It is no secret that I don't have much time to get ready each morning. I even went so far as naming this blog 15 Minute Beauty, when really, I would prefer a much more leisurely 2 hours (and really, only 2 hours because there would be frequently reading breaks and lots of hair and face masks). I'm all for anything that can speed the entire process up for me, and if that includes someone helping me decide which makeup to apply based upon how much time I have to get ready, then that is great!
Clarins is featuring their 5, 10, and 15 Minute makeup routines. You start with just a few products and then add additional steps/swap out a few products depending upon how much time you have. Here's how I used each of their suggested products!
5 Minutes
• Skin Illusion Natural Radiance Light Reflecting Foundation SPF 10: This is very light coverage, just enough to get rid of major skin imperfections, but lets my skin show through. It blends easily with my fingertips.
• Multi-Blush Cream Blush: This product is my new favorite from Clarins! It has a light creamy texture, and while less pigmented than other cream blushes that I've used in the past, it builds easily, blends for a very pretty flush and I also used it on my lips.
• Be Long Mascara: The brush on this mascara is wonderful! It is a molded plastic and smaller than many other mascara brushes, so it gets super close to the base of my lashes and helps pull apart lashes so they don't get spidery.
• Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector: This has long been one of my favorite lip balms! There's a little bit of tint and shimmer just to keep it from being too boring.
The 5 minute look was actually even faster than 5 minutes. I applied the foundation with my fingertips to the center of my face and on to my eye lids (pesky visible blood vessels!) I didn't have to do much blending, but a quick buffing with a brush. I applied the cream blush to my cheek bones and then on to my lips for a little added color. After curling my eye lashes I used the mascara and applied a bit of Lip Perfector and I was done!
10 Minutes
For this look, I kept the blush, mascara and lippie, but added a few extra steps.
• Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch: This is a light pink (but goes on translucent) smoothing primer to help blur skin imperfections. I thought it was a great product and will be trialling it out for a further review
• Extra-Firming Foundation SPF 15: A light to medium coverage
• Instant Concealer: Medium coverage concealer, this product is really easy to blend perfectly and I found that it covered up my annoying undereye blood vessel without being cakey.
• Crayon Khôl Eye Pencil: This pencil is that perfect blend of hard enough to not be smushed but soft enough that it easily applies and smudges to look good, but then sets up to stay put all day long. I love that instead of having the more traditional smudging sponge on the other end of the pencil, it actually has a very good smudge brush!
• Ombre Matte Eyeshadow Cream to Powder Smoothing & Long-Lasting: Clarins sent me Nude Beige and it was a great, very neutral base color for my lids. I've tried applying it with a fingertip and with a brush, and both do work. It is a powdery-cream and after application it just looks like a regular powder shadow. I found that it was very easy to blend as well. There are currently 5 shades and I'll be picking up a few others to try out as well, I am really impressed with this shadow!
While there are quite a few products in the 10 minute look, again it didn't take me that long (I timed myself at about 8 1/2 minutes). First I applied the Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch to the center of my face with a fingertip, smoothing it around over my pores and under my eyes. I blended it a bit with a BeautyBlender, then touched up my undereye circles with the Concealer. I also applied the concealer over my lids, helping to conceal my visible blood vessels. Next I patted a little of the blush on my cheeks and onto my lips, which I then added the lip perfector over.
For my eyes I applied the shadow all over with a fingertip. I used the liner just directly in my lash line, a very thin line. I also used the brush end of the liner to smudge it slightly. Finally I curled my lashes and applied mascara.
This look is still pretty natural, the main differences (which aren't as apparent in this picture as it was in person) was the liner and the concealer. They made me look a bit more pulled together than in the 5 minute, more natural look.
15 Minutes
• Everlasting Foundation+ SPF 15: This was the fullest coverage of the 3 foundations, so it did take a little bit more time to blend, but it wasn't more than about 2 minutes.
• 3-Dot Liner: I haven't tried a 3 way liner like this before, but I just used it like a regular felt tip liquid liner. It is nicely pigmented.
• Rouge Eclat Lipstick Satin Finish, Age-Defying Lipstick: They sent me a red color, which was really pretty, but applying a perfect red lippie probably takes me 15 minutes alone!
Here, I applied the makeup the same way as in the 10 minute look, but with a few differences. First, because this is more coverage, the foundation did take longer to get just right.
The next major difference was the liner. I once again applied the liner pencil to my lash line, because I like to have liner really in my lash line, and I have a hard time getting liquid liner down between the lashes. It's just easier to use a pencil liner there as usual, and then apply the liquid over the top. I applied a nice line of the liquid, it is thicker at the outer corner but I didn't do a cat eye because that would take me much too long!
Finally, my lips here are different! Because Clarins sent me a lipstick I applied that, but red can take a very long time to get just right. So, I used it as a stain! I applied it as a lipstick quickly, I didn't worry about making it perfect. I then blotted with a tissue and applied the lip perfector over the top.
The final difference between the 10 and 15 Minute looks was my eye brows, which Clarins didn't include in their quick looks, but I always find to make a big difference in how pulled together my look is. I used the Clarins Kit Sourcils Pro Perfect Eyes & Brows Palette, which only took a minute or two but made a big difference.
Contest! Enter to win a Clarin Lip Perfector! This contest is open to those in the US only, and over 18 years of age. To enter, please head over to Check out the 5, 10, 15 Minute Looks at Clarins and let me know (in this widget) which product you're most excited to check out! Only entries in the widget will be eligible to win. Good luck!
Check out the 5, 10, 15 Minute Looks at Clarins
Did you use a setting powder for any of these makeup routines? If I don't set my t-zone after applying foundation, it'll look pretty bad by the end of the day. Also, your link in the widget doesn't seem to be working for me, but the Clarins Lip Perfectors sound really nice! I've heard good things. I'd especially like to try out the red one.
ReplyDeleteThey didn't include powder in the routines, but I added one in my t-zone. Try refreshing your browser, the widget is working fine for me in Chrome.
ReplyDeleteI would ike to try the extra-firming foundation
ReplyDeleteI just can't get the timing down for a 5 minutes look. By the time I get my anti aging creams. eye firming cream, moisturizer, and primers on it's already at the 5 minutes mark. The fastest I can get all this done is 15 minutes and that is with skipping the eye liner and just a sweep of a single color of shadow. Heck, I can spend 15 minutes just doing my eyes some days. What takes me the longest still is the eyebrows. Mine are sparse and thin and to fill them in and get the right shape and make them both even is a challenge. It doesn't help that one is considerably higher on my face than the other so I try to make them even with the eye pencils and shadows. Your looks are great. The 5 minute look looks like you don't have any makeup on, but the other two looks are much more finished.
ReplyDeleteThere didn't seem to be a space in the widget to type anything, but I'm most interested in the cream blush or the lip perfector!
ReplyDeleteI've been wanting to try the Instant Light Lip Perfector for a long time!
ReplyDeleteI also can't find in the widget where to write what I'd like to try. But I think the 3-dot eyeliner would be interesting to try. Or the concealer, since I'm always on the look out for a good one.
ReplyDeleteI have several Clarins skincare products that have been long time favorites but I've not tried any of their color products. The lip perfector looks like it would be great for summer!
ReplyDelete