OK, so for those of you who don't know me personally, I will tell you, I have spent most of my life wearing little to no makeup.  This is unusual for a dancer who when performing needs a full face.  Let me just say, I am lucky to have wonderful friends who would do my makeup for me.  Growing up I lived with my mom and brother, neither of them wore makeup.  So, I didn't really have anyone at home to show me what to do.  I vividly recall watching a girl in my freshman home room who would do her makeup each morning completely in awe.

Before my 30th birthday, I made a goal for myself to learn how to do a full face of makeup for myself.  In order to ensure I had motivation for this I signed up for a few beauty pageants for which I would do my own makeup.  I think I did a pretty good job if I do say so myself.  I also got 2nd runner up at my 1st national pageant and 1st runner up at my second national pageant, so that kind of backs that up.

The problem is that's all I really learned how to do, a full face of makeup.  While that is great for date night and special occasions, its not something I have the time and energy for in the mornings.  Now that I am a little older and have two little people, I think its high time I put slightly more effort into my face in the morning.  To do this, I went to the same source that I used the first time, YouTube.

There are a ton of amazing makeup tutorial and product review videos on YouTube.  The first time around I watched a ton of videos from some talented YouTubers including Casey Holmes, Kathleen Lights, Ellie Dalton, and a little Pixiewoo.  Definitely check these out if you are in need for some makeup inspiration.

For this however, I needed a quick and easy look that would make me look alive and awake on a daily basis.  I viewed a bunch of videos and I have collected a few here that I liked the best.

Beauty and the Boutique

This first video is makeup artist, Katie, doing a simple makeup look on a soon to be mom, Rebecca.  I liked this video because she breaks down each product and what it does.  She explains why a mom would want it due to lack of sleep or less than lustrous skin, etc.. She includes steps which you can do or leave out if you really are in a rush.  Plus, Katie has a British accent which makes me love hearing her talk.   If you head to her website www.beautyandtheboutique.com you can get her top 10 makeup artist secrets.

Coffee with Dani

I love this video because Dani is super real.  She shes the mom of a toddler, so she knows that we only have like 5 minutes to ourselves to get our makeup done.  In the description below the video she lists all the products she used and links on where to find them.  She also lists drugstore alternatives where appropriate.  So, if you like this video, definitely go check it out in YouTube to see her product list.  Lastly, I really love her advice at the end.  Every face is different so what works for one person may not work for another.  Dani advises that you pick out your best and worst feature. Highlight your best and conceal your worst and you will have a quick look that you can walk out the door with.

Whats Up Moms

I love this quick and easy tutorial.  Elle is the mom of two, a 2.5 year old and a 4 month old, so she is definitely feeling the lack of sleep, like me.  This tutorial by Tati, of (http://www.youtube.com/glamlifeguru) is nice quick, simple and easy.  If you only have a few minutes to actually watch the tutorial on doing your makeup in a few minutes, this is the one to pick.  I love the added bonus of showing you how to take the look into evening with just minor tweaks. Definitely check it out! And go to Tati's own YouTube channel for more makeup looks.

Here's an added bonus: When I was checking out the videos, I let the Whats Up Moms video automatically play the next video.  I found some hilarious adds that poke fun at mom life on the Whats Up Moms channel.  They have commercials for Oscar Mayer, Resolve Carpet Cleaner, Motts and more.  Definitely check them out if you need a good laugh!

I hope these videos are helpful for you, I know they have helped me. You can check out my pic later this week on Facebook to see how I put these tips into practice.  Do you have any quick and easy makeup tips? Please leave them in the comments, since I am always looking for makeup advice!!

Cheers,

Emily