There are some ladies who experiment with new lipstick shades and eyeliner techniques on the regs. (Bless them.) For the rest of us mere mortals it takes Herculean effort to pull ourselves together every morning. Here are our seven favorite products that always get the job done quickly and well.
AN EXFOLIATING FACE WASH
This twist-up stick is as travel-friendly as it is multitasking on your skin. It has natural oils and crushed green tea leaves to gently remove your makeup (and slough off excess dead cells at the same time). All you need to do is add water to activate it.
Neogen ($22)
A TINTED MOISTURIZER
While tinted moisturizers have been around for a while, they’ve gotten some massive upgrades in recent years. Namely, they now boast skin-care ingredients like glycerin (which hydrates dry skin) and SPF — so you can cover all the bases in one step.
Bare Minerals ($30)
A CREAM BLUSH
For starters, you don’t need anything but your fingertips to put it on. Then, there’s the added bonus that it looks equally good on your cheeks as it does on your lips and even your lids.
Stila ($25)
A CHUBBY EYE SHADOW CRAYON
We call it the sweep and smudge—or the ten-second smoky eye. All you have to do is sweep a generous layer of shadow onto your lid and smudge it out with a fluffy brush (or your finger) to get instant gratification.
Clinique ($17)
A WATERPROOF MASCARA
No time for a separate brow pencil? Work your mascara through your lashes, and then use any remaining product to beef up your brows. (Yes, really.) The waterproof formula will keep everything in place all day.
Arrow ($20)
A TINTED BASE COAT
Listen, we love a good, thorough at-home mani, but sometimes you just need to make your nails look presentable before a last-minute meeting at work. A tinted base coat does just that—no professional painting skills required.
Zoya ($10)
A (DAMN GOOD) DRY SHAMPOO
Would it be excessive to say that dry shampoo is the best product of all time? We’ve tried them all. (Heck, we’ve even made our own.) And they just keep getting better. Case in point: this dry shampoo foam that sops up a day’s worth of grease without leaving the slightest bit of residue behind. Cue angelic harmonies.
Ouai ($28)
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