Take a moment and do an inventory of your makeup stash. What's in it? If you're like us, you'll find a mix of your trusty go-tos (read: whittled-down eyeliner) and still-in-the-wrapper impulse buys (we're looking at you, blue lipstick). It's a fact: Some products you use like there's no tomorrow and some you're still saving for that inevitable "experimental phase" or YouTube tutorial you've had bookmarked for months.We're going to be bad beauty editors for a second and let you in on a secret: You don't need all these products. In fact, you can create just as many looks with five essentials as you can 20. To start, look for buys that are inherently versatile and have strong color payoff, so you can either amp up or tone down your makeup depending on the scenario (and how hard you want to slay). Here, makeup artist Brit Cochran used a COVERGIRL eyeshadow palette, mascara, dual-ended eyeliner, blush, and lip balm that all have a rich finish and feel (minus the high price tag) to create five distinctly different looks. Click on to see her makeup magic ahead, then give yourself permission to ditch that rainbow lipstick.
Wing It
There are days when you feel like matching your makeup to your #mood. So if you're feeling particularly sassy (insert hair flip emoji here), this two-toned, winged cat-eye fits the bill.
Start by applying a pinky-nude shadow all over your lids. Next, using a small eyeshadow brush, blend a deep-purple shadow onto the outer corner of each eye. Drag this same shadow out at the outer corners, lining it up with the tail end of your brows, and continue to fill in the shape of a thick cat-eye. Don't worry if it doesn't look perfect. The shape can be as smoked out or precise as you'd like. Line your lower lashlines in brown eyeliner. Then, add multiple coats of mascara for lifted, voluminous lashes. The new Plumpify blastPRO By LashBlast Mascara we used is a solid pick for your newly streamlined kit because the XL, spiral-shaped brush really grabs every lash in one go. (And time-saving products are hero products in our book.)
Hot Flush
We often apply blush as an afterthought before running out the door. A dab to the cheeks and bam — we look like we slept more than six hours. But here, we let blush take center stage, and even brought it beyond the cheeks up to the temples, for a fresh, modern look. The result: all those positive effects, only tenfold.
To start, add subtle color to the eyes. Cochran suggests blending the pink and purple shades from the eyeshadow palette all over your eyelids. (Get matchy-matchy with your blush for maximum impact.) Next, subtly define your eyes with brown liner, dotting at the base of your upper lashes to fill in any gaps in your lashlines. Apply the same liner to your lower lashlines, and sweep on a light coat of mascara. Then, with a large fluffy brush, generously apply pink blush on your apples and up your cheekbones; forget blending in order to keep the look bold. Use the same brush to swirl the product over your temples (think contouring, only 1000 times easier). Complete your look with just a swipe of lip balm.
Pink Lady
Any makeup routine that's quick but also helps us look pulled together in the morning is a godsend in our book. (Bonus points if it allows us to hit snooze a few more times.) To get out the door fast, keep things simple by picking one feature to accentuate.
After prepping your skin, sweep a mauve or rosy shadow all over your eyelids. Next, use brown liner to line the outer corners of both your upper and lower lashlines, connecting the two lines at a point. Sweep pink blush over the apples of your cheeks. Then, apply a few coats of a pink tinted lip balm, like Colorlicious Oh Sugar! Vitamin Infused Balm in Soda. For a final eye-catching accent, use your finger to dab a tiny bit of shimmery pink shadow to your Cupid's bow. The highlight will catch the light and, more than likely, a few compliments.
Mod Squad
For those days when you're feeling a bit gutsy with your makeup, you don't need a crazy rainbow of colors to experiment — just one eyeliner and some mad connect-the-dots skills. Prep your lids all over with a neutral base shadow. Next, trace along each bottom lashline with black eyeliner. (Or use a brown liner if you're going for a softer look. We opted for a dual-ended liner, so we could change it up depending on the occasion.) Line each upper lashline, extending the liner out and slightly up from the outer corner of your eye for a subtle cat-eye.
Now if steady hands aren't your strong suit, Cochran suggests mapping out three points before drawing the floating arc of liner in the crease of each eye — one just above the inner corner, another directly above the center of your crease, and a third that lines up with your cat-eye. Carefully connect the three points, going back over the line more firmly once it's sketched out. Finally, we faked some lengthy lower lashes by drawing in three tiny lines at the outer corners of the eyes; mascara, blush, and a dab of lip balm finish off the look.
Smoke Show
No matter what your approach to makeup — whether you're a minimalista or a go-all-out kind of gal — you'll want a range of shadow shades in your arsenal to create a host of day and night looks. The most streamlined way to do this is with a palette, so you have a spectrum of matte and shimmery, dark and light shades to work with.
For this nighttime smoky eye, we used the truNaked Eyeshadow Palette in Roses to apply a deep eggplant shade over the outer two-thirds of each eyelid. (You can blend and buff the color with your brush depending on how pigmented you want it to be.) Then, using an angled brush, drag the same shade along your lower lashline. Fill in the inner third of your eye with a lighter, shimmery color for highlight. For contrast, rim all around the eye with black eyeliner and apply multiple coats of mascara. Keep the rest of your makeup subdued with just a sweep of blush beneath your cheekbones and a touch of lip balm applied with your fingers for a sheer look.
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