a lazy girl's guide to makeup

when the cut crease isn't cutting it anymore

In my early twenties, I was known for my cut crease, cat eye (sharp enough to kill a man), and too-big-for-my-face false lashes. The full beat took around an hour, and it was thoroughly enjoyable for years. There was something so therapeutic about the application process, going step by step until my transformation was complete. Over the years, laziness crept in. While my self-confidence level remained the same, I began to dread the routine of having to dedicate one whole hour to get ready. I’ve never been skilled enough to do a full face in less than 30 minutes since everything about my routine required precision (don’t even get me started on my eyeliner—Ariana Grande could do things that I could never, including this).

The “clean girl” look gained traction at the tail end of the pandemic, and it was saddening to learn that this became associated with Hailey Bieber’s glazed donut skin, when upon further investigation, it already had been an iconic style among Black and Brown communities for years. The onslaught of people on YouTube suddenly ditching their 12-pan eyeshadow palettes and liquid eyeliner for dewy skin and rosy cheeks almost too perfectly aligned with my growing laziness and dread of a makeup routine. Over the past two years, I’ve learned to not only curate and perfect my dwindling makeup collection, but also grow into a newfound love for my imperfectly “perfect” skin (rosacea prone). All at the same time, as I began minimizing my collection out of a need to cut down on my Sephora/Ulta spending, I’ve made it a goal to pan each item before it expires, and only buying new if I’ve run out of said product.

This post will contain makeup-related lessons I’ve learned and hacks I’ve incorporated into my routine to make it easier, and a review of every single product currently in my collection (and whether it’s an I-would-repurchase product or the item I’d buy once it’s expired/run out). Even though I’ve linked every product for your reference, please refrain from purchasing them, unless you actually have a need for it.

Tips

1. Evaluate how long it takes for you to complete each step. Focus on the steps that take you the longest, and think about how you could do it more efficiently. This could either involve switching out the product entirely or improving your skill application. I’ve found that cream blushes and bronzers were much easier to work with than their powder counterparts. I switched out my black liquid eyeliner (where every single imperfection is evident) to a brown eyeliner gel pencil that allowed me to finish my eyeliner in less than a minute. I also ended up migrating from false lashes to mascara.

2. Understand what actually looks good on your face shape and complexion. For years, I wore lashes like these. Despite my mom telling me how overly heavy they looked, I didn’t listen (another thing—listen to an elderly person who will tell you nothing but the truth). I transitioned to a more natural looking false lash upon realization (loved the Ardell Naked 420s), but a year or two later, began to feel like it was too much work for me. Plus, the occasional discomfort was not worth the way I looked in pictures. Putting lash glue on, letting it dry, and making sure it aligned perfectly on my lash line already took up five minutes of my routine. I also have uneven eyelids so I had to keep readjusting the lash band after putting it on. I began ditching the fake lashes for mascara, which decreased my routine time significantly. I started to prioritize layering volume and lengthening mascaras to emulate a “false lash” effect, without the added frustration of potentially ruining my eyeshadow from remnants of my black lash glue. A headache!

3. Note down when you open each item (I use Notion for this). I make sure to follow expiration rules for liquid products and ones near my eyes (mascara, eyeliner). However, for the most part, I do the sniff and application test—if anything looks out of place, then it’s going in the bin. With that being said, I’ve noticed that powered products last years longer than their liquid or cream counterparts. I hated throwing my full-sized products out before completely using them up, so to remedy this, I began buying trial sized versions of cream products. While they might not be the best bang for your buck based on cost per ounce, but it at least allows me to use a product up completely before needing to buy something new.

4. I’ve always hated washing my hands between takes—this meant, if some amount of product were to get on my hands, I had to wash it off immediately. This made it annoying to use apply cream products with my fingers. While I could purchase a glass palette usually meant for mixing colors, that would also entail having to wash off that item. To remedy this, I switched over to a multi-use makeup brush that was versatile enough to be able to blend my foundation, blush, and bronzer. Goodbye, messy hands!

5. Remember to blend everything in. Use a sponge or brush (not your fingers) and work your facial complexion products into your skin. We’ve all been the victim of our own wrongdoing, so make sure you’re doing your makeup in adequate lighting so you see every single spot that needs to be blended in.

