Five Minute Makeup Essentials

I could easily spend about 20 minutes or more doing my makeup in the morning if I had the time. In reality, I spend about 10 minutes on an average weekday morning and always use the same couple of products. On the rare occasion, I leave myself with only five minutes to spare for makeup after hitting the snooze button on my phone far too many times. We've all had those mornings and I can't say they're any bit of fun. It's a nauseating feeling when you get up realizing you only have time to brush your teeth, put clothes on, slap product on your face and comb your hair if you're lucky. My perfect morning would allow time for me to read in bed for at least a good half hour before going about my day. But who honestly has time for that? I've rounded up seven of my go-to products for a super speedy five minute makeup face. Let's get started.

FACE: Pop one pump of the IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream 50+ on the back of your hand and use a foundation brush to blend it all in. You can even just use your hands if you prefer doing it that way. Follow up with the Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer, which is a weightless, full coverage concealer that hides any imperfections underneath the eyes. Apply Benefit Hoola Bronzer in the hollows of your cheeks and high points of the face followed by the Benefit Dandelion Blush for a sheer ballerina-pink flush of color on the cheeks.

EYES/BROWS: Work Benefit Hoola Bronzer into the crease to give your eyes some added definition. Follow up with the Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara to lengthen, curl, volumize and condition the lashes all in one. Fill in your brows with the Benefit Goof Proof Brow Pencil to darken any sparse areas. 

LIPS: Use a nude, natural shade that is quick and easy to apply. I love wearing MAC Velvet Teddy, which is a deep-tone beige color that looks great with any makeup look.

And that's all, folks! Some of you may think that using seven products is far too much for a five minute makeup routine, but that's as little as it gets for me! Because I'm always testing and discovering new products, I would say that I definitely tend to put more on my face than most people. I do want to note though that makeup should be used to enhance your features, not cover them up! I've never been a fan of looks that use heavy contouring, full coverage foundation and bold lips and eyes. When there's too much going on, makeup can disguise what you really look like. And I think it's important to have confidence in yourself with or without makeup. Not to be cheesy, but you're beautiful the way you are and makeup should be fun, not something you rely on to feel good.

Hope you're having a nice weekend guys! 

xx JG

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Good Reads To Check Out

I'm back on the book reading grind guys. I feel almost ashamed with myself for completely failing at one of my goals for 2016. Back in January, I aimed to read one book a month for the rest of the year. Yup, just one. That's not a lot to ask of myself seeing as my morning commute is the perfect time to fit in some good quality reading time. Let's just say I did everything, but read. And trust me, I love to read books mainly because of the place they take my imagination and because I'm generally a lover of language, grammar and great writing. I just found that reading blogs, writing for this blog, watching my favorite YouTube channels and getting my Netflix fix were all in constant competition with reading a good old-fashioned book. I left it to the summer season to turn things around because there's nothing better than reading a book you're really into while catching some rays on the beach or by the pool. It's the definition of relaxation in my book- ha, no pun intended. 

With just a little over three months to spare, we'll soon be saying goodbye to 2016. Weird, I know. But it's better late than never to get back into a hobby you love or work on a personal goal you've been pushing aside. With that being said, I've been excited about getting my hands on a few books that have been hyped in the blogging community and social media. Lately, I've been reading the likes of Gillian Flynn to get excited for my favorite time of year- Autumn/Halloween. You may know Gillian Flynn as the writer of Gone Girl, a #1 New York Times Bestseller that was turned into a psychological thriller film starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike. I recently finished her debut novel, Sharp Objects, which is about a newspaper journalist who returns to her hometown in Wind Gap, Missouri to report on a series of brutal murders. Her writing style is incredibly unique and just kind of sticks with you in a very unsettling way. It's brilliant the way she manages to reveal that "a-ha" moment when you didn't even see it coming.

In keeping with the thriller/murder/mystery theme, I'm currently reading Dark Places, which is also by Gillian Flynn. The story already has all of my undivided attention and I'm not even that far in. Dark Places is about a woman who confronts the childhood memory of the murder of her mother and sisters as she investigates the possibility that her brother, who was convicted of the crime, may in fact be innocent. If thrillers aren't really your cup of tea, a few other lighter suggestions may be better options to consider. For example, Elizabeth Gilbert's Big Magic has been talked up recently and I took an interest in reading after learning that it was essentially a self-help book for creatives or people who aspire to live their lives creatively. You may know Elizabeth Gilbert from her novel Eat, Pray, Love, which was a 2006 memoir that was adapted into a film starring Julia Robert and Javier Bardem.

Finally, I picked up a few other must-reads that I should have read awhile ago- yes, I know I'm a little late to the book party. Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up is finally part of my growing book collection. I figured this cult favorite will give me the motivation and inspo I need to keep my bedroom tidy - a daily struggle I can't seem to conquer. And of course I have to read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child because why not? Harry Potter was a big part of my childhood as it was for countless others. I get far too excited when any of the Harry Potter films are on Freeform (ABC Family channel). Who else can relate?! And because I can't get enough of thrillers, I couldn't leave The Woman In Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware behind. It's a story about a travel journalist who goes on a cruise for an assignment and believes she witnessed a woman being thrown overboard - talk about a twisted plot. Well, it looks like I have A LOT of reading to do. I'm curious to know which of the above interests you most - let me know!

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