re having a lazy day, there ARE some tricks that will save you time and effort. Let’s begin!

1. Embrace white eyeliner

If your main goal in life is to look awake, you should go out and buy white eyeliner a BFF bracelet. (Or, ya know, just buy white eyeliner.) White eyeliner helps brighten up the face and, most importantly, the eyes. Brightening the eyes can make a huge difference, especially since this is the part of the face that looks worse for wear when you haven’t had a good night’s sleep.

To solve this problem, you can apply white eyeliner in three key places around the eye: in your waterline (to make the whites of your eyes stand out), in the inner corner (make sure to blend this out with your finger or a makeup brush), and beneath your brow bone (blend this area as well).

Bonus tip: if you’re not in the mood to reach for your highlighter, use your white eyeliner instead! Lightly apply it in the curve of your cupid’s bow, on the tops of your cheekbones, and down the bridge of your nose. If you choose to do so, make sure to properly blend because you definitely want to eliminate any harsh lines.

2. Use a straight edge to improve your cat-eye

If you love how you look with a cat-eye, then you probably know that this is no easy feat to accomplish first thing in the morning. To champion this look without a fuss, you can use a piece of scotch tape, a post-it, or even a credit card.

Simply take whatever straight tool you have on hand, line it up from the outer corner of your eye to the end of your eyebrow, and draw your cat-eye line. The best part is, if you’re on-the-go, you can quickly grab a credit card from your wallet and work some eyeliner magic. (Just make sure to sanitize the card with a handy-wipe.)

3. Invest in double-sided makeup brushes Constantly reaching for various makeup brushes in the morning (especially if they’re hidden in various locations) can waste some precious morning time. To fix this effort-inducing problem, slowly integrate double-sided makeup brushes into your collection. (This will also save you some room in your makeup bag!) Picture this: you’re doing your eye makeup and you just applied a base color. Now, you want to add a darker shade to the crease and blend it out. All you have to do is flip the brush over in your hand and –taadaa! – now you have a blending brush and it only took you .5 seconds to find it. Perfect.   

4. Use your lipstick as a cheek stain If you compare your lip colors and blushes, you’ll probably notice some similarities. You may even have some colors that are exactly the same.  That’s why your lipsticks can flawlessly double as cheek stains! After you finish applying your lipstick, simply dab some on your cheeks, blend it out, and voila! Your cheeks are nice and rosy!

5. Use your foundation as a concealer AND eyeshadow base Foundation is one tool that can help you even out your skin, so why not use this to your advantage? Before applying a full layer of foundation, apply some on the spots that you would normally cover with concealer. Add some below your eyes if you so desire. Allow this to set for a second (maybe take a few sips of your morning beverage of choice in the meantime). Then, go in and apply a full layer of foundation. You can even lightly apply this on your eyelids, to serve as a lovely base for any shadows you plan on using.  

6. Warm up your mascara To make applying mascara trouble-free (mascara can get clumpy, and that’s no fun), warm it up beforehand! As you begin your routine, take your mascara and put in it a warm place. This can be in your bra, or you can even sit on it! This technique helps to warm the product up so that it doesn’t clump together. When you apply, it should go on smoother and look ideal after just a few swipes with your mascara wand. 

7. Contour in the shape of a “3” Applying bronzer can be as easy as 1-2-3… literally! If you apply your bronzer in a “3” formation and blend it in from there, this saves you from doing each part of your face separately. It also makes contouring your face a lot less daunting (especially if you’re a first-timer) and can help you blend in less time.

8. BB Creams are your 2-in-1 friend

Since fall is here and winter is fast-approaching, dry skin (and lips – which we’ll get to in a second) is something you now have to contend with.

To apply your moisturizer and a light layer of coverage all in one go, try a BB Cream! Many of these creams also have added benefits – like SPF and various ingredients that are good for your skin. Plus, they can be a lifesaver if you aren’t a fan of foundations that provide a heavier coverage.

9. Lipstick + lip balm = tinted lip balm for chapped lips

Let’s be honest: no one likes chapped lips. Unfortunately, with cold weather on its way, this means that we’ve got to keep our lip balm fully stocked.

So that you can keep your lips moisturized and colorful, you can buy a tinted lip balm. Or… you can make your own in a cinch! Using the top of your hand as a palette, mix some of your lipstick and favorite lip balm. Then, apply it on your lips and wash what’s leftover off your hand.

To cut the hand-washing part out, you can mix right on your lips. Start by applying a thick coat of lip balm. Afterward, apply lipstick on top. Lastly, rub your lips together to mix this concoction. The result: lips that are moisturized and vibrant.

10. Keep your lips and eyebrows bold 

Bold lips and defined eyebrows can make a significant difference (especially if you need to keep others from noticing that you only got a few hours of sleep last night). Not only is it fun to wear bright colors and to show off your unique brows, it also adds something extra special (and effortless) to your look.

If you want to appear as though you put effort into your makeup look, then focus on these two areas. Fill your brows in with powder and blend away OR shape them with a colored brow gel. As for your lips, you can line them to make them POP or simply apply a color that makes you feel like a goddess.

11. Always, always, always apply sunscreen

While sunscreen is not a makeup product, it is a product that should be a part of your morning makeup routine. We all know that sunscreen is important, especially since it prevents skin problems from manifesting in the future (and, therefore, prevents you from wanting to cover these issues with additional makeup/time/effort).

If you’re having a lazy day, remember to do one thing when it comes time to getting ready: put on your sunscreen. Even if your foundation or tinted moisturizer already has SPF in it, this may not be enough (especially if you’re only applying a thin layer). To make sure that your skin is getting the TLC that it needs, make sunscreen the #1 priority on your to-do list.

(Images via Twitter and Giphy)