6. Buy trial sized products if you find yourself struggling to pan a product before it goes bad. Unless you’re a makeup artist, using a product every day might not even get you to a point where you hit pan. The mini Nars Laguna bronzer that was given as part of Sephora’s birthday gift lasted me around 4 years — for context, it’s smaller than the mini size that you can buy online. You can get away with the bigger versions of powdered products since they last longer, but for cream blushes, bronzers, or highlighters, opt for the smallest version because you’ll find yourself racing against time to use it all up. An exception to this rule is foundation since more product is needed for full-face coverage.

7. Watch “minimal makeup” or “5 minute makeup tutorial” type videos to get inspiration on how people can exist without much. Aja Dang was one of the first creators I’ve seen do this. There are a few who tout the minimal makeup look while also having lash extensions, microbladed brows, and other cosmetic procedures that do make it easier to cut out on makeup steps. Some good ones I’ve found after doing a quick YouTube search: Bre Rook, Jessica Pimentel, Kiana Davis, . These creators actually use less products than I do (see section below), so if you’re looking to minimize even more.

8. The sharper and darker the features around your eyes are (e.g., bushy eyebrows, long lashes), the less you should be able to use in that area. As an East Asian person, everything there is light and barely there. Using only complexion products will only get me so far, which is why the gel eyeliner and mascara are steps I’ve included. However, if you have sharp and dark feautres, you can get away with just brushing your brows with a spoolie and curling your lashes.

9. Expensive versus mid-tier versus affordable makeup — is there a difference? Expensive brands are associated with luxury designers (e.g., Gucci, Tom Ford) but may also include Hourglass and Westman Atelier. Mid-tier is what you’ll usually see at Sephora and includes Anastasia Beverly Hills, Merit, Saie, Rare Beauty, Ilia, and LYS Beauty. Affordable is what you’ll find at the drugstore, including elf, NYX, and Milani. There are a few brands that exist in the grey area, including Glossier or The Ordinary. From my personal experience, the expensive tier products are a complete waste of money — while some may be slightly better (e.g., the Marc Jacobs highliner that got discontinued), there are a ton of options in the mid-tier and affordable range that are as good, or at times, better. I have a bit of brand loyalty when it comes to certain brands, and am at a point where I know which products I truly enjoy — I’m not in an experimentation phase anymore, so what I buy and enjoy is what I’ll repurchase over and over again. After years of spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora, I’ve learned to stay away from certain brands, but also, not all products from a brand may consistently be great. If you’re still in your experimentation phase, what might help is watching honest reviews of makeup products — I used to love watching Jamie Paige, Jessica Vu,

   Bekah Sun
   , and Sarah Cheung.

10. Liquid eyeliner leaves little to no room for mistakes. Unless you already have a steady hand, use a gel eyeliner instead. You can at least “fake” the sharp point of a cat eye. To make things easier, use a brown eyeliner — it’s softer and might even suit your eye shape better than a stark black line. I was convinced after seeing it on Jessica Vu and haven’t gone back to black eyeliner since.

My current collection

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dual-Ended Filling and Detailing Eyebrow Brush #14: I’ve owned this brush since 2018 I believe, and it has served me well over the years.

Anastasia Beverly Hills DIPBROW® Waterproof, Smudge Proof Brow Pomade: I became a pomade girl after I realized that their pencils run out so quickly. Both are about the same price, but the pomade has lasted me years while the pencil lasts me around six months. I’ve had this pomade for around four years now (don’t recommend but there’s still so much left and it doesn’t smell bad), and it applies really nicely. Even though the brow pencil might be easier to use, the pomade wins because of its cost.

Merit Brow 1980 Volumizing Tinted Eyebrow Gel-Pomade: I’ll always have some sort of brow wax or gel after I apply the pomade. This is because my brow hairs are long and tend to point in random directions. It’s just not a cute look. The fluffy brow look will never go out of style. The Merit gel is just alright, and probably better for people with already bushy and shapely brows. I’ve tried the NYX Professional Makeup Brow Glue Eyebrow Gel which is better and cheaper — it actually lifts my brow hairs without it looking crunchy! The best product I’ve tried is the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze Extreme Hold Laminated-Look Sculpting Eyebrow Wax but the build-up on my eyebrow brush was disgusting and not lazy girl friendly. Because of the build-up, I prefer a brow gel that has an in-built spoolie applicator instead of having to use the one on my brush — hence, NYX being the best option.

Tarte Double-Ended Shader & Blending Eyeshadow Brush: I purchased this as part of a set from Macy’s during my first year of undergrad. All the other brushes got decluttered over the years, and this one survived those decluttering sessions. It’s nothing special — just a two sided eyeshadow brush that blends.

