💄 5-Minute Everyday Makeup Routine for Beginners

You have five minutes before you leave, and a full face of makeup feels like a lot. So you skip it, or rush it and end up with streaky foundation by noon.

Here is a five-step routine with the order, the timing and what a good result looks like at each step.

The order matters more than the products

The AAD, the big US dermatology group, lists the order as cleanse, treat, moisturize, sunscreen, then makeup. Sunscreen always goes on after your other skin care and under your makeup.

Get the order right and five minutes is plenty. Get it wrong and everything slides around.

The five-minute routine

1. Minute one: moisturize damp skin. Wash, pat your face lightly, then smooth on a thin layer while your skin is still a little damp. Good sign: skin feels soft, not slick. Warning sign: a shiny film that stays wet. Use less next time.
2. Minute two: sunscreen. Broad spectrum, SPF 30 or higher. Spread it to your hairline, jaw and ears. Good sign: it has stopped feeling tacky. Warning sign: it balls up when you touch it, so wait longer before the next layer.
3. Minute three: cushion or skin tint. Press, don't swipe. Start in the center of your face where redness lives and tap outward. Good sign: you can still see freckles and a little texture. Warning sign: a visible line at the jaw. Tap the edge with a clean puff.
4. Minute four: curl, then mascara. Curl bare lashes first, because curling over mascara can bend or pull them. Wiggle the wand at the roots, then pull it up and out. Good sign: lashes separate. Warning sign: clumps, so one coat is enough.
5. Minute five: one tint, two places. Dab lip tint on your lips, then tap a little onto your cheeks with a fingertip and blend. Good sign: a just-pinched flush. Warning sign: a hard stripe, which means too much. Blend it out fast.

Cameras love skin that looks like skin, babe!

Hidden tips

• Damp skin drinks more. The AAD says moisturizer works best on damp skin, because it locks that water in. It also makes the base layer sit right.
• Your foundation's SPF is not your sunscreen. Dermatologists say nobody wears foundation thick enough to match the number printed on the tube. Wear sunscreen underneath anyway.
• Never add water to dried-out mascara. The FDA warns that water, or worse, saliva, brings in bacteria. If it's dry, toss it.

In my kit, one tint does lips and cheeks on almost every client. Fewer products, fewer decisions.

Keep it clean

• Mascara makers usually suggest throwing it out two to four months after you buy it, says the FDA.
• Don't share eye makeup. You may be sharing an infection.
• Wash your puff or sponge often, since it touches your face every day.

Save this: five-minute makeup cheat sheet

After a few mornings you'll do this without thinking. You've got this!