Boardroom Beauty

10 makeup essentials for fast and easy application to get you ready for your early morning meetings

Just because you only have less than five minutes to put your game face on before your Grab car arrives, it doesn’t mean there’s only time for powder and lipstick. Work smart by choosing hardworking products that cut application time by half. I love a good winged eye to look fresh and alert for my morning roll call, so I skip eyeshadow altogether and reach for a long-wearing liquid eyeliner. And rather than worry about spilling powder all over my crisp white shirts, I find crayon blush or cheek stains the easiest and mess-free method to get pinchable cheeks, with no need for brushes either. If you’re worried that any kind of cream-based makeup won’t stay on in this humid weather, then spritz on a makeup setting spray (best invention ever!) or pat on some setting powder.

Foundation is an important step in makeup application as it smoothes out skin irregularities and gives you an overall glow. Instead of lengthy liquid foundation application (which also requires a foundation brush), a good cushion compact does the trick.

To achieve the barely-there makeup look, the rule of foundation is to focus only on areas that need more coverage rather than applying a full mask. A makeup hack I learnt from Anastasia Beverly Hills’ makeup trainer, Peaches, is that you can actually use concealer as a foundation alternative, and a little bit goes a long way.

One item you should never overlook is lip liner, because without it, your lipstick colour won’t look as intense nor will it stay on long, advises Claudia Soare, president of Anastasia. Another benefit of lip liner is that it can also help to reshape your pout and reverse a downturned smile. Since it’s really the last step in makeup, you can go ahead and apply this in the car or office. And just like that, you’re ready to rule the boardroom!