Eyeshadow: None here. This is a rare instance since I’ll usually have a single shadow in my collection — I’ve been using the Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eyeshadow (the free one they gave out as part of the birthday gift in 2022) until two months ago when the eyeshadow part of the stick plopped onto the ground. I haven’t found an excuse to buy new eyeshadow since. As mentioned in Eco Entry 2, I’d love to try the Elate pressed eyecolour.

CLIO Sharp So Simple Waterproof Pencil Liner: I purchased this on a whim because I wanted free shipping on Yesstyle. It’s now one of my favorite products, because the eyeliner is so easy to apply (pros of it being a brown color and having a gel formula). It’s also only $8 on Yesstyle.

Shiseido Eyelash Curler: Shiseido made this for the Asian girls with straight, short lashes. And it actually works.

CLIO Kill Lash Superproof Mascara: I’ve tried so many mascaras in my lifetime. Unfortunately, I haven’t really been able to test this mascara out since I purchased it at the apex of my I’m-too-lazy-to-wear-makeup-anymore era. I can’t confidently recommend it, but previous mascaras I’ve enjoyed were Rare Beauty’s Perfect Strokes (volumizing but can get messy), Glossier Lash Slick (lengthens like crazy), L’Oreal Telescopic (felt like it volumized and lengthened for me), L’Oreal Lash Paradise Voluminous (pretty good), Kiss Me Heroine Long & Curl (just okay).

Merit Brush No. 1: I strongly believe in investing in high quality tools, because they don’t have an expiration date. I use the same brush for all my face complexion products — foundation, bronzer, and blush. It’s so good.

Merit The Minimalist: Outside of the brow gel (and Shade Slick which triggered an allergic reaction), Merit’s makeup products are spectular. This is the second time I’ve purchased this item — a seamless, blendable, and creamy formula that makes my slightly rosy skin less rosy. Also, because it’s a foundation stick, I don’t need to deal with accidental foundation messes (which I used to have plenty of before this product).

Rare Beauty Warm Wishes Effortless Bronzer Stick: I’ve been very happy with every Rare Beauty product I’ve tried so far. I wish they offered this in a trial size version, because while the formula and application are phenomenal, but there is way too much product in the full-size. I know I’ll have to throw it out before being able to use it all up at the rate that I’m using my products.

Merit Flush Balm: I really dislike the applicator of this product — it’s a round globe that tends to catch onto my foundation (ironic since I’m using Merit’s foundation). I dislike using it directly on my face because it does that, but I also dislike using it on my brush because i feel like it doesn’t give me a precise application of the product. I adore Sabrina Carpenter, but I can never (and choose to never) pull off the way she does her blush.

Merit Signature Lip: This product has transformed my lip product game, for life. I used to wear lip gloss all the time, while also dealing with the need to re-apply every hour. I’ve always had extremely sensitive lips (e.g., easy cracked, prone to irritation and rashes, dries out quickly, angular chelitis prone). I remember seeing

Bekah Sun

talk about this in an old video years ago, and decided to give it a try. This lipstick is surprisingly nourishing and doesn’t irritate me at all. More importantly, the staying power is impressive. Even though the shade I have, Tiger, doesn’t match my skintone very well, I’m still going to use it up until it expires, and purchase a shade that better matches (probably Slip).

Products I stopped using

There are a number of products I removed from my routine for many reasons — makeup YouTube was a riot back in the day, making us 90s girls believe that we needed to bake our face and undereyes every time we applied foundation, we needed to line our lips before applying any sort of lipstick or gloss, and primer was a must have for underneath foundation. Let’s debunk those if you too, are a lazy person, and want to eliminate steps from your routine.

Primer: YouTube told me I needed a silicone-based primer underneath my foundation so that my foundation wouldn’t move around. Even though it worked, my problem was using the wrong foundation, which ultimately made me require needing to use a primer to make it work. If you need a primer, you might want to try a different foundation that actually works with your skin type. At the same time, there are tons of arguments for and against using a primer — if you feel like you can’t live without it, then keep it in your routine. If you feel like it’s wasting your money and not doing much, then understand what your skin needs and build from there.

Foundation/Concealer: You could argue that the Merit Complexion Stick I use is a combination of both, which is also the point I’m trying to make here. I used to use the Hourglass foundation and Tarte shape tape throughout undergrad, and while it served its purpose, it was obvious I wore makeup whenever I looked back at my old photos. These days, there is no shortage of a hybrid complexion product in one. I used to use BB/CC creams and tinted moisturizers, but none I found worked on my oily skin — they would be a great choice for dry/normal skin types. I prefer using products that come in stick form over liquid because they’re more easy and convenient to apply.

