Fake Awake in Five: The Nude by Nature Makeup Trio I Keep Reaching For

There was apparently a time in my life when getting ready involved sitting in front of a mirror, doing my makeup properly and possibly even contemplating what I was going to wear before I put it on. I don’t remember her, but I’m sure she was lovely. These days, getting ready generally happens somewhere between making breakfast, finding school shoes, packing bags, answering emails and reheating the same cup of coffee for the third time. My makeup window isn’t so much a leisurely beauty routine as a five-minute dash before someone announces they can’t find their drink bottle and we were supposed to leave four minutes ago.

And yet, as I’ve got older, I’ve also reached the slightly unfair stage where I actually appreciate makeup more. My skin isn’t quite as forgiving as it once was, tiredness seems to announce itself more enthusiastically and, after a night of children waking up, I don’t necessarily need my face broadcasting exactly how little sleep I’ve had to everyone at school drop-off. What I don’t want is to feel covered in makeup. That has become my beauty sweet spot: I want to look like I’ve made an effort without actually having to make an enormous effort. Which brings me to Nude by Nature. We’ve been trialling the Natural Mineral Cover loose mineral powder, Hydra Stick Lip & Cheek Colour and Absolute Volumising Mascara, and I’ve ended up using them exactly the way makeup needs to work in my life now. A little mineral powder, colour on my cheeks and lips, mascara and I’m out the door. And you know you’re doing something right when people start complimenting your skin on days when you’ve barely had any shut-eye thanks to the kids. That, for me, is the ultimate test. I don’t particularly want someone to tell me they love my makeup; I want them to tell me my skin looks good, especially when I know the reality underneath it involves very little sleep and probably far too much coffee.

If three products can convince people I’ve had more sleep than I actually have, they’re earning their place in my makeup bag.

Why am I Moving Away From Heavy Makeup?

This has probably been the biggest change in the way I approach makeup. I don’t necessarily want more coverage as I get older. In many ways, I want less. I want to even things out and add some life back into my face, but I don’t want to feel as though I’ve painted another face over the top of the one I already have. That’s why the Natural Mineral Cover surprised me. It’s a loose mineral powder and the texture feels incredibly light. You can build the coverage depending on how much you want, but for me the appeal is being able to keep it light and fresh. It’s also incredibly forgiving when you’re applying it at speed. There is no careful blending around my jawline while studying myself from six different angles. I buff a little on, add more where I think I need it and move on to the next thing, usually while simultaneously answering a question being shouted at me from another room. Its biggest selling point is how it feels, or perhaps how it doesn’t feel. I don’t feel heavily made up when I’m wearing it. My skin still looks like skin, but everything looks a little more even and polished. It’s the difference between wanting people to notice your makeup and having someone say, “Your skin looks really good.” I’ll take the second one every time.

But Doesn’t Powder Make Your Skin Look Dry?

This was probably my biggest hesitation because “powder” and “skin that seems to be getting drier by the birthday” don’t immediately sound like natural friends. I was expecting something quite matte and powdery, but I’ve found the Natural Mineral Cover gives me a much fresher finish than I expected. The trick for me is not assuming more product equals a better result. I buff a small amount onto my skin, build it where I want a little extra coverage and leave the rest alone. That’s much more flattering on me than trying to create an absolutely flawless blank canvas. Perhaps that’s another thing that’s changed as I’ve got older. I’m not particularly interested in hiding every line or pretending my skin is 20 years younger. I just want to look fresh. Preferably fresh enough that nobody suspects I’ve been awake since 4.37am because somebody needed a drink of water, couldn’t find a teddy or simply decided sleep was no longer on the agenda.

