I feel like minimalism is a real trend at the moment. In terms of beauty, the whole “Instagram makeup trend” is slowly starting to be limited to just Instagram, and people are going back to more relatable looks that can be achieved in 5 minutes. I’m all for makeup being an art form, but Monday to Friday that’s not going to cut the mustard, and I need something a bit more like “ah yes, I can do that with my eyes half shut holding a coffee in one hand and a beauty blender in the other”. Anyone else? I’m loving that brands are cottoning onto real women, making beauty more relatable and versatile so we don’t have to carry a whole beauty hall around in our bags – it’s easy to be streamlined.

 I’m not going to share a whole face in this post, but I will talk about a few products I love for that effortless look in the mornings. I believe these to be very universal, and most importantly, give off great results with minimal effort.

 There are some days where foundation isn’t an option and a touch of concealer is really all I have time for. With that being said, I do feel a bit more me when I have a slightly fuller coverage base. If, like me, you prefer a light-medium coverage then I think the Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation is worth hitting up. It’s not a thick product, so you don’t have to stand there for 10 minutes blending, it seems to effortlessly mesh into the skin. I use my beauty blender and 2-3 pumps which covers nicely. The name of this is great, it really does just look like skin. It’s not too matte, nor is it very dewy so it’s a pretty safe bet.

For setting the skin, I always reach for my Hourglass Ambient Powders. A; because they never look cakey, and B; because they can also double up as a highlighter (a subtle highlighter that is). I have the trio of powders and I love to just mix them all together. They are beautifully formulated and give your skin a lovely airbrushed glow, whilst setting your foundation in place. I’m not sure what magic is in them, but I’m all for it! They are pricey, but I do find they last ages as you don’t need a heavy hand when applying them. I find a big fluffy brush the best to use for these.

 I barely do a full blown eyebrow routine when I’m getting ready for work. The most I’ll ever do is a brow gel, and I’m ok with that. One I’m loving at the moment is from L’Oreal, and it’s their Brow Artist Plumper. This is super affordable and I find gives my brows the perfect amount of colour and definition, whilst setting them down for that day. A couple of others I love are from Benefit and Glossier, but this one does the job at a reasonable price point. I do tend to wipe off the wand a bit before I go in and apply, this just stops the product from crisping up due to having too much dispersed at once.

 For the eyes, I will rarely faff with liner, unless it’s in the form of a black eyeshadow I can quickly smudge out. I do still want something on the eyes, so I tend to use a cream shadow stick, or an eyeshadow duo. For the latter I love the Nars Duo in Kalahari. This contains a shimmery taupe, perfect for all over the lid, and a warm brown shade which I tend to use on the outer corners and lower lash line.  Two very simple colours, but they work great together and are lovely for everyday use. If I want a cream shadow I’ll always reach for the By Terry Ombre Black Star in Bronze Moon. These are so easy to apply and blend out, they literally take about 5 seconds! This shade is a dark bronze with shimmer running throughout. It defines the eyes so well and paired with lashings of mascara is a super simple look with maximum results.

I don’t know about you, but I’m kind of into glossy lips at the moment. I’m so over matte formulas that feel uncomfortable and realistically only look good for the first couple of hours. Clinique have a great lip gloss as part of their Pop range. I have the shade Cocoa Pop and it’s the perfect everyday shade for me. It’s a nude, with a bit of pink and a bit of mauve, making it lovely for all year round! These are so comfortable to wear and the colour pay off is great. They look super creamy on the lips and don’t leave you worrying if your hair might stick on a windy day! First world problems I know…