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What's your 15-minute look?

Foundation, blush, highlighter, powder, brows, cream eyeshadow + powder eyeshadow in the crease, eyeliner, mascara, lipstick! I’m most likely to use a blush like Tom Ford Lovelust or Chanel Jersey, and then for eyes, likely a Giorgio Armani Eye Tint or Tom Ford Cream Color for Eyes plus whatever brown/taupe powder eyeshadow may be lying out for the crease.

— Christine

62 Comments

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Nancy T Avatar

Foundation or bb cream, CP Truth over entire lid as a base AND primer, a darker shadow to define crease since my eyes are very hooded, tightline upper lashline, pencil for lashline, mascara, blush, lipstick or pecil & gloss. Once I’m out the door, I can add concealer and powder, maybe extra eyeshadow while on the bus or in a ride’s car.

Tracey E. Avatar

Easy. Foundation, Bobbi Brown concealer & corrector, CT Legendary Brows, CT eyes to mesmerize in Jean, BB liquid liner, mascara, TF Love Lust or CT Healthy Glow blush, BB naked finish illuminating powder, and lipstick (usually TF Negligee).

The time savings is not having to fuss with a multi-colored eyeshadow & eyeliner look.

Deborah S. Avatar

When pressed for time I generally put more time into my foundation and less in other areas. So foundation and concealing first. I like to use a cushion foundation when I am really pressed for time and like Sulwhasoo for that. It has pretty good coverage, although not full coverage and I still have to conceal. The main reason I prefer it is that it comes in a shade pale enough for my skin and it is not completely matte which suits my dry skin better. I will always wear a blush but will skip highlighter. I will choose a one and done eye shadow look and like Chanel New Moon or TF Platinum for that. I will apply mascara, lip liner and lipstick and a quick dust of powder to meld it all together and I am done! I have to wear lip liner as I have a lot of lip lines and lipstick always migrates if I don’t line. I rarely contour or bronze unless it is a special occasion so I don’t miss not completing those steps.

Jade Avatar

BB cream, brows, eyeshadow base and flesh toned eyeshadow, little bit of brown eyeliner on the outer upper corner, blush and sometimes bronzer. My base looks terrible by the end of the day due to the aircon at work though, I need to figure out base products which will wear more nicely. I like the idea of cream eyeshadow with a powder in the crease!

Anne Avatar

– Primer (currently using Too Faced Hangover Rx)
– Foundation (usually Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum, though sometimes NARS Sheer Glow),
– Concealer (Either UD or NARS depending on my skin situation, sometimes both)
– Setting Powder (Currently Hourglass Dim Light, which is not technically setting powder but whatevs)
– Blush (something natural like Tarte Exposed)
– Cream eyeshadow (usually Charlotte Tilbury Bette)
– Mascara (whatever is open)
– Lip stain (likely a Lancome Juicy Shaker)

If I have a little extra time, and am in the right mood
– Highlighter (something natural like MAC Pearl Cream Color Base, put on before setting powder)
– Bronzer (after blush, and currently likely either UD Bronzed, NARS Laguna, or Benefit Hoola) and only if I’m feeling a bit more “sunny” that day if that makes sense.

Erica Avatar

ABH Dipbrow for brows
Benefit Erase Paste under eyes.
Pressed Powder in light
Blush: MAC LE Modest, Tarte Exposed, Essence Babydoll
Mascara
Eyeliner: Marc Jacobs Brown Out
Eyeshadow primer
3-4 eyeshadows from MAC ex Vanilla all over, Malt in crease /transition & Naked Lunch on eyelid
Lip balm

AB Avatar

Face: primer, foundation, blush, concealer; eyes: liner/crease and main shadows, brows; lips: if in a real hurry, gloss; if I have extra minute balm and then lipstick. Products for this quick version: Laura Mercier primer, Smashbox foundation, NARS concealor, Laura Geller pink grapefruit baked blush; UD ABC Gum in crease, UD Riff on lid; Chanel eyebrow pencil; NARS Risky Business gloss

Linda Avatar

I do much like Christine.

Foundation, concealer, powder, blush, and always a swish of LM Matte Radiance 01. Quick brows (never spend much time on that anyway).

Cream eye shadow — TF or Elf (now there’s a range for you). Powder crease color that goes into outer V. Liner, mascara.

Lipstick.

Out the door.

Heather Avatar

Foundation, blush, eyeshadow (generally just a L’Oréal Infallible or Ardency Inn Modster neutral shimmer), mascara, lipstick, maybe eyeliner if I’m not too lazy. 🙂 That’s my 10-minute look; I don’t bother with much else unless I’m doing a 30+-minute extravaganza.

