variety of makeupAs in most homes with young children, mornings are hectic in my house.  With three boys to dress, breakfast,  and clean up, I hardly have time to get myself ready. Five years of being a mommy on the go have taught me how to get my makeup ready in 3 minutes. No, seriously, you can do your makeup in 3 minutes in the morning and feel like a million bucks. Here is how:

Step 1

Get a good concealer that goes on smoothly and blends easily. Long wear and crease-proof is a must. My favorite is NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer. Always looks natural and makes me look refreshed after those long nights with a new baby. After prepping your face with moisturizer, apply a few dots around the bottom of the eyes and on the top of your eyelids. Blend in well with your ring finger so you do not damage the eye tissue.

Step 2

To save time, use a foundation that sets as powder or a light-weight two-in-one powder foundation. You can even find ones that include SPF so you can skip the extra step in the morning. Apply evenly on face and neck. I love using Chanel Vitalumière Aqua which is very lightweight and lasts all day. Plus it’s compact size makes it easy to carry in your purse for touch-ups.

Step 3

I usually need a little bronzer after my powder foundation. The trick with bronzer is that you CANNOT apply it all over the face. You should also only go two shades darker than your natural color. For moms who don’t like bronzer skip to Step 4. Once you have your bronzer shade, use an angle brush and accentuate the outside areas of your face where the sun would naturally hit. Around your cheekbones, jawline and little in the forehead and temples. By highlighting areas of your face, you create depth and dimension. I use MAC Bronzing Powder which is relatively inexpensive compared to other department store makeup brands. This video is a great tutorial on how to create dimension in the face with the MAC bronzer.

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Step 4

For the moms that do not use bronzer, you want to use a blush to accentuate the apples of your cheeks. For the moms that apply bronzer, I would recommend a shimmer. I use Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick Compact in Bronze. With the same angle brush you used for the bronzer, mix all of the color in the palette or blush. Then stroke lightly from the apple of your cheek towards the top of the cheekbone. The bonus with this Bobbi Brown Shimmer is that you can use the individual colors in the palette as eyeshadows as well.

Step 5

Now that the face is finished, we want to accentuate the eyes with some vanilla eyeshadow and mascara. First, cover the concealer you applied in your eyes from the crest to the brow bone with vanilla eyeshadow. I personally love doing this because it looks very natural. Follow with your favorite mascara. Remember to apply mascara to both top and bottom lashes. To elongate and thicken my lashes, I get great results with CoverGirl mascaras. You can find them at any drug store.

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Step 6

Lipstick, the finishing touch! Get a shade that matches your complexion. I love pinks for winter and copper-based lipsticks for summer when I’m tanned. If you are feeling extra bold, pair your bronzed look this summer with red lipstick. It looks great together!

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Its always a good idea to get some me time (if ever possible) and explore the makeup counters/aisles at stores. I encourage you to try different brands and see what suits you best. All of the suggestions above are things that work really well for me. The makeup artist at departments stores have always been extremely helpful at finding things that work for me and have taught me many things throughout the years. Plus who doesn’t love a free makeover!

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Melanie GIgante headshot

Melanie Gigante is the owner of Mommybites Boston, a community connecting parents with other parents, experts and parenting resources. When Melanie is not juggling the challenges of working from home and raising her three boys and only girl, a Tiny Toy Poodle, she can be found at the gym working off her baby weight, practicing yoga or finding the best shopping deals. She loves fashion, beauty, learning from different cultures and anything French. Every now and then, she gets to escape the New England weather and enjoy the beaches of her home country, Puerto Rico.

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