DO YOU HAVE 5 MINUTES?

One of the things I love about being a Beautycounter consultant is that I get the opportunity to show women how to pull off an easy, polished look in about 5 minutes. Our Flawless in Five bundle has everything you need, and once you learn the “process”, you will become a pro in no time.

“I can’t do makeup!” More often than not, I hear women tell me they “just don’t know how to do makeup”. Maybe they were never taught or maybe they had no interest in learning and then felt like they missed their window of opportunity. I’m here to tell you that you are never too old to learn a few new tricks!

This grouping of 6 safer, high performing products is all you need for an unfussy, natural look that enhances your own beauty without looking “too made up”. It is a great starting point for everyone. Then depending on the look you are trying to achieve, and your comfort level, you can take it a step further with eye makeup, bronzer or highlighter, and lipstick. But it all starts with this basic foundation. The best part is, you can trust that the ingredients used in these products are some of the highest quality on the market in terms of safety and efficacy. And don’t think you have to give up performance because you are using safer products. I am a super picky makeup aficionado and I’d put these up against any of the premium brands you’d find in the department store beauty section but without the hormone disruptors and other icky chemicals you find in some of the other brands.

WHAT DO I NEED TO DO

If you are working with a consultant, she will help you choose the colors that will complement your skin the best. The first thing you need to do is get matched for a foundation. The place to test is the side of your face, just above your jaw. Put a small amount of tint skin foundation on your skin and blend in. It should blend in seamlessly with your skin. Once you know your foundation color, you can go to the Beautycounter website and personalize your Flawless in Five. You can do that HERE. The website (or your consultant) will walk you through each product and suggest a color for you or you can choose your own.

Once you get your products, it’s time to PRACTICE!!! Makeup should be fun and once you get in a routine and you get the hang of it, you will learn that it really only takes about 5 minutes to get the soft look you are looking for.

IS THIS ALL I NEED?

The Flawless in Five is a starting point but you can add to it as you see fit. Here is my basic routine and I call it a “Flawless in Five with Add-ons”. (My add on’s are mattifying powder, bronzer, eyeshadow and lipstick.)

Step by Step
1. On a clean face, start with your tint skin foundation. Spread it all over your face and then use a Beauty Blender or some kind of blending sponge to blend in your foundation. These sponges are best used damp and you should press in, not pull off.

2. Next, use your concealer. Click until you see the product come to the tip and using the brush end, draw a line from your inner eye down the side of your nose, about mid nose. Draw a line immediately under your eye, and lines extending out from that line. Also put a bit of concealer on your lid. This will serve as a good eye shadow base if you choose to use that next. Crudely blend in with your ring fingers, getting it as close to the lower lash line as possible. Finish blending with blending sponge.

3. Once foundation and concealer is set, dust a bit of translucent mattifying powder. This will set your makeup and keep it lasting all day. Now that your foundation is set, you are ready for color.

4. I like to use a bit of bronzer as a first step on the cheeks. This isn’t part of the flawless in five, but it can make a big impact so I do it. I need all the impact I can get. Press a bronzer brush into the bronzer and then press on cheek bone. Extend this color out toward your temples. You can also add bronzer to the very top of your forehead by your hairline and slightly along your jawline. *see attached you tube video for exactly where I like to put it

5. It’s now blush time. Gently press your blush brush into your blush and tap off excess. Look in the mirror and smile! While smiling, apply blush by pressing the blush brush onto the apples of your cheeks. This puts it in the right spot, AND you get to smile at yourself! Gently blend outward.

THE EYES HAVE IT

6. Now it’s time to address the eyes. You will use your eyebrow pencil to fill in the brows. As I’ve said before, there is a big difference between NOT filling in your brows, doing it correctly, and adding in too much brow. We want nice brows to frame our face but we don’t want to look like Frida Khalo. Follow your natural brow line and fill in with small quick strokes where you are sparce. You want to look natural, not creepy.

Um, too much. Easy on that brow pencil, sister.

Not enough brow. Looks like something is missing.

7. Once you’ve filled in your brows, you have the option of stopping here or going to door number two which is eyeshadow. I like playing with color so I always opt for the eyeshadow. Once again, it’s up to your comfort level, but if it’s technique that’s holding you back, don’t be afraid. There are some easy things you can do to create a lovely look on your eyes. I start with a soft neutral all over my eye. Something soft like an eggshell. I love using the Ultimate Nudes palette because all the colors work well on a variety of skin types. You can stop there and you will have a nice finished look. If you would like to create some depth in your eye, put a bit of soft brown on a brush and dab the outer corner of your eye and sweep up into your crease. This will give you a nice soft look with depth. You can finish with an eyeliner in your upper lash line. Either use your favorite eye liner, or you can dip a liner brush in a bit of water and then in a dark color and use that across the lash line. This creates the illusion of a thicker lash line and who doesn’t want that! Finish with a few strokes of volumizing or lengthening mascara. I like the volumizing.
(For a video on eyes only, check THIS out.)

8. Finish with your favorite lipstick and/or gloss. The flawless in five comes with a gloss, but I like to use a color intense lipstick first and then finish with a gloss. Do what you like and what makes you feel good!! There are no right or wrong answers.

When you are done, you can evaluate if you need more blush (or you have too much and need to soften it up). These are the steps and after you get the hang of it, your friends are going to start asking YOU to do their makeup!!