Glowing Summer Makeup in 5 Minutes

image17_edited_croppedSummer is well and truly upon us, and there’s no beauty look more synonymous with the Australian holiday season than glowing, fresh, natural-looking skin.

We have been counting down to summer all year long and are relishing the time we now have to catch up with loved ones and, really, just relax. Why cut into that hard-earned summer relaxation time with a complicated, time-consuming makeup routine? We want to get our makeup done quickly, but effectively.
With this in mind, we’ve mastered something we like to call “makeup in 5”- that’s a five-minute makeup application, from start to finish, that leaves us with beautiful, dewy summer skin and cheeks that pop. The secret? Cream products.

Swapping your powder foundations, blush, bronzer, and highlighter for fluid and cream formulations will shave some serious time off your makeup routine, as each product blends seamlessly into the next without the need for brushes.

Whether you want glowing skin in a flash, or if you’re looking to achieve a simple, fresh base for a more complicated lip or eye look, try our guide to glowing skin in 5 minutes.

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Step 1: Primer and Coverage

The trick to a flawless makeup application is, to begin with a well-prepped base, so dedicate as much time as you can afford to really create a smooth canvas for makeup. If you’re after glowing skin, we recommend Smooth Affair Illuminating Glow Face Primer, which gives the skin a pearlescent, soft-focus finish that peeks out from behind makeup for a lit-from-within glow.

To save time, try mixing one part Illuminating Glow primer with one part Glow Time BB Cream then blending them into your skin using the warmth of your fingertips. These products do work beautifully when applied separately, however mixing them will allow you to sheer out the coverage of the BB Cream for a true “your skin but better” finish- perfect for a balmy summer’s day!

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Step 2: Blush, Bronze, Highlight

We love using cream textures for our blush, bronzer, and highlighter as they have the ability to melt into the skin, almost mimicking the skin’s texture for a really natural finish. To save time, opt for products in “stick” form- these can be drawn right onto the skin, then blended out with your fingertips!

Start by applying your bronzing shade (we love using a deep shade of the Glow Time Blush Sticks, like Glorious) to the areas of the face that the sun would usually hit (we usually focus on the temples, cheeks, and jawline). Next, apply your blush shade (we love Enchanted) to the apples of the cheeks and blend slightly up towards the temples to sculpt and lift the face, then finish by applying your highlighter (we recommend the Glow Time Highlighter Sticks) to the high planes of the face- think the tops of the cheekbones, brow bone, and cupid’s bow. This will catch the light and give the skin a diffused, ethereal glow.

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Step 3: Set Your Makeup!

Setting your glowing skin is essential- it’s counterproductive to pride oneself on a 5-minute makeup application if it will fade away just as quickly!

To keep your glowing makeup look intact all day long, set any areas of the face that you feel may need it using the jane iredale Amazing Base Loose Mineral Powder. This powder is SPF 20, so you’ll be delivering sun protection to the skin as well as giving staying powder to your makeup. To set your makeup on the go (and to allow for easy, quick touch-ups throughout the day or not), we recommend using the Amazing Base Refillable Brush.

Words and images by Gemma Watts @gemkwatts