Put on makeup in 7 minutes flat

9/22/10

Put on makeup in 7 minutes flat

A makeup-artist mom shares her secrets for getting ready to face the world in less than 10 minutes

On weekday mornings you'll find Toronto-based makeup
artist Alice Kilpatrick in her kitchen, rushing to get her kids dressed
and ready for school before she heads to work herself. As Hayley, 9, and
Mitchell, 4 "and three quarters!" enjoy poached eggs on English
muffins, Alice races to pull her clothes together and put on a quick
face. She works with models and celebrities, so she wants to look great,
despite the daily time crunch. "I never skip my skin-care ritual,
though, no matter what," says Alice, 44. Once she has cleansed, then
prepped her skin with moisturizer (with SPF) and eye cream, she zips
through her tried-and-true beauty routine, in under 10 minutes.

The upside to having to put on her makeup in the kitchen,
says Alice, is the bright natural light that streams in through the
large window. "The kids watch me and ask, 'Mommy, why are you putting on
makeup?'" she says. "I tell them, 'Because Mommy feels better when she
wears it.'"

Alice's morning makeup routine
1. Tap then blend cream concealer over dark under-eye circles, on the top inner corner of eyelids, around the base of the nose and over any other red areas.

2. Dust on loose powder with a large brush to set concealer and even out the rest of the complexion.

3. Curl eyelashes and apply two coats of black mascara.
"I never leave the house without curling my lashes," says Alice. "I've
been doing it since I was 16. It opens up the eyes and makes you look
awake."

4. Line the outer corners of the upper and lower lash lines with black, brown or burgundy eye pencil.
"This is a new step," says Alice. "As I get older, I find that I want
to wear a bit more makeup to define my features better."

5. Sweep powder blush onto the apples of the cheeks. "I like rosy tones that mimic a natural flush," she says.

6. Dab tinted balm on the lips. Alice advises finishing with sheer, neutral lip gloss or lipstick,
particularly on days when you're so tired that you think oversize
sunglasses and a baseball cap could be your best friends. "Your first
instinct might be to reach for a bright lip colour," she says. "But when
your skin is fighting your makeup, bold lips can look harsh." Opt
instead for a rosy or peachy shade.

Night moves
"If
I'm going out for the evening, I'll wear concealer, Lancôme Color ID
liquid foundation in II-30 and Cargo Loose Powder in 03," says Alice.
"I've tried some of the eye-makeup techniques that I use on models, but
I've discovered that on me, simpler is better." To give her eyes evening
impact, Alice uses an old Hollywood trick she picked up from actress
Gena Rowlands: "I apply a dark, smudgeproof eye pencil along the inner
rim under the top lashes," says Alice. "My eyes look bright, open and
defined without obvious eyeliner." She also adds lip liner to her
lineup, using it to fill in her lips before applying lipstick or gloss.
"As a base, it helps the colour stay on longer."