Face and Body

How to nail perfect office make-up in under 5 minutes

15 April, 2022 . 0

If you’re rushed before work, you don’t have heaps of time to dedicate to doing your make-up. Thankfully, you don’t have to, with our five-minute office-face guide.

So you enjoy the extra sleep-in, maybe you’ve got a million other things to do in the morning, or frankly just can’t be bothered putting on make-up for work.

What if you could have it done though in a matter of minutes?

According to professional make-up artists, not only is it possible, but the more you practise the quicker it becomes.

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Downsize your make-up kit

First things first – it might be time you give your make-up kit a major clean-out.

Make-up artist Julia Green says products that serve more than one role can come in handy.

“Being smart with product choice is the best way to achieve a made-up face in five minutes,” Julia says.

“A dual product/2-in-1 such as a lip balm that can double as a cheek colour is a really good choice for ease of application and for cutting down on time.

“[You can] dab on a rosy pink tone to the lips and apple of the cheeks.”

Meanwhile make-up artist Zoe Slatyer loves a palette that can multi-task.

“I would find a little palette that has the bronzer, contour and highlight colour as this palette can be doubled as eyeshadow and you can use the highlight on the cheek bones and dab on the eyelid with your finger.”

When it comes to products, stock your make-up bag with:

Base product such as foundation, tinted moisturiser, CC cream or BB Cream
Concealer
Bronzing powder
Cheek blush
Mascara
Brow gel
Lip product such as lipstick, lip balm or lip gloss
Setting spray or translucent powder
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Office-ready make-up in under 5 minutes

Starting with a great base is key, so ensure you’ve completed your skincare routine prior to doing your make-up.

Afterwards, apply your chosen base product over your face and lightly down your neck.

Make-up artist Nigel Stanislaus says to use concealer to “target problem areas like under the eyes and redness around the nose”, while Julia says brushing a bronzing powder can add life and dimension to the face.

“Hit the sun-kissed areas of the face – (ie: where the sun would naturally kiss your skin – the forehead, nose, cheeks and chin),” Julia says.

“Bronzing powder can also be used as an eyeshadow, which will tie the look together.”

Once you’ve applied bronzer to the cheeks, our make-up experts agree it’s time to add colour on to the apples of the cheeks using blush.

“I like a cream blush as you can apply it to the apples of your cheekbones and blend with your fingers in an upwards motion,” Zoe says.

Tidy brows are important for a made-up face so brush some brow gel through your brows to add definition and keep them in place, then apply a coat of mascara to your lashes.

Apply a lip colour whether it’s a balm, gloss or lipstick.

Nigel says the last step is to dust some translucent powder to your T-zone.

“This is make-up in 5 minutes … or less, once you’ve got the hang of it,” Julia says.