Buffing and blending is a perfectly laudable goal for those who have several minutes to linger in front of their vanity with three different makeup brushes in-hand. For the rest of us time-starved mortals, we need compact convenience. Hard Candy CC Tinted Moisturizing Stick glides on quickly and takes care of coverage, brightening and redness-reducing all at once. (And don't be fooled by the low price tag, this stuff will stay on all day and won't leave your skin chalky like some drugstore foundation sticks.)
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No More Tapping
BareMinerals powder formulas are as close to Holy Grail products as you can get, but tapping the powder into the lid and swirling a makeup brush to get the perfect amount can cause a major mess. (Raise your hand if you've ever ended up with powder all over your black dress minutes before you have to head out the door.) Enter the brand's Flow Thru Mineral Veil Component. This limited edition product includes a built-in flow-through brush. No. More. Tapping. Loose powder you can apply on the way to the car -- that's what we like to call multi-tasking.
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Pencils Are Your New Best Friend
Contouring is not an easy process to begin with. (Let's all take a minute to remind ourselves that Kim Kardashian has professional makeup artists at arm's reach.) Tarte The Sculptor Contouring Face Slenderizer cuts down on some of the steps. Simply use the pencil to draw a line down your nose and along your cheekbones, blend with your fingers and you're ready to go. Take that, Kim K.
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Mess-Free Moisturizer
When 3 P.M. rolls around, my skin is often left feeling ultra tight and dry. And since I don't feel like keeping a humidifier at my desk, I've taken to Kari Gran Hydrating Tonic. This spray-on pick-me-up moisturizes skin, acts as a finishing spray and comes in lovely rose and lavender scents. Plus, you don't have to worry about rubbing in a moisturizer that smears your makeup.
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Avoid a Messy Mouth
Lipstick on the teeth is one thing, but red lipstick drawn outside of the lines is even worse. If you're applying makeup on-the-go (or simply don't have time to deal with that lip liner nonsense), swap out your brighter colored lipsticks for Wei East Lip Sensation Daily Wear. The lipstick goes on clear but warms to your skin chemistry to create a natural color that only shows up on your lips. The best part -- the 12-hour formula means no more re-applying. One less item to shove into your tiny clutch.
No matter what time I wake up in the morning, I'm running late. Maybe it's because I insist on scrambling eggs every morning, or am trying to fit in a few phone calls before I head out the door that I always run out of time to do my makeup. Fast-forward to me digging through my makeup bag and applying eyeliner on the sidewalk, lipstick in my car (at stoplights!) and bronzer in the office elevator. Over the years, I've come to learn that some beauty products are just not meant for commuting. Enter these on-the-go beauty products that are nothing short of genius. These products come in convenient toss-in-your-bag sizes, no-mess packaging and compact formulas that are so fool-proof you could apply them without a mirror if you had to (though we don't recommend it). Pick up a few and keep hitting snooze, or stash your favorites in your desk to go straight to happy hour.