Chelsea Avatar

Primer, foundation, concealer under my eyes, brows, a neutral or shimmery shadow, eyeliner OR I wet a brush into a darker shadow as liner, bronzer, highlighter, setting powder, mascara and a lipstick that doesn’t take a ton of precision. So basically everything but with a simple eye and a more casual lip.

LMM Avatar

Foundation, undereye concealer, spot concealer, powder, eyebrow pencil/gel, Benefit Dallas as bronzer/blush and as eyeshadow, mascara, lipstick.

Joyce Avatar

Maybelline Better Skin concealer everywhere, blended out. Topped with TruthGirl mineral foundation everywhere. Tarte Exposed blush on the cheeks in a slightly sculpted shape with Essence Be My Highlight on cheekbones.

Revlon Creme Brûlée cream eyeshadow all over the lid as a base. Too Faced Sweet Peach palette: Luscious on lids, Purée in crease.

MAC Brun through brows. Lancôme Black Coffee winged on upper lash line, smudged out with MAC Brun. Tarte Espresso or Gold eyeliner on lower lash line. Curl lashes with 2 coats of mascara (CoverGirl LashBlast Volume Waterproof these days).

And I typically leave with nothing on lips and put Burt’s Bees Rose tinted lip balm on once I get to the car. But Urban Decay Sheer Liar is a good choice too!

Mocha Avatar

Under eye concealer, mascara and then the remaining 12 minutes left having an existential crisis over why my eyebrows can’t even have a civilized conversation on why it’s a good idea that they at least *try* the idea of looking similar at least ONE day out of the week, lol!

Fran Avatar

Primer all over; a light, slightly shimmery, near skin-tone cream shadow from lashes to brows (usually NARS Eye Paint in Porto Venere or Laura Mercier Eye Basics in Flax); tightline with thin gray or brown pencil; foundation with suncscreen; concealer if needed; finishing/setting powder; quick cheek contour, blush, highlighter, blend with a bit more finishing powder; tinted brow gel; mascara; lipstick; setting spray. I need at least twenty minutes to do colored eyeshadow or real shading — just brightening up my small, hooded, hidden eye area is good.

Cherie Avatar

Perricone No foundation, foundation. Nars primer on eyelids, a light cream eyeshadow and then a soft contrast color for the crease. BB gel eyeliner, waterproof mascara on top lashes only. Any soft blush like Burberry tangerine or CT bronze and glow, Laura Mercier highlight, and Dior lip glow and nude lip pencil.

Ana Maria Avatar

Personally, I do my make-up in 10-15 minutes any day. This means face primer, foundation, concealer, eye primer, setting powder, contour/blush, highlighter, eyeshadow, brow pencil and set, mascara, lipstick.
It will take me 15 minutes if I apply liner, gotta be careful with that. And it helps that my eye looks usually have 2-3 eyeshadow colors; I just can’t see a difference when using 6+ shades as I see some people do.

Emily Avatar

I wear what I feel like is a good bit of makeup each day and I can do it in 15 minutes or less. I tend to stick to products I’ve used and know will work well for work days, so that I don’t have to fuss with them. On weekends I will try out new products and spend more time. That’s my play time and something I enjoy. Sure my fellow beauty junkies can relate.

Right now I’m using week days–products I’m used to.

Foundation : Loreal Pro Glow or Dior Forever Perfect. I’ve been loving these two foundations a lot lately. My loreal is a bit light but that’s okay.
Concealer : Nyx Photo finish
Powder : that depends, usually whatever I grab. I really like Lorac Porefecting powder.
Blush : Again whatever I grab. Lately I’ve been all about Papa don’t Peach.
Setting Spray : Nyx -I forget what its called but the one that’s not the Matte one.
Eyes : usually a simple one shadow on lid and one in the crease. This week using Vice LTD and Naked 1.
Mascara : better than sex water proof
Brows : usually only bother on the weekend.

Sarah Avatar

Face: Nivea post shave balm (primer), off brand peach concealer under the eyes (color correct), Elf Maximum Coverage concealer on my cheeks/breakout areas, Measurable Difference Baked Highlight in Glow (powder), Physician’s Formula Butter Bronzer (bronzer), any colorful highlight, ColourPop Cruel Intentions (blush), UD All Nighter (set).

Eyes: Beauty Evolved Nude Collection palette (matte brown in the crease, dark olive on the lash lines), custom gel liner from Elf Toasted (bar liner), UD Crave (tightline), Ulta Twisted Volume mascara.

