A five-minute makeup routine built around one feature

A red lipstick can do an awful lot of work for a woman who’s running late. So can a good mascara. The trick is remembering this before you’ve spent four of your precious five minutes trying to make both eyebrows look like distant relatives of each other.

Some mornings simply aren’t meant for a full face of makeup.

Pick your favorite feature, give it a little attention, and let the rest be. Lashes, lips, brows. One gets the starring role. The others can take the morning off.

First, a little cheating

Not actual cheating. More like knowing when to quit.

If you’ve already done your morning skincare, you’re ahead of the game. Sunscreen should go on before makeup, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. Apply the recommended amount and allow it to settle as directed. SPF isn’t something to skimp on because you’re late.

After that? Forget the elaborate foundation routine.

Try a little concealer around the nose, at the inner corners of your eyes, or wherever your skin could use some evening out. Pat it in with your finger. A skin tint works nicely, too, especially if you prefer a bit of coverage all over.

And don’t go hunting for every tiny imperfection. Nobody across the breakfast table is examining your pores with a magnifying glass.

Two minutes, one very useful little pot

Cream blush is one of those products that earns its place in an overcrowded makeup bag.

A dab on the cheeks, blended with your fingertips, can make you look considerably more awake. Keep it soft and a little higher on the cheekbones if you like definition, or closer to the apples for that just-back-from-a-walk flush.

Pink isn’t compulsory, by the way. Peach, berry, warm terracotta. Whatever looks good against your skin.

If your cream color is made for both lips and cheeks, you can tap a little onto your mouth as well. There’s something quite pretty about having the same hint of color in both places.

Just check the label before using a cheek product on your lips. Not everything is meant to do double duty.

Now, what are we doing with the remaining minute?

This is where you get to be a little vain. Pick the feature you like best.

For the lash girls: Mascara. One coat, concentrating at the roots before pulling the wand toward the tips. You might be surprised how much difference that makes without eyeliner or shadow. Skip the lower lashes if they tend to smudge.

And no mascara in the car, please. The FDA specifically warns against applying eye makeup in moving vehicles. Your eyeballs deserve better.

For the brow people: A quick brush upward with brow gel can change the whole expression of your face. If there’s a sparse patch, add a few pencil strokes. Don’t spend three minutes attempting to manufacture two identical arches. They’re sisters, not twins, as every makeup artist has probably reminded someone by now.

For lipstick devotees: Oh, this is the fun one. A berry stain, a pinky nude, that unapologetic red you’ve been saving for absolutely no reason. Put it on, tidy the edges, and suddenly the absence of elaborate eye makeup feels like a deliberate choice.

Funny how that works.

Before you grab your keys

Have a look in daylight if you can. Bathroom lighting is notoriously forgiving until you discover a stripe of unblended blush in the rearview mirror.

Check around your nose, the edges of your cheeks, and your eyelids for wandering mascara. A clean fingertip or cotton swab takes care of most little accidents.

Then stop. Really. Put the concealer down.

There’s an entire category of makeup mistakes that happens after you’ve already finished but decide to improve things just a little more.

Save the smoky eyes and contour brushes for a morning when you have nowhere particularly urgent to be. Today, a good lip and a little blush might be the whole look.

And quite a nice one at that.