What are your go-to products when you want to put minimal effort in (but not zero)?

For minimal effort, I am not super picky about the products – like I will use whatever mascara I have opened (right now, it’s a NARS one) and fill in my brows (trying one by Moira right now) and some lipgloss (that’s usually Fenty in Fenty Glow).

— Christine

23 Comments

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Leslie Avatar

If I want to look fresh in a hurry, anything bright pink will light up my face. I use my Loreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara, Buxom Shimmer Shock lipstick in Aftershock (discontinued, unfortunately), and Clinique Cheek Pop in Berry Pop (also discontinued). I’ve been looking for replacements for these products but I haven’t found anything else I like……but a quick wash of pink on my face and I can run to the grocery store without looking like death or scaring small children. LOL.

Natalie Avatar

Typically a coat or two of an easy-to-remove non-irritating mascara (Ilia Limitless Lash at the moment) and a little bit of eyeshadow to darken the crease/hood. I would typically do a little blush, too, but I don’t have one I like right now.

Wednesday Avatar

Westman Atelier complexion drops – two drops.. I apply to red areas on cheeks and nose blending outwards to barely there product around perimeter
Brows – Benefit pencil with Refy setting
Chanel stylo Eros 928 (or any red/reddish brown liner smoked on top and bottom lash line)
Mascara
Gucci bronzing powder shade 2 for a bit of shape
Tiny bit of concealer on eye craters
Ilia lip wrap

I’m on team a bit of colour around eyes so I don’t scare small children. Wish I had the kind of face that supported just a bit of lip colour, but it doesn’t. I prefer my mouth totally nude.

Lacey Avatar

My low effort is very similar Ana! If I’m going outside I don’t like to go without my base – tinted spf, concealer, and a bit of bronzer and blush on cheeks and eyes. Lashes, brows, lip balm. It takes less than five minutes if I’ve already done skincare and SPF. Cover FX natural finish foundation G+60 to tint more spf (lol), Lys concealer TN3, Cover FX Sunkissed Bronze, Lys blush Unforgettable, Tower 28 mascara, AB Clear Brow Gel, Burts Bees lip balm. With the amount of mineral spf I wear on tan skin there has to be sculpting otherwise I look like a cardboard cutout. 🙂

Nancy T Avatar

Lumene BB Cream, set with either Hourglass Dim Light or WnW Reserve Your Cabana, fill in brows, apply Mac Orb to entire lid and use something like either MAC Kid or even my bronzer in the crease for dimension, UD 24/7 in Corrupt or another brown liner to define my lashline, Fenty Rose Latté on cheeks, curl lashes, apply some mascara, throw on either Fenty Gloss Bomb in Fenty Glow (or another neutral lipgloss) or UD Broken lipstick.

Maggie Avatar

Minimal effort would be tinted moisturizer (and/or buildable foundation), concealer, brow pencil, and lip color (either lip pencil with balm, or creamy lip color). Perhaps cheek color and if I need my makeup to last: translucent face powder if my face isn’t too dry and setting spray. I would skip eye makeup as I normally wear glasses. If it were full effort, I would add dimension to the face using either bronzer and/or contour, highlighter, color correctors, pinpoint full coverage concealing, and eye makeup (shadow, liner, mascara, false lashes)

Bareminerals tinted gel cream
L’Oreal Infallible Total Cover Foundation
Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer and/or Clinique Even Better All Over Concealer + Eraser
NYX Brow Pencil
It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Loose Face Powder
Colourpop Super Shock Cheek

Genevieve Avatar

It’s extremely rare that I do a minimal look – but it would be having my brows done (essential) in a blonde-brown shade, Flower Beauty’s Serum foundation (which is quite light on), a bright lipstick – either Maybelline’s Spice for Me or MAC’s Fresh Moroccan. A light dusting of blush on my cheeks – Shiseido’s Inner Glow in coral and a quick one and done eyeshadow – usually Magellan’s Light or MAC’s Satin Taupe.

BrandiD Avatar

A minimal look for me still requires foundation coverage, since the biggest reason I wear it is as protection for my very reactive, allergy prone skin. So my minimal makeup would look like a light coating of foundation, Benefit’s Gimme Brow pencil in 3.5, a wash of light color across the cheeks/forehead/chin (current favorite is MAC So Natural), and a nice nude lip like MAC A La Plage.

Bibi Avatar

Base: Maybelline BB Fresh, has 30 spf, requires no blending, and gives light coverage while smoothing and evening out tone
Concealer: IT Bye Bye undereye because I have horrendous hollow and dark undereyes
Mascara: Maybelline Lash Sensation in the pink chrome tube because it’s super easy to apply, defining and holds curl with no smudging or flaking
Eyeliner: Chanel Stylo Yeux because is stays where you put it all day and eyeliner that migrates all over your face is a disaster from which there’s no return
Eyeshadow: LM Caviar Stick in Wild Rose, pale champagne that’s impossible to mess up
Brows: NYX Control Freak clear brow gel, controls and shapes with light hold
Blush because I am pale and yellow AF: An ancient rose pink cheapie but goodie powder by Catrice
Lips: Neutrogena MoistureSmooth Color Stick in Berry Brown or Raspberry, these are truly the sweatpants of lip products, easy to apply, comfortable to wear, moisturizing, lasts for 4 hours, fades gracefully
Setting spray: Catrice Prime and Fine

Melissa Avatar

Concealer to cover up red spots and under the eyes, set with a dusting of powder, tinted brow gel, and used to be lip gloss, but since covid and masking more often than not I go without any lip colour.

Alice Avatar

1) Taupe, champagne, or mauve eyeshadow all over crease and lid. Favs are Sydney Grace Parallax, Devinah Esme, Urban Decay Mushroom or Turn On, one of the shadows from the left side of Smashbox Punked covershot.

2) Mascara

3) Tinted sunscreen

4) An easy to apply and low maintenance lip paint like BareMinerals JuJu or Pretty Zombie Cosmetics Purple Poison.

Helene Avatar

If I have a good skin-day, translucent matte powder, eyebrow pencil, a wash of some light, shimmery eyeshadow on the mobile lid, mascara and lipstick, one that goes with whatever I’m wearing.
On a bad skin-day I have to use a medium coverage foundation at least and then I also add a blush.
Some days though it’s just mascara and lipstick, but the lipstick those days are a vivid one.
As for products, I have a lot if most everything so it depends on what’s closest. I only use one mascara ar a time, right now Clinique High Impact.

Christy Avatar

– Spot conceal
– UD Video blush
– Matte taupe eyeshadow–probably Frappe from Sydney Grace Coffee Talk (Light) or Sydney Grace Coffee Snob
– Black liquid eyeliner with tiny wing (KissMe Heroine Make)
– Black mascara (KissMe Heroine Make Long and Curl)
– Tinted brow gel
– Red lipstick (MAC E is for Effortless or Dare You)
More minimum than that would usually just be concealer and lipstick, maybe tinted brow gel

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