False lashes: I’ve always hated putting false lashes on. Most of the time, I’d end up messing up and lash glue gets on my eyelid, which ultimately ruined my eyeshadow (hence, taking the time to wipe it off and redo the look). Also, it took a lot of getting used to — it wasn’t until six months of usage when I finally got the hang of it. Mascara is way less of a hassle.

Lip liner: I remember buying the NYX lip liner and decluttered it after 5 uses. I disliked how the lip liner stayed on while my actual lip color/product (lip stick or lip gloss) would fade away, leaving me with an odd outline at the end of the day. Lip liner usually requires consistent re-application of your lipstick or lip stain, but I cannot be bothered. Sacheu’s Peel off Lip Liner looks pretty interesting, but I’d probably use this all over my lips instead of just as a lip liner.

Lip gloss/oil: Lip gloss disappears within 30 minutes of application and I can’t be bothered re-applying it throughout the day (absolutely vile if you have to put a mask on because it transfers onto the inside of your mask and makes a whole mess). A few years ago, I started having an allergic reaction to every single lip gloss product I purchased. I used to use the Fenty Gloss Bomb religiously until it inflamed my lips; I tried the Tower 28 one because the brand makes products for people with more sensitive skin — it still irritated me; lastly, I tried giving the Merit Shade Slick (at that point I was desperate), and the same thing happened.

Highlighter: I used to be that person who wore matte foundation to cover up my oily skin, and then applied a streak of highlighter on my cheekbones to emulate a “healthy, glowy look”. While I understand the use of highlighter, my natural “oils” that come out of my skin look so much better than sparkly power artifically placed on my cheekbones. Plus, blending out highlighter is rough. The number of times I’ve seen people in public with unblended highlighter is appalling.

Palettes (eye/cheek): Tell me you’ve panned an entire palette, with proof. The first palette I ever purchased was the Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Rennaissance — for the 90s girls who grew up watching Michelle Phan and juicystar07, you probably understand how iconic this palette was. It was the perfect rosy, warm-toned palette, versatile for a day in the office or a night out clubbing. I used the heck out of this palette until the cover was unrecognizable (real talk though, why did they choose that felt fabric that stained so easily as the palette’s outer packaging?). No matter how many times I’ve used this palette, I only hit pan on 5 shades out of the 16. At the five year mark of owning the palette, I knew it was time for a declutter.

Eyeliner for waterline: Back when I did black eyeliner and lashes, lining my waterline was a must. If I didn’t, it would look terrible. Because I removed the black eyeliner and lashes from my routine, I no longer have use for this. I remember struggling to find a truly waterproof eyeliner that didn’t have fallout. The only one that worked for me was the Marc Jacobs Highliner, which was later discontinued — a telltale sign that change (to my makeup routine) was impending.

Beauty sponge: Despite the sponge being a lot of fun to use when blending out my foundation, I’ve seen mold grow in my Real Techniques sponge too many times to justify replacing it. It’s not surprising, considering you have to dampen the beauty blender, and as someone who likes to store beauty products in a makeup bag or dark cabinet in my bathroom, it’s the perfect environment for bacteria to fester. The sponge also absorbs a small amount of foundation every time it’s used, so you lose a bit of product every time you use the sponge. And as mentioned above, going to the sink to wet it is annoying. If you’re can’t ever see yourself using a brush, keep a travel sized spray bottle of water so you don’t have to get up.

Eyelid primer: I would re-integrate this back into my collection if I still used black liquid eyeliner, because I had incredibly oily eyelids and without primer, I’d end up looking like a raccoon by the end of the day. With the removal of many steps in my routine, I no longer have the use for this. (My favorite was the OG, UD Primer Potion).

Setting powder: The “clean” makeup look entails the dewy, “glass” skin that we all know and love. Therefore, setting powder does the complete opposite of what the clean look tries to achieve.

Setting spray: I don’t think setting sprays are a complete waste of a step especially if your makeup tends to slide around a lot. When I used to go clubbing or to outdoor festivals in the summertime, using a setting spray as a final step was be a lifesaver (the Urban Decay All Nighter saved me from a melted face many times). However, the partygirl-to-grandma pipeline means that despite having a fond appreciation of this product, I no longer need it in my collection.

You are a gem for reading. Thank you, and hope to see you in the next newsletter!

—Beans