Lips: Ulta Tinted Chapstick in Strawberry (old and discontinued lol).

Codename Duchess Avatar

Currently my quick daily look is ColourPop Tang e/s as a wash on the lid, brown winged eyeliner (currently using a Nyx liquid liner pen) and then I fill in my brows and apply mascara. I skip foundation and just apply a light dusting of powder and a little blush (usually Too Faced Glow). Finish with lipstick

Shannon. N Avatar

UGHHH!! That was me today!! I had a appointment with my surgeon at EIGHT AM. And he’s an HOUR away from my town. So I had to do my makeup in the car today!!

My 15 minute makeup is:

Primer patted onto my oily areas, Concealer patted under my eyes, and a bit of concealer blended out onto my cheeks to hide redness. Then I powder my whole face. Eye primer. I will buff a bit of shimmery bronzer all over my cheek area, then I’ll take a brow gel and comb through my brows to get rid of any concealer/powder on them. Then I take a cream shadow (It’s almost ALWAYS Colourpop Nilionaire. I’m on my second pot of this!! ) and pat it all over my mobile lid, and then blend it with fingers. A quick swipe of mascara. and some lipstick and i’m DONE!!

It sounds like a lot. But it really takes me no time tbh!

Erin Avatar

My average look is:

1. Foundation, currently using MUFE waterblend mixed with Tatcha’s spray applied with fingers
2. Nars RCC if needed; sometimes I mix it with Tata Harpers eye cream
3. Blush; usually NARS, Tarte, Armani or Clinique.
4. Mascara; currently using UD Perversion because I have a sample tube. It adds minutes to the routine though.
5. Eye lids; color wash of something champagne, taupe, or grey
6. Brows; if it’s a light day just a touch of pencil and a spoolie
7. Lips; whatever is appropriate for what I’m doing

if I will be out a while, I’ll powder. If I’m going to be photographed I might highlight and bronze but those extras would put me over.

Hayley Avatar

15 minutes is near impossible for me. Maybe 30 I can do.

If I only have 15 I generally go fresh faced. Id rather be able to do the lot or do nothing.

janine Avatar

Primer,pore blurrer,bb cream, concealer and quick trick for contouring. Tiny bit powder, eye brows, Mac color stick bleached our beige under brows,inner corner of eye below eye and on waterline, cream or powder blush. Sometimes I use that taupe color stick on crease. mascara. Lipgloss and highlighter on face!Leaving home at 300a for 12–14 hrs of work or more!

Simone Avatar

My daily makeup routine for work is NARS tinted moisturizer and creamy concealer. Brow gel (I can’t remember the brand I’m using now. It’s definitely drug store). Anastasia Beverly Hills brow wiz, mascara and MAC blot powder. Usually a matte lip colour by Too Faced or Urban Decay.

Jane Avatar

15 min…so basically every morning before work?!

Start with curling eyelashes, then mascara primer, usually Hard Candy or Smashbox. Then mascara, which is always changing. Today was a combo of Clinique High Impact and Buxom. Eyeliner to tight line and eyes are done.

Then the face. Foundation and concealer are one step for me. I use MAC Mineralize foundation or Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof to conceal cheek/chin/blemish redness, then Studio Fix powder over the whole face as foundation. Then blush- a Mineralize skinfinish or NARS Orgasm. Sometimes I’ll highlight, and sometimes setting powder and/or Fix+ on a need or not basis. Lip balm and done.

If I have more time, I’ll do an eye but more often than not in the AM I am super pressed for time. Damn snooze button.

ShirlJ Avatar

15 mins is, shamefully, my usual workday time allotment for makeup. I do this more often than a more elaborate makeup application. Of all the steps below, the powder foundation and the powder eyeliner save me the most time. I also do eyeshadow/liner before foundation so I don’t have any difficult cleanup. Lots of steps (I didn’t realize that until I wrote it all down), but it goes quickly.

