Everyday Baby Steps

Did you see The Today Show this morning? I always have it on in the background as the kids are getting ready for school, and I'm having my coffee. I don't, however, always get to catch all of the segments. If you're a mom, you know what the morning routine can be like, I'm sure! But I did catch this segment featuring makeup artist, Bobbi Brown, talking about the 5 beauty essentials all women should have in their aresenal. I was so impressed because she even demonstrated their application in less than five minutes. Take a look.

Okay, so Bobbi's a pro and we're not, but her tips can still give you a good idea of how you can look polished without spending a lot of time or money on your makeup routine. Here's a recap of her top 5 must-haves.

Moisturizer

Bobbi Brown uses a 3-in-1 product here, a tinted moisturizer with SPF. I recently reviewed a great tinted moisturizer with an SPF of 30 from Juice Beauty. This type of product is fabulous because it allows you to skip the step of applying moisturizer before foundation, and you get natural coverage all in one.

Concealer

Bobbi uses a 2-in-1 concealer with powder. Are you seeing a theme here? Anything to save time is good for busy moms; that's for sure. In fact, all modern women will probably want to consider double-duty products. Bobbi applies the concealer first and uses it as a primer on the eye lids. Great tip. She says she always starts with concealer because, after applying concealer, you may find you don't need much else.

2 in 1 Rouge for Lips/Cheeks

In the segment, you see Bobbi apply a pot rouge for both cheeks and lips. I love this kind of product! (As a matter of fact, I'll be reviewing a fabulous Any Wear Cream from Mommy Makeup real soon.) It's so easy to just sweep it on the apples of your cheeks, blend, then swipe some on your lips. I'm so loving multipurpose makeup!

Eye Liner

A pencil liner is used in this segment because Brown says it's the quickest. I agree, and I love that she used green. So many of us stick with a basic brown. Play with different colors to see how it can bring out your beautiful eyes. Did you see how Bobbi drew a thick, smudged line? Easy and dramatic.

Mascara

Here's where I disagree with Bobbi Brown. Again, I'm no expert, but she says to use a very black mascara. I'm a redhead, and I say, "yuck!" for my fair lashes. I have tried so many mascaras over the years, and I know how hard it can be for us redheads to find a natural looking mascara. I do have the solution coming up on my blog from Just For Redheads makeup. For now, just know that mascara is an important step, and the key is to find one that goes on flawlessly without smudging and clumping.

So what do you think about these tips for quick makeup application? Do you have any tips of your own? I'd so love to hear them!