Wake Up and Glow Up: Tips for Nailing the Perfect No-Makeup Look

Getting ready in the morning should be quick and easy, and achieving the perfect everyday makeup routine can be hard if you don’t have much time or if you’re a beginner.

I used to, and still do, like sleeping in to the latest time possible, while still having enough time for a morning routine, which includes a skincare and makeup routine. It took me a while to figure out what worked quickly and efficiently, but once I did, I cut my morning routine from 30 minutes, to about 10 minutes, sometimes less. And in that time, I’m able to enhance my own beauty, making it look like I just woke up looking flawless.

In this blog post, I’ll go over tips and products I use to make my morning makeup routine quick. I’m going to share:

The simple but effective skincare morning routine
How to achieve your “no makeup” look
The best products to achieve a “no makeup” look
How to make it work for you

So if you’d rather sleep in a little longer than take 30 minutes on your makeup routine, you’re in the right place! (or if you just want more time in the morning for other self-care practices)

The simple but effective skincare morning routine

In the morning, please don’t neglect your skincare routine!

The most important, simple skincare steps in the morning are:

Gentle cleanser
Antioxidant serum (vitamin C)
Moisturizer
SPF

If you’re just starting your morning skincare, or want some more info and recommendations, check out our blog post How to get the best skin on a budget.

Perhaps the best and easiest way to feel like the baddest b!tch when you wake up, is good skin. Let’s be real, having good skin will automatically make you feel like a bad b!tch and cut your makeup routine in half. I mean, who doesn’t want clear skin??? Investing in your skincare routine can truly help with your everyday makeup routine.

How to achieve your “no makeup” look

Let’s be honest, we all want to wake up looking flawless. But let’s also be real, there are harder mornings than others; eye bags, dark circles, redness, irritation, etc. are all normal and sometimes we just wanna look like we woke up like this, even though we didn’t.

I want people to be surprised when I say I wear makeup everyday. And it’s true, I do wear makeup everyday. Even if you think that’s just my face, chances are, I’m wearing makeup. It’s no secret, but if you think I’m not wearing makeup, cool.

The most important part, and most time consuming, are eyebrows and eyelashes. For the most basic, simple look, all you need is an eyebrow pencil, eyelash curler, and mascara. For beginners, I’d suggest:

E.L.F. Cosmetics - Instant Lift Brow Pencil ($3)
Winky Lux - Uni-Brow ($16)
Benefit Cosmetics - Gimme Brow+ Volumizing Fiber Eyebrow Pencil ($25)
- BTW: This is a brow pencil that you’d have to sharpen! If that bothers you, then it’s not for you
Maybelline - Volum’ Express the Rocket Mascara ($9.99)
Maybelline - Waterproof Falsies Lash Lift Mascara ($11.99)
E.L.F. Cosmetics - Clear Brow & Lash Mascara ($3)
Revlon - Eyelash Curler ($6.30)
NYX Professional Makeup - The Brow Glue ($9)

Using an eyebrow pencil is the quickest and most efficient way to fill in any sparse areas and give yourself a little volume. If you’re struggling with what shade to get, I’d suggest getting one shade lighter than your natural hair color, as to make your eyebrows look more natural. If finding a shade is too daunting, I suggest the Winky Lux Uni-Brow, which is a truly universal shade. Just don’t forget: the spoolie is your friend and is there for a reason; blend, blend, blend! If you’re willing to get the absolute best for more money, I’d go with any Benefit Cosmetics eyebrow product.

Next: eyelashes! The best way to make your eyes pop is curling your eyelashes. For long lasting effects, (if time allows) run a hair dryer over your curler to make it warm; this allows your eyelashes to stay curled longer! If you want a more natural look, the E.L.F. clear lash mascara is the way to go!

To be more time efficient, and for a more natural look, all you need is the E.L.F. clear brow and lash mascara! Simply just tame your eyebrows with the gel, and comb through your lashes with the other side! I’d still suggest curling your lashes with this method, though.

To have a more elevated and brightened look, I’d spot conceal! For beginners, I’d suggest:

Makeup Revolution - Conceal and Hydrate Concealer ($7)
NYX - Bare with me Concealer Serum ($11)
Maybelline - Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circle Treatment Concealer ($10.99)

Just dab a little bit of concealer under your eyes and on your problem areas, and blend out with your ring finger for a skin-like finish.

Afterwards, lightly dust Maybelline - Fit Me Loose Finishing Powder ($8) or whatever setting powder you have all over the face to reduce creasing!

For a more even complexion, adding a base is super helpful, such as:

BareMinerals - Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 30 ($37)
Laura Mercier - Tinted Moisturizer Natural Skin Perfector Broad Spectrum SPF 30 ($49)

E.L.F. Cosmetics - Halo Glow Liquid Filter ($14)

Here are other product recommendations for the “no makeup” look:

NARS - Radiant Creamy Concealer ($31)
Benefit Cosmetics - Liquid Lip Blush and Cheek Tint ($18)
Rare Beauty - Soft Pinch Liquid Blush ($20)

With all of these products, all we want to do is enhance our beauty. Literally just making our features a little more prominent. The concealer helps with brightening and the mascara and eyebrows help draw more attention to our eyes in the best, most natural, possible way.

My favorite tip is to use a little Aquaphor on my lips as well as the high points of my face to look extra hydrated and dewy!

I know it can be scary if you’re just beginning your makeup journey, but that’s okay! That’s what we’re here for! This “no makeup” makeup look is a foot in the door to becoming a makeup pro!

We want you to feel comfortable in your skin, where we enhance our beauty just a little bit, rather than try to hide behind so much makeup. The perfect “no makeup” look is achieved by understanding our own faces. When we keep practicing, we can do this in less than 10 minutes!

To recap, let’s go over the steps in our morning routine: