Can just three items replace your entire make-up bag?
aSK any woman to tip out the contents of her make- up bag and you’re likely to be met with a guilty grimace. A survey revealed that the average British woman requires 55 minutes to get ready each morning — and that doesn’t include showering.
If skincare is included, 11 per cent of us slap an extraordinary 40-plus products on to our faces every day.
I have always considered myself fairly low-maintenance — yet when I turn out my make-up bag, I am shocked to discover I regularly use a whopping 16 different products, from BB (blemish balm) cream to concealer to eyeshadow.
The contents of my battered bag add up to £289 and applying them all takes me 25 minutes. But in an age of multitasking, why can’t a lipstick double up as a blusher, or a foundation work as a concealer?
As a working mother-of-three, finding the time for my entire beauty routine can be a luxury. But what if I could apply one product instead of five?
With this in mind, I swapped my usual 16 products for just three, multi-function items. Here’s how I got on . . .
THE SUPER FOUNDATION
WHAT: Max Factor Face Finity All Day Flawless 3 in 1 Foundation, £12.99 for 30ml
THE CLAIM: This ‘holds like a primer, corrects like a concealer, with the long-lasting finish of a liquid foundation with SPF 20’.
REPLACES: BB cream, primer, foundation, concealer and translucent powder, which cost £110.
APPLICATION: I brushed the foundation to my face, then blended. I applied more around the dark shadows of the eye area as I would a concealer.
This took all of one minute, whereas my usual five products take me nearer ten. The effect was fine until after lunchtime when this multi-function makeup needed topping up.
EXPERT OPINION: Celebrity makeup artist Oonagh Connor, who has tended the faces of Marie Helvin and Fiona Bruce among others, says: ‘I didn’t think this blended well. It’s also effective to have a separate concealer.’
VERDICT: The 3 in 1 is certainly cheap, fast to apply and lightweight to carry. But it didn’t hold well on my skin, all but sliding off. A handy standby for when I’m onthe-run, but I won’t be swapping my five trusty regulars for this.
4/10
CHEEKS AND LIPS
WHAT: Nudestix Lip and Cheek pencil, £24 (includes sharpener)
THE CLAIM: ‘An extra-creamy soft- feeling lip- liner, lip colour and cheek cream all in one’, promising colour, cover and ‘blendability’.
REPLACES: lip-liner, lipstick and gloss, blusher and highlighter, which cost £78.
APPLICATION: I applied pencil around my lip line, then filled in over the lips themselves.
I thought the sensation of using a pencil rather than a velvety lipstick would be odd, but it felt remarkably smooth. And when I simply drew a pencilline on my cheeks, I was sure it would be obvious even after blending, but the effect was natural.
EXPERT OPINION: Oonagh says: ‘This gives a lovely, dewy, natural look. On the lips, the creamy texture of the nudestix lets you dab your finger to apply it like a tint, if you don’t want to pencil it on. It’s so easy to blend, it works almost like a highlighter, and I like the look of wearing the same colour on your lips and cheeks.’
VERDICT: normally I would use different shades for lips and cheeks, but I loved this and would use it again. even the tin box it comes in looks classy. 10/10
EYE AREA
THE PRODUCT: Giorgio Armani Eye and Brow Maestro, £26.50,
applicator, £20
THE CLAIM: ‘ A waterproof cream that features a dual transformation texture. The solid cream becomes liquid on application then sets on the skin for lasting hold.’
REPLACES: Two separate eyeliners, eyeshadow, brow pencil, brow fixer gel and mascara, worth £100.
APPLICATION: Using a specially designed applicator — a brush at one end to shape the brows, and an angled flat brush at the other to apply liner or colour to the lid — I painted on a flicked line on top of my lashes, some shading underneath the eye, and blended colour on the lid.
Using the eyebrow brush end, I put more colour on my brows. You can even brush a little on your lashes as a mascara.
It took barely two minutes compared to the normal 11. nothing smudged and it stayed on all day.
EXPERT OPINION: Oonagh says: ‘I quite often use eyeshadow to colour brows. But I do think a lot of us would miss mascara.’
VERDICT: With nine shades to choose from, a tiny compact and a clever brush, this product is a multi-tasker. 9/10
CAN 16 BECOME THREE?
WITH the price of my make-up regime slashed by £204.50 (from £288 to £83.50), and the time needed reduced from 25 minutes to a scant five, the three wonder products are impressive, despite having to touch up the 3-in-1 foundation part way through the day.
With more practice, I could achieve everything I get from my normal routine. But for a special occasion, I would stick with my carefully chosen, separate products.