Makeup flagging? Fret not - it happens to the Queen too. Revive your makeup with these lightening speed tips and tricks
When HRH Queen Elizabeth was spotted topping up her lippie at last month’s Commonwealth Games opening ceremony, public grooming (within reason) was validated across the kingdom. We’re not talking pedicures on your commute, but those little touch ups and oh so simple updates that save face when the work loos or back of the bus need to serve as your dressing room. You want fast-working, piece of cake products that don’t weigh down either your visage or your handbag, and you want them now. Techniques a toddler could pull off make the whole beauty in the back seat of a cab thing a lot easier to pull off too. Put my makeup CPR tips into action and never risk looking like the undead at after-work drinks again.
C: Canvas
As always, mastering the basics is the key to feigning a fresh face after a day-long date with your computer screen. You’ll want to mop up oil, bring down redness and disguise any blemishes or pores that have so considerately grown in size since 7am. Enter the smartest face base in the class - Mai Couture makeup booklets , from £12.50. These blush, foundation, bronzer and highlighter-infused individual papers make light work of airbrushing out imperfections and adding pizazz to pallid, tired complexions.
Each leaf is paraben-free and talc-free and contains just the right amount of product to give you a lovely veil of colour - not too heavy, not too feeble and a doddle to apply. Simply press the sheets onto the skin wherever you need to conceal or highlight, depending on which sheets you’re using (blusher on the T-zone might not work), and you’ll look instantly more glowing and less blah. Apply bronzer over the cheeks and temples in a sweeping motion, dab foundation onto the chin and around the nose and blot blusher onto the apples of the cheeks - it’s pretty much paint by numbers (there’s a handy guide in the booklet if you’re stuck as to where and how to apply).
For more coverage or stubborn spots have a whip round with Bobbi Brown Face Touch-Up Stick , £20, and lighten up dark shadows with beauty’s original magic wand, Touche Éclat , £25.
P: Primp
To revive your game face, add a few extras. Makeup Artist Charlotte Tilbury knows a thing or two about creating ravishing beauty looks in very little time, so stash her Filmstar On The Go Palette , £42, in Rebel Without a Cause, in your handbag. Get finger painting with the hot pink gloss (daub on cheeks for a cherubic, dewy effect) and buff the gold eyeshadow across the cheekbones and browbone to create definition and add a youthful, supermodel-esque sheen. Add a touch of gold to the inner eye too to make eyes appear bigger and brighter and dot a tiny smidge onto the cupid’s bow to create the illusion of fuller lips à la Brigitte Bardot. It’s essentially Facelift On The Go for those that feel more grey than ‘wahey’ come end of play, and the mirror within is neat and nifty.
If eyes are mole-ish and bloodshot, Boots Sparkling Eye Drops , £3.79, are your friend. One drop in each eye mimics many more hours sleep than you actually got. If your eyes are still the windows to your fatigue, sweep a purple toned shadow over the eye socket to counteract redness and make eyes look well rested. Clinique Chubby Stick Shadow Tint for Eyes in Lavish Lilac, £17, will come to rescue and essentially applies itself.
As for conjuring doe-eyed evening drama, you can’t beat a classic flick of eyeliner. If you’re already wearing liner and it’s all gone south, correct smudges with bareMinerals On The Spot Eye Makeup Remover Swabs , £4, before tracing along the lashline and spotting between lashes with the Écriture de Chanel in Noir , £26. It’s the luxe eyeliner equivalent of a felt tip - just don’t mix it up with the office stationery. Expensive mistake. Talking of Chanel...
R: Red Lip
Bright red lips were Coco’s signature look, and given that she viewed beauty as her “weapon”, I suggest that you join ranks with Gabrielle Chanel herself and arm yourself with a classic red lipstick. Swiping on a bold scarlet hue straight from the bullet takes seconds (don’t attempt it on a moving vehicle) and a flash of red will resuscitate early morning makeup. The right red erases tiredness, adds instant ladylike polish and allows you to get away with a whole host of lackadaisical beauty behaviour. Condition lips with a balm before applying Guerlain Rouge G lipstick , £31.50. Rich, highly pigmented and weighty enough to serve as an actual weapon should your night out require it, choose a red that flatters your skin tone and be gone with you (just don’t forget to blot).
What are your quick makeup fixes? Do you ever do your makeup in public? Comment below or tweet me @AnnaMaryHunter