1) Sunscreen (La Roche Posay 60 SPF mixed with a few drops Argan oil)
2) Smashbox primer water, lately been spraying onto a beauty blender to apply)
3) UD minor sin mixed with Laura Mercier caviar stick all over lid; alternately, MAC Rubenesque paint pot all over lid.
4) Bobbi Brown Sable outer 1/3, blended into crease
5) Geurlain Terracotta kohl loose powder (one swipe each eye and tightlined/water lined all day, although I avoid the inner corner, as it migrates a bit inward over the day); may add smudged pencil upper lid liner or black/dark eyeshadow with angled liner brush depending on day. Forgiving types of eyeliner, anyway. Usually leave lower lid bare, other than smudging a bit of the errant kohl powder.
6) Powder foundation. Currently love Canadian brand Amaterasu/Geisha Ink (few ingredients, contains allantoin, subtle glow and “poreless” look according to my daughter), but have heard good things about Jane Iredale.
7) MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural as bronzer
8) Powder blush (lately obsessed with Surratt La Vie En Rose); MIGHT add highlight
9) MAC Fix+. I have mine in a small perfume atomizer cuz I like the fineness of the spray. Again, I sometimes lightly blot this or even apply it with a sponge to avoid the “artifacts” one gets with too much wetness on the foundation. Doesn’t seem to lift the foundation/blush if I use a sponge.
10) Mascara. Whichever one I grab that day. They all take the same amount of time to apply, in my experience.
11) Lip stain
12)Lipstick or gloss.
13) Kiss husband and snicker at his dark red lips! 😉

Aeri Avatar

No foundation, a little concealer around the nose and under the eyes, brow pencil & tinted gel, eye primer, and either a smudgy eye (black liner + shadow crayon and maybe a milk gloss) + a lipstain, OR a wing with liquid lipstick and lots of inner corner/browbone/under the lower lash highlight and a bold or black lip and pale liner on the waterline OR a moondust on the lid (upper and lower) with a dark lip. Lots of face highlight and mascara and filling in my face tattoo with all three, sometimes a cream blush, sometimes not.

Kyra Avatar

Ha! I think I need to practice more of those 15 minute routines because you never know when you will only have 15 minutes to get ready lol (and a vacation sounds so good right about now) lol

Mariella Avatar

Had compliments today on this quick look (first day of exams, so pretty casual).
Guerlain Baby Glow on face and Cargo concealer (I think – I may actually have forgot to put any one, which is alarming), MAC Love Thing on cheeks and an old Milani Touch o’ Sun Powder Mosaic as an all over setting powder (I am getting SO pale that I really benefitted from this step)
Eyes: Stila Nude Shimmer, Stone and Metallic Bronze, along with MAC Cork to define/blend out my crease; Sephora Cappucino pencil liner and Clarins Be Long mascara
Lips: MAC Captive

I liked this a lot and the compliments were the icing on the cake. I need to reach for that Trust in Love palette more often than I do. It’s a really nice assortment of eyeshadows.

Roxi Avatar

Usually I’d be late by this point, but a 15 minute makeup routine would probably feature:
Skincare – sunscreen -> lancome cushion foundation (no time for primers or concealer)
-> one color on lid blended with a 217 (I have a row of veluxe pearl Mac eyeshadows in my z palette for this occasion) -> mascara
-> benefit gimme brow only (on other days I draw out my brows way more than this)
-> Hoola bronzer with a huge round brush on edges of face
-> any luminous blush (no time for highlight)
-> any lipstick
-> urban decay setting spray

Phew, that was stressful!

Bon Bon Avatar

Primer, foundation, full facial highlighter for Dewey look, eye shadow sticks, eye liners, brows, mascara, blush, lip primer, lip color. If I could only get my hair to do something in 15 minutes…

Rachel C. Avatar

My normal work makeup routine takes 10-15mins…sunscreen/moisturizer, MUFE matte primer in the t-zone, NYX micro brow pencil and ABH brow gel, NARS concealer and pressed setting powder, deep navy blue or black eyeliner, mascara, blush (MAC sweet as cocoa or NARS DolceVita), MUFE duo matte powder or L’Oréal infallible powder.

No liquid foundation, eyeshadow, or contour/highlight

I usually rotate my lipstick/ lipgloss and put this on in the car!

Brenda Avatar

IT cosmetics Bye Bye Pores primer
IT cosmetics CC cream
Colourpop brow pencil
Colourpop Sequin on my lower eye lid and bottom lash line
Highlight face with YSL Touché Eclat
BECCA beach tint soufflé in fig & opal or NARS Orgasm Illumintaor for blush
Too Faced Sun Bunny for bronzer
Dusting of Hourglass Dim Light all over
MILK mascara
Jouer Skinny Dip on my ?

Denise Avatar

Yikes 15 minutes? It takes me that long just to creme the face and eyes. But if I was pressed for time, here goes.
1) Hourglass face primer
2) Yves saint laurent face corrector.
3) Foundation Becca/Omoroviciza
4) Eye primer, Tom Ford eyeshadow, Urban Decay & Dior eyeliner
5) Powder,little bronzer, blush and Tom Ford lipstick.
Wella, hope this was just 15 minutes.

