Have you ever been in those situations where you need to get ready in 5-7 minutes, think to yourself, "hey, I could squeeze in some eyeliner," and end up doing eyeshadow and the whole she-bang? And then you arrive at your appointment 15 minutes late. I have experienced this one too many times, so I've learnt (the hard way) what to LEAVE IN THE DRAWER when doing makeup in a jiff, and also a few tips to speed up the process!

1. Use a colour-correcting primer!

Primers help your makeup go on smoother (and therefore less blending) so it is one of the most important steps! Most of you already know this and I'm sure you have seen different coloured primers in the store. But which one is for you?

Green - Neutralize redness
Purple - Brightens/counteracts sallowness
Peach/pink - Counteracts sallowness
Blue - Brightens
Yellow - Lightens

Use the appropriate one for your skin, and that helps a lot with coverage later on! 

1. Make sure to get foundation that matches your neck exactly!

I know it's hard, but try your best to get a foundation in a shade that blends in well with your neck! If your foundation is too light, you'd have to spend time on bronzer to darken it up, and if it's too dark, you have to faff with highlighters and lighter-coloured powders. Lancôme, MUFE, MAC and Nars are a few high-end options that have foundations that come in a bajillion shades, and L'Oreal is a great drugstore alternative! Use a sponge/dense brush to quickly dab/buff everything in!

2. Skip the eyebrow pencil! 

Wait, don't panic. It doesn't mean you shouldn't fill in your eyebrows! When in a hurry, I go for tinted eyebrow gels. These colour and set your eyebrows in 5 seconds with just a couple of strokes, while with pencils, you have to do precise outlining and brushing through to make sure everything is blended. Save the pencils, powders and pomades for days when you have the luxury of time! 

3. Skip the highlighting concealer! 

If you used a peach/yellow primer, it would already cancel out some darkness under the eyes. Dab foundation for slightly more coverage. Or if you have REALLY TERRIBLE eye bags/circles, don't put the concealer on your cheek bones, nose bridge or forehead. This will save you about half a minute of blending!  

4. Mild highlighting powder to set makeup! 

If you're a fan of a matte base finish but don't fancy the cakey and dry look, use a powder with a SLIGHT shimmer (a.k.a. NOT like the Mary Lou-manizer!) to give a glow-y effect! If you like the dewy-but-not-greasy look, set your foundation with a translucent powder!

5. Use cream blushes or cheek tints instead of powder blushes! 

I am quite prone to mistakes when I use powder blushes, especially pigmented ones like those by theBalm. The chance of applying too much product at one go (especially if you're panicking) is high. I personally find cream and tints easier to control! They're great for people with dry skin and for those with oily skin, set it with powder and it lasts all day! Also, the stress of having to blend tints before they set in awkward spots/streaks on your cheeks is a great incentive to blend faster! ;D

P.S. I like The Body Shop's lip and cheek tint. 

6. Skip contouring and bronzing! 

Blush already gives your face the lift, glow and dimension it NEEDS, so you won't look pasty or ghostly. Contouring (IMO) is just to further sculpt the face. Time is of the essence, so pass the contouring and bronzing! If need be, just a few swipes at the beginning of the hollows (at the hairline) will do.

7. Use a one-step eyeshadow, define the crease, or skip everything altogether! 

If you feel like you can't leave the house without at least a bit of colour on your lids, use one or two swipes of cream eyeshadow! I am a MAC Paint Pot and Colour Tattoo fan! Don't be tempted to try and blend it out! You don't have to (unless you screwed it up and it got on your brow bone or something). Another option is to just define the crease with a bit of brown/taupe eyeshadow. Apply lightly so you won't have to spend too much time trying to blend it out! Of course, you could also go bare altogether!

8. Skip eyeliner! 

Unless you're a pro or going for a smoked-out effect (which you probably won't be considering that you're VERY late), eyeliner takes time and precision. Just tight-line with a creamy, waterproof pencil to give that definition your eyes NEED and the appearance of thicker lashes instead! 

9. Use a mascara that does a bit of everything!

Try to find a mascara that volumizes and lengthens! This way, you won't have to layer mascaras to get enough definition. If you are going to be out for a long time, try to find one that is waterproof! You may not be able to get a mascara that does all three things, but there are many who do at least TWO! If you can spare a few more seconds, coat your bottom lashes with mascara too! That really opens up your eyes.

P.S. You can read about some of my fav mascaras here!

10. Don't bother with lipstick! 

Use a tinted lip balm or lip stain, even a hybrid (think Revlon Just Bitten Kissables!) You don't even have to apply it right then, you can bring it along for on-the-go application, since you don't need a mirror! The most tinted lip balm I've ever tried is the Palmer's Dark Chocolate and Cherry Lip Balm! The oval shape of it also makes slathering it on a breeze! Sheer/glossy lipsticks are also another option. Pigmented lipsticks have to be applied carefully or you could mess up (cleaning up and reapplying is NOT something you'd want to do when you have to be out the door in 1 minute!), and ain't nobody got time for that! 

So these are my 10 tips/things I can leave out in my makeup routine when trying to complete it in less than 10 minutes! These might not work for you if your makeup routine HAS to include some of the things I'd skip, but that's alright! I hope you enjoyed reading this post anyway and I hope it helps some of you!

Comment down below if your 'Under 10 Minutes' makeup routine is different or if you'd skip anything else!