A 10-Minute Everyday Makeup Routine That Actually Fits Real Life

Every makeup artist’s open secret: makeup looks good on moisturized skin and cakey on dry skin. Start with moisturizer and sunscreen, and give them two minutes to settle before anything else goes on. If you skip everything else in this routine on a rushed morning, keep the sunscreen — it’s the only step that’s doing long-term work.

One: a tinted moisturizer or light foundation, applied only where you need evening-out — most faces need it in the center, not everywhere. Two: concealer, patted (not rubbed) under eyes and on spots, a shade that disappears at your jawline. Three: cream blush on the apples of the cheeks, blended up — cream formulas forgive beginners. Four: mascara, one coat, wiggle at the roots. Five: a tinted lip balm or a lipstick blotted down to a stain. That’s the whole face. Powder only where you get shiny, if you get shiny.

Thin layers outlast thick ones. Set just the T-zone with a light dusting of powder if you’re oily, blot rather than re-powder at midday, and keep the lip product in your bag for the only touch-up that really matters. And match your foundation in daylight before buying — store lighting lies, and your jawline in a car mirror never does.