Ultimate 30min Makeup

My suggestions for quick and easy makeup products to give you a 100% confidence boost in under 3o minutes.

December 2026

I work in Sephora stores and when on retail sales floors a common request is for a tinted moisturizer. Why do people ask for tinted moisturizers, what are they actually trying to accomplish, and why this is the most triggering request for me as retail beauty advisor? Goals are typically purchasing a product that doesn't require a lot of makeup skill but, will give the appearance have having "done something". Some of these clients are also asking for a magic cream to reverse years of sun damage overnight but, that's another discussion.

When synthesizing this request what I’m hearing the client say is not “I need to cover up” more so I’m hearing “I‘m okay with who I am, i just want to polish my appearance just a little bit.”

The problem is this. Tinted moisturizers, especially ones with SPF don’t typically come in a wide shade range, tend to provide patchy coverage, and are often applied with the fingers rather than makeup tools. This turns the miracle product into a color match and application train wreck, resulting in amplified texture and streaky contrast across the face. In other words, worse than where you started.

Who told these people haphazardly tinting their entire face was the solution to looking "put together"? There’s a disconnect in what the consumers are actually asking for, the recommendations from influencers and peers, and how brands are interpreting market demand.

Can I make a suggestion? Instead of covering your whole face, let's just look at the pieces of you that you'd like to enhance and see how things go. You may find yourself lacking color in your face, or just needing to lightly powder a trouble spot, even adding a little definition to the eye can go a long way.

If you've been through it all with skin tints - NARS (too much coverage,) Supergoop (not the right color,) Ilia (not enough coverage,) Hourglass (too expensive and still not enough). What is the best solution for a five minute makeup routine that doesn’t require a makeup bag worth of products. Also, do you really only have five minutes?

What do you want to see in the mirror?

Less redness

Powder gets a bad reputation but, there have been amazing tinted setting powders and powder foundations released in recent times that can double as a "cover up". Please give it a try before you emote fears of "cake face". I recommend using a concealer brush and a tinted powder to help reduce redness in trouble areas and minimize the appearance of pores without the mess and creasing of liquid products. You do not need to use this all over the face, target your trouble areas and blend out the edges. If you're using a tinted setting powder rather than powder foundation this will be especially easy. I reccomend Kosas Cloud Set - Great blurring power, light weight, buildable coverage, doesn't crease and One Size Beauty Boucle Silk -Wide and flexible color range, blurs pores, long lasting coverage.

More alive

Covering your face in tinted SPF does not make you look more alive. In fact, it takes all the life out of your face by removing the natural color. Blush and bronzer (tutorial here) will make you look a little more alive and, you can do both with the same brush in under five minutes. I like an angled face brush applying the bronzer at the top of my cheek bones and upper perimeter of my face, then a light dab of blush just above the apples of my cheeks. Easy to use favorites for this are the Haus Labs Color Fuse Glassy Blush Balm Stick - Blends out easy, available in flattering natural tones, adds a slowly look to your complexion and the Makeup by Mario Soft Sculpt Bronzing Serum - Flexible shades, won't leave you orange, natural finish that's easy to use. I'm aware that these can be very intimidating makeup products but I recommend these ones specifically for their ease of use.

More dynamic

Little can go a long way with some mascara and a light eye look. For the purposes of this article I'm recommending two items to amplify your already gorgeous features. One is a tubing mascara, if you haven't used this type of mascara it's the ultimate low maintenance formula. Tubing mascaras only need warm water to be removed and don't leave behind raccoon style residue on your lash lines. The Hourglass Unlocked in Espresso will change how you see mascara. Second would be a soft "liner" on the eyelid. Do not use traditional eyeliner, instead use a matte brown eyeshadow with an angled liner/ brow brush. M.A.C. Single Eyeshadow in "Brun" and their 263 Synthetic Small Angle Brush are great options. Just these two products can take you from "plain Jane" to "who's that girl" in maybe 10mins tops. Also please be reassured that using eyeshadow as eyeliner is world easier and more forgiving than using regular eyeliner.

Take the stigma out of makeup and enjoy the process

Using makeup doesn't make you high maintenance. Using makeup doesn't mean you have to take two hours to get ready. You can have a low maintenance routine and do more than slathering your face with a tinted zinc oxide.

With a bit of getting used to the process, you can apply all three of my suggestions in about 30 minutes, max. I'm also giving you permission to just pick one of these suggestions! That's the beauty of beauty, it's completely customizable to your specific face and life style.

Even if you purchase everything on this list it only totals up to five products and three brushes. You're in for about a $250 purchase. Mascara should be replaced every six months or so but the other products can give you over a year's worth of regular use.

Thanks a ton for taking the time to read this article, I hope you found it enlightening. If you haven't already please also check out my recent article on peptides in skincare. It's not as fun as talking makeup but had some really interesting information you can use to be a smarter shopper.

Cheers,

-Katt