My 10 Minute Makeup Routine

I have never been one to spend a ton of time on my makeup routine. I love watching videos of people applying foundation, contouring, and using eyeshadow in ways I never thought possible. It’s mesmerizing, and so fun to watch! However, as I watch those videos, two thing always come to mind. The first is, “how in the world are you doing this?! I wouldn’t even know where to begin!”. And the second is, “Ain’t nobody got time for that”. Because let’s be real… Rarely do I give myself enough time to spend 45 minutes or more on getting ready in the morning! Especially when I workout, or need to shower, there’s no way I could dedicate that much time to my makeup routine. And that, my friends, is why I continue to stick to my 10 minute routine. 

That being said, today you’re in for a treat! I am sharing my daily makeup routine with you, along with the products I use and how I use them. Because I know I’m not the only one who is all for a quick routine, so you can get out the door! 

Most of the products I use are sold by Senegence, and if you are interested in learning more about them, or getting some of your own, check out my Facebook group, Smiles in the South.

My 10 Minute Makeup Routine

Step 1: Wash & Scrub

Before I put on my makeup, I like to wash my face. If I take a shower in the morning, I do this already, but if not, then I take a minute or two to wash off the buildup of dead skin and sweat that I’ve accumulated overnight. This is also a great time to use some homemade sugar scrub on your lips to get them prepped and ready for some lip color later on. 

Step 2: Tinted Moisturizer

This is what I use instead of foundation or lotion. The tinted moisturizer I use is made by the company called Senegence (the same people who make LipSense!), and it’s seriously AH-MA-ZING. It’s super moisturizing, matches your skin tone, and stays on all day. It also provides your face with skin protection from harmful UV rays! I love that I’m able to achieve sheer coverage, while the moisturizer counteracts any redness or other facial blemishes I may have. I use the medium color, but it also comes in light! Also, when I’m feeling a little fancy, I add in some Pearlizer to give a little brightness to my face and under my eyes. 
You can also apply some blush at this step too, but I don’t really use any. I blush enough as is! ; )

To apply, just squirt a dime sized dollop onto your finger, and dot around your face. I make sure to dot my cheeks at least twice, as well as my nose, chin and forehead. Then with a liquid foundation brush, I just distribute it and smooth it out all over my face. I like to add the Pearlizer to my cheekbones and under my eyes to add a little summin’ summin’ to my natural look. 

Step 3: Eye shadow

I used to HATE putting on eye shadow, because it always flaked off into my eye lashes, never lasted throughout the day, and was just a pain. That’s why I l-o-v-e what I use now, a little piece of awesomeness called ShadowSense (yep, also made by Senegence). It’s a cream to powder product, that goes on as a cream, making it easy to smooth on to your eyelid, but dries looking like a powder. ShadowSense is amazing, y’all! It lasts ALL day, and takes way less time to apply. I like keeping it simple with just two colors (Candlelight or Sandstone and Moca Java Shimmer), but they have SO many other shades that I know I’ll try eventually. 

To apply, I just dab some Candlelight or Sandstone on my eye lid and smooth it out evenly with an eyeshadow brush. I follow up with a little bit of the Moca Java at the outside corners and blend it in with the first color. And it’s as easy as that! 

Step 4: Eye liner

I’m a huge fan of liquid eye liner. It’s just oh so easy to apply, and the lines are smooth and even. Plus, there’s no pencil sharpening involved! Senegence has a line of eye liner that I have really enjoyed using. It’s long lasting and comes in black or black brown (which is what I use). Instead of using the brush that comes with the eye liner, I actually like to use an angled eye liner brush. I’ve found that it helps me get the smooth even line that I’m looking for, without too much hassle. 

To apply, I “paint” the eye liner onto the brush. I then start at the outside corner of my upper lid and swipe towards the middle of my eye. I don’t like to line the entire length of my eye lid, because I feel like it can look too heavy and over powering. I just do half, starting from the outside corner, on both my top and bottom lid! 

Step 5: Mascara

Mascara is HUGE for me, because my eye lashes are blonde. So if I don’t wear any mascara, it looks like I don’t have any lashes at all. Definitely not the look I want to go for. I switch between either my Maybelline Full ‘N Soft mascara, or my waterproof Senegence mascara. I don’t have to curl my lashes (thanks mom!), but if you have to, always curl before you put on your mascara. I learned that the hard way when I first started using makeup… my lashes all clumped together and looked horrible! Also, that was back before I knew I didn’t need to curl my lashes. Bless 12 year old me! 

To apply, I scrape off any excess mascara off my wand before swiping over my eyelashes. I want to keep my lashes looking full and not clumpy, so I don’t coat them with layers and layers of mascara. It’s all about moving quickly and maintaining the up and down motion. The minute you move your lashes to the left or right with the wand is when they clump together and there’s no going back. 

Step 6: LipSense

Applying a lip color has become my favorite part of my makeup routine ever since I first started using LipSense. If you’ve never heard of it before, check out this entire post I wrote about it (it’s a great read, I promise!). Long story short, LipSense is a long lasting lip color that has pigments that adhere to your lips (unlike normal lipsticks or lip stains). It has been scientifically developed to stay on and keep your lips happy and healthy, which is what I love most about it. My lips have never felt so amazing before, and I haven’t used my chapstick in over two months. And this is coming from the girl who couldn’t be away from her chapstick for more than 20 minutes at a time! So when I say this product works, I’m not kiddin’. 

To apply your LipSense, start with dry, clean lips. Shake your tube for 10 seconds to mix all the pigments together, then swipe your applicator in one direction, from one end of your bottom lip to the other. DO NOT go back and forth- this will take the color off. Repeat the same process on the top lip, starting from the middle and swiping to the outsides of your mouth. Let that layer dry, then repeat for two more coats. Finish off with some gloss, and you’re good to go!
Your color should last from anywhere between 8 and 18 hours.