beauty

'I've found the best minimalist makeup brands so you can do your full face in 10 minutes.'

Lockdown has finally ended (hooray!). And in celebration of this, you deserve some brand new makeup that makes you feel even more confident, excited, and ready to face the world and go back into the office.  

Watch: 'I tried the lube makeup trick. And the results kinda surprised me.' Post continues below.


Video via Mamamia.

I am assuming that if you're heading into work, you've given yourself less than 10 minutes to get ready and don’t want too many steps or products. You also might want to use the same products every day to create a natural makeup look. 

So, today I will be recommending products from my favourite minimalist makeup brands and my top picks from each of them.

Ilia.

Amanda loves: Fullest Volumising Mascara, $28 and Balmy Tint Hydrating Lip Balm, $28.

If you want volume and curl, look no further than their Fullest Volumising Mascara. This is my favourite mascara for dramatic lashes, and I have already ordered a second. 

If you’re not a lipstick person and prefer a nice lip balm with a tint, I love their Balmy Tint Hydrating Lip Balm in shade Lullaby which is a cool pink and Hold Me is a peachy pink.  

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Merit.

Amanda loves: The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Foundation and Concealer Stick , USD$38, Tinted Lip Oil USD$24, Flush Balm Cream Blush USD$28, Day Glow Highlighter USD$30, Brow 1980 Pomade, USD$24 and Clean Lash Lengthening Mascara, USD$26 (literally everything – I cannot choose!).

My obsession with this minimalist beauty brand is real because I had never found a brand where I had loved every single product before.  

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This was my first experience using a stick foundation, and I found the best way to apply it is to treat it as a concealer for dark circles, spots and redness and then blend it out around the face using a buffing brush. 

The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Foundation is a foundation and concealer in one and this is by far the most convenient way for me to apply foundation quickly on the go. I wear it in shade Bone (it’s the lightest one) and love the natural glowy finish and how easy it to build up coverage if you want to.   

The Shade Slick Lip Oil in shade Taupe, Flush Balm in Cheeky and Day Glow Highlighter in Cava are my other top picks from the brand because I adore these formulas and finish. 

For the eyes, Merit’s mascara is great for length and definition, and eyebrow pomade is a subtle tint so is perfect for the office.  

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Rose Inc.

Amanda loves: Blush Divine Radiant Lip & Cheek Color, $30 and Softlight Luminous Hydrating Concealer, $30.

A new minimalist makeup brand created by Rosie Huntington-Whiteley launched only a couple of months ago. The Rose Inc brand and packaging is super chic, and the blushes and concealers are already getting rave reviews and I agree with them.  

You can wear the Softlight Luminous Hydrating Concealer as a foundation. You do not need both as this is full coverage concealer, and a little goes a long way. It is a long-wearing liquid formula that minimises the look of fine lines, redness and discolouration for an even complexion that glows. I use shade LX10 and LX30 (sometimes mixed).  

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The Blush Divine Radiant Lip & Cheek Color is perfect to achieve a quick monochrome look. The pigment-rich formula contains skincare ingredients including hydrating squalane, protective vitamin E and barrier-strengthening ceramides. I love shades Heliotrope and Azalea for a radiant flush of colour.  

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Victoria Beckham Beauty 

Amanda loves: Cheeky Posh Cream Blush Stick, $68, Matte Bronzing Brick, $96 and Posh Lipstick, $56.

Victoria Beckham Beauty is a luxury cosmetics brand, and I have purchased most of their products including the matte bronzing brick, lipsticks, lip liners, eyeshadows and cream blushes. 

Her blushes are cream sticks, which I love, because I can apply them directly onto my face and blend with my fingers to save time and not dirty too many brushes. They have a smooth velvety texture that leave just a little bit of shine on the cheek, and it doesn’t grab my foundation or irritate my sensitive skin as I swipe it on. 

I recommend shades Knickers, Major and Playground for everyday wear.  

The matte bronzing brick features two soft-matte tones so you can customise your bronze for the most natural, sun-kissed skin. I use a fluffy brush to blend this seamlessly, it wears effortlessly, and is impossible to overdo. I have shade 01 and it is perfect for my porcelain skin. 

The lipsticks are all creamy and nourishing, not matte at all, and come in a range of colours that are perfect for everyday wear. My most worn is Twist and Pout and I wear this with Lip Definer 01 or 02, $46.

Victoria Beckham Beauty is seriously one of the best beauty brands I have come across, the packaging is a luxurious black and brown tortoiseshell design, and I couldn’t recommend them more to the makeup beginner or expert.  

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Charlotte Tilbury

Amanda loves: Easy Eye Palette, $85 and Matte Revolution Lipstick, $49.

Charlotte Tilbury is not known for being a minimalist makeup brand, but I found something great that I just had to include here. I know that you might want to wear eyeshadow, but you can feel intimidated by too many colours in a palette, and don’t want to look shimmery at work. 

Charlotte Tilbury has just launched a new mini palette literally called Easy Eye Palette. It’s made with six neutral matte shades – three for daytime and three for evening. I have this and it is the best for everyday natural quick eye makeup. You will use this a lot.  

Also, I couldn’t add Charlotte Tilbury in here without mentioning their Matte Revolution Lipsticks. My favourite everyday shade is Pillow Talk.  

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Need help with international shipping?  

Just because a brand doesn’t ship directly to Australia, doesn’t mean you can’t get it here. You can still purchase and use a mail forwarding service. There are a few companies that offer this including Australia Post. 

A great guide to how this works can be found here.   

Happy shopping!  

Have you tried any of these minimalist beauty brands before? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.

Feature image: Supplied + Mamamia. 

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