Mommy Makeup Monday: Tips for Touching Up Your Makeup

On Mondays, I share a tip, product or tutorial that will help you look polished and put-together quickly and with minimal effort.  You definitely don't have to be a rushed mom to benefit from these posts...anyone who needs to be out-the-door fast (and who doesn't?!) can appreciate Mommy Makeup Mondays!

No matter how hard I try or how many "long-wear" products I use in the morning, it is inevitable that my makeup will begin to wear off by mid-day.  Most days I honestly just don't care...no one besides my little girl sees me, and she really doesn't mind! 

For those days that I can't exactly run around with mascara or eyeliner smudged under my eyes (still trying to figure out which one is doing it to me!), I have a few tricks on standby to help me touch up and look fresh again in only a few minutes.

                                                                      1.  Keep Q-Tips on you.

These are awesome for getting rid of any product that has smudged to a place you don't want it.  Whether it is mascara on your undereyes, gunk in your inner eye corners (we all get it), lipstick that has bled, or product that has settled into creases or fine lines, q-tips can get the smears away quickly.  A quick brush with a dry q-tip should do it, but if your product is being stubborn, I usually use a tiny (tiny!!) bit of water or a little dab of lotion to help it wipe away. 

My Pick: Q-Tips Precision Tips Cotton Swabs ($3.29 for 170).  These are pointed on the ends, not rounded, so they allow you to get into tight spots much more easily.

2.  Be prepared to combat shine.

Even when I use something like a mattifying spray over my makeup in the morning, I still get shiny by about 2pm.  My skin is oily so it can take a little bit of powder without looking cakey.  I don't typically carry this with me, but if I am home and need to run out, I will just take a nice fluffy brush and a little powder foundation (or a sheer tinted powder) and run it over my T-zone.  For on-the-go or if you have dry skin, keep blotting sheets in your purse.  They'll work wonderfully!

My Picks:  MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural ($30) or Cover Girl TruBlend Pressed Powder ($9).  These are so, so similar...I'd go drugstore unless you're looking to spend money at the MAC counter!  For blotting sheets, I love the Boscia Blotting Linens ($10 for 100 sheets) or the Clean & Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets ($4.39 for 50 sheets).

3.  Have those products that wear away quickly with you and ready for you to reapply them.  

On me, this is stuff like concealer, bronzer, blush, and lipgloss.  It's super easy to keep a tiny stick or pot of concealer, a compact with both powders and a little brush in your bag, and you'll be glad you did!  (I will say, though...the only thing I actually keep in my purse in this regard is lipgloss.  I must have 30 of them in my diaper bag!)  Keep in mind, too...these are just your travel products...they don't need to be your favorites.  Inexpensive products are great, too, because if they crack while in your purse, you aren't losing your $30 blush.  

My Picks:  For concealer, I love my Bobbi Brown Face Touch Up Stick ($24).  Pricey, but it works so well, is very compact, and has sturdy packaging.  For re-covering your undereye circles, I love a thinner concealer like the Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Dark Circle Eye Roller ($10.59).  You can easily blend it with your fingers.   For blush and bronzer, I would go with the E.L.F. Blush/Bronzer Duo in St. Lucia ($3).  While I'm normally not a huge E.L.F. fan, for $3 I think this is a great purse item.  It's supposedly a dupe for NARS' Orgasm/Laguna duo, which is $41!!  I would also keep a retractable kabuki brush on hand to apply the powders.  Eco Tools makes a $9 drugstore version; Sephora's comes in at $18 and in 5 colors.  And finally, my must-have purse lipgloss...Victoria's Secret Shiny Kiss Flavored Gloss in Slice of Heaven ($9).  VS renames or repackages this scent/flavor all the time, but through the years I've always been able to find the cake batter flavored gloss.  It smells divine and leaves the prettiest shine on your lips.  It's slightly sticky, but it's worth the tradeoff for its staying power.

What are your go-to tricks for touching up your eye makeup?

As always, everything in this post is my honest personal opinion.  No affiliate links were used.  I have not accepted any consideration for sharing these items with you.  Unless indicated otherwise, all products were purchased by me with my own money.