She's a Witch! Burn Her!

So, I've spent most of the day a hot mess.  Jeans, sneakers, Springsteen t-shirt, no makeup, and my hair in a clip.  I think I may have startled some small children in the neighborhood.  Behold, the swamp witch!

Suffice it to say, we're still moving.  This makes day four, I believe, of trying to empty out a six-bedroom townhouse.  Had the weather been clearer, the wedding I sang been a ceremony and not a Mass, and the Falcons not played the Saints, we probably wouldn't be in this mess.  Instead, we have to turn in our keys Thursday morning, and the house is still full of stuff. 

Unfortunately, I couldn't spend the entire day cooped up out of sight, unpacking boxes.  I'd have been fine with that, but at some point, I had to rejoin the land of the living and be seen in public.  That meant that I needed to, at least, brush my teeth and put on some makeup.  I also only had about ten minutes to make myself presentable.  Great.  Luckily, when I set up the bathroom counter, I found an old makeup tray organizer and stocked it with the most used makeup from my train case.  This way, on busy mornings, I can just grab and go, and not have to wade through a ton of stuff.

Today, I learned a very valuable lesson, folks.  If you have good makeup in the right colors, you don't have to put any real effort, or even thought, into looking halfway decent.  This is, literally, step by step, how I got "cute" this morning. 

1)  Splashed cold water on my face (gas company hasn't hooked up the hot water yet.  Joy.) and slathered on a little Garnier Nutritioniste moisturizer.  The exact name escapes me at the moment, but I've never tried a Garnier moisturizer I didn't love. 
2)  Skipped the primer (no time, and really, who cares?  I'm moving.  You're lucky I went to this much trouble) and threw on some Benefit Some Kind of Gorgeous Foundation Faker.  Best. Stuff. Ever. for when you don't feel like wearing makeup.  A travel-sized container is $9 at Sephora, if you want to give it a whirl.
3)  Grabbed my Smashbox eyeshadow quad.  It's four matte neutral colors that define your eyes without making them look made up.  Sephora had it on sale for $6 a few months ago, so I snapped one up.  Unfortunately, you can't get it anymore.  My suggested replacement:  L'Oreal HiP eyeshadow duo in Dashing (matte lavendar pink with dark gray accent color) or Darling (similar name, I'm sorry.  Sparkly nude with medium brown accent color).  They run about $8 at drugstores everywhere.  Dashing is matte, like the Smashbox, and the colors are just enough to give you a polished look.  Darling is shimmery, but similar in color to the Smashbox, and both sets have wonderfully silky textures.  Added bonus, the darker colors can be used as liner as well.
4)  Used my E.L.F. Eyebrow kit to tame my always unruly brows.
5)  NARS Orgasm blush.  Always flattering.  It's a no-brainer.  Easy peasy.
6)  Benefit Erase Paste under the eyes and on any little blemishes that might have popped up (not that I would have any of those...).
7)  Light dusting of Bare Escentuals Hydrating Mineral Veil to set everything.
8)  One coat of Buxom Lash mascara.  All I had time for, and really, all you need most days.

And that's it.  I changed shirts (adorable Threadless tee with a cartoon Leia giving a cartoon Chewy a makeover), ran a brush through my hair (cold water rinses really do make your hair shinier.  I've had no choice in the matter, but can't argue with results), and that was that.  When I got in the car, I slicked on a little Buxom Lips in Clair.  Seriously, ten minutes tops, with no thought necessary.

My point is not the products or the shades, though these are all top-notch.  My point is that a good product in a good shade for you requires less work to apply and less thought, since you know it'll look great.  Grab some go-to products, toss them in an organizer, and keep them at the ready for days when you're running late or just don't feel like worrying about makeup.  I have all my other stuff (and will acquire more, probably this week, since the MAC Villain stuff comes out in stores on Thursday) in my train case, nearby, in case I need something other than what I have in the counter-side tray.  It's not gone.  It's not forgotten.  It's just out of the way of the everyday stuff, and my life is already easier for it.  I guess what I'm trying to say (badly, since my brain is fried and I tend to ramble) is that a little organization and forethought, as well as research and investment (as opposed to grabbing off the shelf out of necessity) can really cut the clutter and simplify your life.  That works not only for makeup, but pretty much every other aspect of life.  Let's cut the clutter, people.  I'm working on it, and I'll let you know how it goes.