A 5-Minute, KOL-Approved Minimal Makeup Routine

It’s the day and age of multi-everything. You have a day job and side gigs. Your makeup is infused with skincare. You carry with you just one tube that you can use as a blush on your cheeks, a light shadow on your lids, and a lip stain. You’re juggling many things at once and slaying it, too. When the going gets tough, the tough resorts to a 5-minute minimal makeup routine – and gets going.  

For a tried-and-tested, no-makeup makeup look, All Things Beauty turned to content creator Bianca the Beauty Nerd. Whether she’s on the way to a last-minute event or coursing through a packed overseas trip, she’s one who always seems to nail her natural beauty looks with ease. Find out how she does it and learn some of her KOL-approved tips and tricks, too.

Putting on a light makeup look in a matter of minutes is honestly a necessary life skill. The key is to find the right easy-peasy makeup routine that works for you and master how to do it. Bianca the Beauty Nerd shares a step-by-step process on how she achieves a clean makeup look below.

An oft-overlooked step, skin prep is super essential in making sure your makeup stays and slaps. Start with clean and dry skin. Apply a toner to help your skin absorb all the yummy, nourishing ingredients you’re about to put on next.

Then, apply a serum. POND'S Bright Miracle Serum Burst Cream has a deep repair technology that hydrates and brightens skin. Fun fact: a single smear of this cream contains 1,000 serum droplets to help you get that dewy, radiant look.

Next, seal all the goodness in with a moisturizer to help revive skin that looks dry, dehydrated, and dull. Finally, put on sunscreen – yes, even if your makeup already contains SPF and even when it looks cloudy outside (read: the UV rays are still out there!). Try POND’S UV Hydrate Sunscreen which helps give skin a glass-like finish, without the white cast.

In place of a full face of foundation, dabbing concealer on targeted areas can do the trick. Focus on key areas on your face, such as down the bridge of your nose, your chin, around the mouth, and wherever else you find dark spots.

“I apply concealer under my eyes and on my broken capillaries, then blend it out using a beauty blender,” says Bianca.

“Lashes are the most impactful part of my routine,” reveals Bianca. “Once I have my lashes on, my eyes look so much brighter and more open.”

If you haven’t already, consider switching to glue-free lashes, a.k.a. the latest beauty secret of KOLs. They adhere to your lids through small magnets and are designed to be re-worn multiple times. Best part? They're lightweight, comfy, and easy to apply and take off.

While glue-free lash can seem intimidating at first, remember that practice is key. “Glue-free lashes take almost no time to put on once you get the hang of it,” adds Bianca. You’ll be surprised at how much time you can save using glue-free lashes, all while looking extra put together.

A KOL-approved hack? Combine your blush and highlighter. Yup, you read that right. “Whether powder or liquid, I like mixing blush and highlighter. Two in one!” says Bianca. “Plus, it’ll look super seamless from every angle.”

Blush and highlighter work magic in making your face look extra glowing and luminous – as if you’ve slept for hours and eaten all your veggies! “I swipe the excess on my eyelids and around my face to bring back dimension,” adds the beauty creator.

Prime your lips with a moisturizing lip balm that has SPF for good measure. Remember, your lippies are exposed to harmful UV rays, too.

Let it set then apply your lip products. “I have super pale lips, so a lip tint is very important,” says Bianca. “I’ll swipe on a layer of lip balm or lip gloss then I’m out the door!”

Do you think you can hack this minimal makeup routine? You might not get it right at first but just keep at it. Sooner or later, you might even be adding more steps to this look or even come up with your own fresh makeup look – and still be done in just 5 minutes, stat!