Express yourself

EVEN with make-up artists waiting in the wings, celebrities can get it wrong. Eva Longoria is the latest victim to face the paparazzi with a make-up malfunction: namely ghostly white panda eyes where she hasn’t taken time out to blend her concealer. Nicole Kidman suffered a similar embarrassing fate on the red carpet last year with an over-powdered face.

While lesser mortals may not have to suffer the indignity of a paparazzi lens, being up against the clock can result in similar cringeworthy beauty blunders.

The average woman spends almost ten minutes on their make-up morning ritual, according to a recent Beauty In Numbers survey by Unilever, but if even two minutes seem luxuriously long, adopt an express routine.

If you’re guilty of clock watching as you’re applying the concealer, make a time-savvy date to swot up on Rae Morris’s new book, Express Makeup in which she creates beautiful looks fast.

“There are express fixes for when you’re rushing out after work, as well as easy-to-achieve looks for a fabulous evening when you don’t have much time,”

Morris says.

And her number one seconds-to-spare tip?

“If time is of the essence, always do your eyes first because you can apply your foundation and lipstick as you’re literally racing out of the door.”

Morris’s express fix tips for skin, eyes and lips should make 2011 your year for being fresh-faced – and on time.

SKIN SAVERS

■ If your skin is too shiny, use non-powdered blotting papers. They’ll de-shine your skin in seconds and work more effectively than powder.

■ Tone down flushed skin with an anti-redness primer.

■ For youthful, wrinkle-free skin, just add a few drops of luminising liquid to your base.

EYE OPENERS

■ If you’re always in a rush, consider keeping your eyebrows and lashes tinted to your desired colour.

■ When your mascara runs, squirt some foundation on the end of a cotton bud and use as an eraser.

■ Nothing can change or enhance an eye as quickly as a false lash – check the length of the false lash against your natural eyelash line for easy application.

LIP TIPS

■ Apply lip balm heavily to dry lips before you even start your make-up, then let it soak in. By the time you apply lipstick, you’ll have luscious, soft lips that will make your lipstick easier to apply and last longer too.

■ Bleeding lipstick? The trick is to buy the most intense colours and only apply lipstick once – the less product on your lips, the less it will run.

■ If your lips don’t have much natural lip colour, apply a touch of lip balm and then add just a hint of deep berry or plum-coloured lip stain.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

FINGERTIPS might be your make-up applicator of choice when time is tight but try brushing up on your tool techniques to save valuable minutes.

“You can do more with minimal product and an incredible brush range than with cotton buds and drawers of make-up,” Morris explains.

“To test a brush you already have, stand it on its tip on the back of your hand – if the bristles collapse, replace the brush.”

And when you make a beauty slip-up with excess eyeshadow or powder, something as simple as a stationary essential can put you back on track.

“I guarantee that a piece of sticky tape can blot off the excess and make you perfect in less than a minute,” says Morris.

Make cosmetic applications and touch-ups throughout the day a cinch by prepping your face in the morning with either moisturiser or primer.

Morris says: “Make-up primer and moisturiser are essentially the same thing, except that a primer has more silicon, which is great for levelling out an uneven skin texture.

“If you prep your skin properly, your make-up will last twice as long and you’ll save time, as touch-ups will be minimised.”

For make-up-on-the-move, look for products that incorporate an applicator into the design such as Clinique’s Quick Blush, £22, available in six shades (clinique.co.uk), or products that have multiple uses such as Benefit’s Benetint + Gloss Pocket Pal lip/cheek stain and clear gloss, £15.50 (benefitcosmetics.co.uk).