I used to love dressing up, but truth be told I rarely wear makeup after having two kids. I just don’t have the time for it, or rather I don’t prioritize it enough to make the time when there is always children to take care of, food to cook, and a house to clean. Pre-kids I’d do the whole shebang — foundation, concealer, powder, eyebrows, eyeliner, eyeshadow, mascara, blush, lipstick, even highlighter. It would usually take me 15-20 minutes, but it’s difficult to find 15 free minutes in my day now. I never would have believed that before I had kids!

I’ve found that I need makeup more than ever post-kids because I’m usually tired, and I’ve had some brown spots appear under my eyes during my pregnancies that never faded away. To stop feeling so frumpy all the time, lately I’ve been doing a 5-minute face. I don’t do it every day, but much more often than the once every month or two that I used to wear makeup. These are some of my favorite products I use to help me achieve a polished look in just 5 minutes:


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1) Clinique BB Cream – I was a little late to hop on the BB Cream bandwagon, but I gotta say that I love it. It provides great, even coverage and I don’t miss my foundation at all. I simply squeeze it out of the tube and apply it directly to my face with my fingers. It also has SPF 30, which is one less step I have to worry about.

2) Cle de Peau Concealer – This concealer is pricey, but it is the best concealer and it lasts forever. I think mine might expire before I finish using it all! I like that it’s in a tube like a lipstick so it’s quick and easy to apply it directly on my face after I apply BB Cream.

3) Mac Lingering eyebrow pencil – My eyebrows are a little sparse so I fill them in just a little bit with this eyebrow pencil. This color looks great on most everyone!

4) L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara – I love high end mascaras like Diorshow and Definicils, but I just don’t wear it often enough to justify the cost since their shelf-life is so short. I’ve tried many, many drugstore mascaras over the years, including the popular Covergirl Lashblast, but I always come back to L’Oreal’s Voluminous. It’s a classic that make your lashes look so long and lush.

5) Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler – Before applying mascara, I use my trusty eyelash curler. It really makes a difference in making my eyes pop, especially since I’m not wearing eyeliner.

6) Benefit Benetint – I like to have a little color on my lips but don’t want to deal with lipliner or lipstick. So I’ll either use some Benetint to give my lips a natural looking flush, or I’ll apply some lip balm like Smith’s Rosebud Salve or Kiehl’s Lip Balm to give them a little gloss.

7) Tarte Cheek Stain – You can use Benetint as a blush as well, but I like to use this easy cheek stain that I apply straight out of the tube into my face.

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I love these products because they reduce the amount of time I need to apply makeup, since I don’t have to use any brushes. Please share some of your favorite products to look polished in a short amount of time — I’d love to discover some new products!

Has your beauty routine changed post-kids?