Zoe Avatar

15 minutes is how long normally take to do a full face, so here is a 5/10 minute look:

Foundation
Eye Primer
One eyeshadow color, preferably something that blends out nicely so I don’t have to incorporate other shades
Comb a clean spoolie through my brows to remove foundation
Mascara
Pinky-brown blush to use as both blush and contour
Highlighter
MAC skinfinish on cheeks
Lipcolor

Karen J. Avatar

I tend to get stressed with only 15 minutes so I will avoid anything that can go wrong (eyeshadow!) and keep it as simple as possible:
Tinted moisturizer, brow pencil and setting gel, eye pencil on upper and lightly on lower lash line, mascara, powder blush, a little powder on my nose and t-zone, a mlbb lipstick and I’m done.
I also carry a small makeup bag in my purse and I may add/touch up later depending on what I am up to.

Neli Avatar

Just a basic everyday look for a woman of color over fifty with medium tan skin. Evening primose oil and diy eye gel. NYX brow gel, Mac brunette pencil and Gimme Brow. Mac Soft Ochre. Eve Pearl and Fit Me concealers. Mac Bamboo, Brown Script, Brule, and All that Glimmers. theBalm “How ’bout them apples?” Pacific Brown eyeliner or navy, or indigo eyeliner. Bare minerals powder and Blush. it illuminator. Mac Velvet Teddy or Kinda Sexy or Lipstick Queen Natural Sinner.

Anie Avatar

It takes me 15 minutes to get out whatever I plan on using, so your speed impresses me greatly. However, if I am prepped and ready, eyeliner/shadow, foundation, concealer, blush, powder and some form of lip color. I’m pretty slow about the process, which is why I only tend to do so for costuming or special events.

Silvia Avatar

Cera Vé mousterizer always under foundation in the evening or daytime spf (if I’m going running. Slightest bronzer touch all over face and neck, blush! I need blush like blood! Eyeshadow, eyeliner, chapstick under my lips or Vaseline anything to make it applying smooth and due to the sun (running) i get ill take all the moisterizer I can handle on face/lips. I’m very fair and like to keep it simple/natural.

Carole Avatar

Funnily enough that was exactly what I had to do this morning as I pressed the sleep button too many times… After a 1 minute Sarah Chapman face massage with her contraption it was Mac paintpot in Painterly, Laura Geller Balance and Brighten, Bobbi Brown concealer and Longwear Brow gel in Mahogany, a Makeup Forever Taupey shade in the crease, Bobbi Brown cocoa on the outer V, intense pigment liner on the lashline, Delilah black eyeliner in the waterlines, quick coat of mascara, Bobbi Brown pot rouge on my cheeks and lips and a quick dust of bronzer and Hourglass Luminous light powder and I was done, don’t like it though so will have to be more disciplined with the sleep button so I can enjoy my make up during the week

Monica Avatar

Laura Mercier Radiance Primer
Mac orange corrector (under my eyes and around my mouth)
Mac Face & Body foundation
MAC MSF powder lightly in the T-Zone & on my eyelids
Clinique mascara
ABH Brow Wiz
NYX Bronzer used more as a blush
Revlon Mink Lipstick (Great neutral shade, no need for liner or gloss!)

Cathy Avatar

Christine, you can do all of that in 15 minutes? Girl, you are a makeup ninja lol. If I only have 15 minutes, I’ll curl my lashes and throw on some Chanel CC cream, Chanel concealer, a quick floof of Gucci bronzer, and whatever blush and lip gloss I’m in the mood for that day 🙂

Caroline Avatar

primer
under eye concealer
eyelid primer
mascara
quick and simple cheek contour
mascara
quick and easy lipstick

If I have a bit of extra time, I’ll throw on a simple eye shadow look from my UD Naked2 palette!

Silvia Avatar

Spf, Cera Vé moisturizer and light foundation. Eyeshadow, eyeliner , mascara, a light bronzer, blush, lipstick. Light contour and highliter I can skip contour and eyeliner but prefer highliter love the Physians Formula ‘divit all’ 9 little square ones. They go on so beautiful! Magic!

Silvia Avatar

Oh! Forgot eyebrow kit with gel/powder Elf, No. 7, WrtnWikd, Pixie or Milani all great drugstore products. The Elf is my perfect match, Boots No. 7 makes a beautiful kit as well as WetnWild includes these teeny little tweezers great for traveling. . .

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