On Saturday I went to Yoga and lunch with my best friend, the beautiful and talented comedian, Molly Austin (You should really check out her show It’s awesome.)
As we sat down to lunch, she stared at me and said “your skin looks amazing” with an almost curious look across her face. It was a compliment and a question combined. “Thanks, I’m wearing makeup though” I said. “Wait, you wear makeup to Yoga?” she asked. “Yes, I wear makeup everywhere but one day soon, I won’t have to anymore”. She shrugged and ordered a fritatta.
This was the second time she’s complimented my skin in the recent past. I remember precisely because of two things: 1. Molly doesn’t give empty compliments and 2. hearing that my skin looks amazing is not something that happens often. As I’ve mentioned before, my belly and my skin have been my biggest wellness challenges.
Her compliment made me so happy. After years of being ashamed and embarrassed of my skin, wishing for that healthy glow, I finally feel like I’m making some progress. As long as I keep my pesky fingers off my face, it continues to heal every day. I can’t wait for the day when I feel confident enough to throw on some mascara and lipstick and head out, the day when I actually have that healthy glow from the inside out, the day when I always look like I just left the gym and eat nothing but avocados. That day will come, I know it, but until then I have: The 5-Minute Face.
The 5-Minute Face was created by my homegirl, Carmindy, of the greatest show of all time, What Not To Wear. Carmindy has taught me that if I can’t have flawless, glowing, healthy-looking skin naturally, then I sure as hell can fake it. Bonus, I can fake it in under five minutes every day and not look like I have buckets of make-up on.
All hail, Carmindy.
The 5-Minute Face
What you’ll need:
1. Full-Coverage Liquid Foundation (if you have blemishes to conceal) Tinted Moisterizer is probably fine if you are one of those annoying people with decently flawless skin.
2. Powdered Blush
3. Highlighitng Powder
4. Mascara
5. Tinted Lip Balm or Lipstick
6. A large blush brush and a small eyeshadow brush.
How To Do It:
1. Cover your skin with liquid foundation and smooth it in completely.
2. With the large powder brush, in a small circular motion, brush on the blush from the outer end of the cheekbone down and in, to the apple of the cheek.
3. With the small eyeshadow brush, place highlighting powder on the inner corners of the eyes, and along the inner rim of the eye socket (from under the ouside half of the eyebrow, down and around and back in).
4. Apply mascara.
5. Apply lip balm or a light application of lipstick.
Here is a video tutorial for you if that doesn’t make sense.
See my before and afters below. Please excuse the awkward selfies in the terribly, shitty lighting of my bathroom. It took all of the willpower in my being to not apply any filters so please, no judgment.