The 5-Minute Makeup Routine For Busy Women Over 40

There is a real difference between makeup that takes 20 minutes and makeup that takes 5. The latter is for real life — for the women I know who have a 7am Zoom and three hours of sleep and need to look like an adult who has it together.

The Five Products

1. Tinted moisturizer or skin tint (in place of foundation)

2. Cream concealer for under eyes only

3. Cream blush (one product to give life to my whole face)

4. Brow gel (to set, not draw on)

5. Lengthening mascara

The Five Minutes

Minute 1 — Tinted Moisturizer: Apply 4-5 dots to your face. Blend with clean fingers. My pick: Ilia Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 ($54).

Minute 2 — Concealer: Dot in a triangle shape under each eye. Tap to blend with your ring finger. My pick: Kosas Revealer Concealer ($30).

Minute 3 — Cream Blush: Dab on the apples of your cheeks. Blend up toward your temples. My pick: Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks Blush Stick ($48) in Petal.

Minute 4 — Brow Gel: Sweep through your eyebrows in upward strokes. My pick: Glossier Boy Brow ($18) in Brown or Blond.

Minute 5 — Mascara: One coat on upper lashes only. Focus on the lashes at the outer corner of each eye. My pick: Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High ($12).

The Mental Reframe

The biggest shift in my makeup approach as I crossed 40: I stopped trying to look 25. I started enhancing what I have — the warmth of cream blush, the freshness of glowy skin tint, the lift of well-groomed brows.