Beauty Tips for the Busy Lady From Ponds.

A beauty routine need not be complicated. Just last Saturday, I attended an event where Cheska Garcia-Kramer shares with us her beauty secrets that are quick and simple. Cheska started out in the 90s as a teenybopper star and now, she not only is an actress but she is also a model, designer, and a mom of three children. She is a hands-on mom and she describes how she takes good care of her family. However, as she takes care of her family, she never forgets to take care of herself and it could definitely be seen by her glowing skin with very minimal makeup.

Although I'm not a mommy to humans, I could still learn a thing or two from her tips. I wear a lot of hats - makeup artist, yoga teacher, cat mom (yes, it's a hat. taking care of pets is not an easy task), pole dancer, the list goes on. On a normal day, I'm not really into the whole 2 hours of hair and makeup kind of thing (I save that for special events or shoots), especially for everyday and more so in today's weather. However, there is a need to take good care of your skin and to look just a bit better. I emphasize on the skin. We should take good care of our skin too, because no matter how expensive the makeup is, if the skin is in bad condition, how will the makeup still look good? Also, with good skin, there's less to cover, less makeup, less sticky feels.

Here are some tips I learned in simplifying my morning routine:

Have your makeup kit ready and organized with your essentials

We have our big baul of makeup that stores our palettes and magic tools. On a normal day however, let's stick to the essentials and keep this in a smaller kikay kit ready for us to use. An eyebrow pencil, lip and cheek tint, eyeliner, mascara, lash curler, a few bright lipsticks, BB cream/tinted moisturizer and powder are all you need to look just a tad better. Sneak in a few brushes (clean of course!)  It's summer still. Go have fun.

Get that checklist and tape it where you can see it.

#ChekasChecklist is all the tutorial you need on a busy day. It's simple and fast and gets the basics covered. One thing about Cheska's super fast and super efficient makeup tutorial is that she really stresses a lot on brows. Brows are what frame the face. In one shoot I did, the designer client also noted how the brows change the entire face. I personally prefer using my favorite trusty eyebrow pencil (Shu Uemura hard 9 formula) to give my brows some shape and definition. They even last an hour of pole class and a quick ashtanga workout.

For beginners, I would recommend what Cheska used here, which is brow powder or a nice matte brown eyeshadow that's a step lighter than the head hair color.

Caring for your skin is as simple as 1-2-3!

Clients would know me as aside from being very OC with brows and blending, I really have to start makeup with clean skin. Either tell my model or client to get their face washed or I would cleanse it myself using facial cleansing cloth or makeup remover and Evian water (wiped with facial wipes). Toner and then moisturizer come next and we don't have to put a lot.

Pond's  Age Miracle Cell ReGEN Day Cream is a non-sticky facial moisturizer

We just need a pea-size amount. The best way to apply moisturizer is to massage it to the face in an upward motion because this will counter the downward moment of sagging (one tip I learned). The massage also boost circulation and creates a glow from within.

Pond's Age Miracle BB Cream is a primer, foundation, concealer, and sunblock in one awesome tube.

 A layer of BB cream protects the skin and enhances its glow. Pond's BB Cream has SPF to protect our skin from the harmful rays of the sun and it's tinted so it also acts as a foundation evening out the skintone. I also like that it's light enough and perfect for warm climates. Now do your makeup and you're finished! Not hard!

Looking good doesn't have to be hard, and no matter how busy we are, we should always take time to take care of ourselves, because it's something we owe to ourselves and keep ourselves balanced, mom or not.