The Hydra Stick May Be My Favourite Shortcut

If there is one beauty product specifically designed for the five-minute parent dash, surely it’s something that does two jobs at once. The Hydra Stick Lip & Cheek Colour is a creamy colour stick that can be used on both the cheeks and lips, which is exactly how I’ve been using it. I swipe it onto my cheeks and it immediately brings some colour and life back into my face without looking overdone. Then the same colour goes onto my lips and suddenly everything looks coordinated, despite there having been approximately zero planning involved. This is my kind of multitasking. I’m already expected to know where everybody’s shoes are, remember what day library books need to go back, reply to an email while making breakfast and somehow know that we’re out of yoghurt without anybody telling me. I think my makeup can multitask too. I was initially slightly wary of putting a creamy stick over mineral powder because that sounded like the sort of combination that could go horribly wrong when attempted in a hurry, but I’ve found it blends beautifully. I don’t need another brush or another product. Cheeks and lips are sorted and I’ve probably still got enough time left to locate the missing school hat.

Why Multi-use Makeup Suddenly Makes So Much Sense

There was a time when a separate product for every conceivable part of my face probably seemed completely reasonable. Now I look at something that does two jobs and think it’s genius. Part of that is obviously time, but it’s also about simplifying the amount of stuff we accumulate. Beauty cupboards have a remarkable ability to fill themselves with products that seemed absolutely essential when we got them and then mysteriously remain untouched for the next six months. I’m becoming much more interested in products I actually use, particularly ones I can throw into my handbag and apply without requiring favourable bathroom lighting and 20 uninterrupted minutes. The Hydra Stick earns its place because I don’t need to think about it. It works at home during the morning rush, but it’s equally useful when I’ve left the house looking slightly less put together than intended and realise I’ve got somewhere to be later. A quick swipe on cheeks and lips and suddenly it looks as though there may have been a plan all along. There wasn’t, but nobody needs to know that.

And Then There Is Mascara

There are mornings when I could probably skip everything else, put mascara on and immediately look approximately 40 per cent more awake. The Absolute Volumising Mascara is the final step in my little three-product routine, and for me mascara isn’t about creating enormous dramatic lashes for school drop-off. It’s about making my eyes look awake enough that they aren’t revealing family secrets about what happened overnight. A quick coat after the mineral powder and Hydra Stick pulls everything together. There’s no elaborate eye look, contouring or 17-step tutorial. I am not blending six shades of eyeshadow at 8.12am while somebody is asking whether today is sports uniform day. It’s simply enough definition to make the finished face look intentional, which is really the point of this entire routine.

Can You Actually Do Your Makeup In Five Minutes?

Absolutely, although I should clarify that my five-minute makeup routine isn’t necessarily five calm, uninterrupted minutes. It’s more likely one minute of mineral powder, followed by helping someone find something that’s directly in front of them, back to the bathroom for the Hydra Stick, stop to answer a question, mascara, realise I haven’t brushed my own hair and then everybody out the door. But the makeup itself really is that simple.

On an ordinary day, I want three things: even things out, put some colour back into my face and wake up my eyes. The Natural Mineral Cover does the first, the Hydra Stick handles my cheeks and lips in one go, and mascara does the third. I don’t need to contour my nose before school drop-off. Nobody at Woolworths requires perfectly sculpted cheekbones, and I refuse to believe I need four different eyebrow products before standing on the sidelines at Saturday morning sport. If I have more time and I’m going somewhere, of course I’ll add more. Makeup can be fun, and sometimes the getting ready is part of the fun. But everyday makeup has a completely different job for me. It needs to be quick, forgiving and make me feel a little more put together than I did five minutes earlier.

What Makes The Natural Mineral Cover Different?

I think this is worth explaining because the word “powder” can conjure up memories of the compact powders many of us used years ago. The Natural Mineral Cover is a loose mineral powder made with micronised mineral pigments, with a formula that also includes ingredients such as Kakadu Plum, Jojoba Esters and Kaolin Clay. The application is different from simply pressing a compact powder onto your face too. You tap away the excess and buff the mineral powder into the skin in light circular motions, starting with a little and building the coverage where you want it. That buildability is one of the things I like most. On an ordinary day, I don’t need full coverage. I want enough to make my complexion look fresher and more even while still being able to see my actual skin. And judging by the skin compliments I’ve had while wearing it, apparently the illusion is working.

Is Nude by Nature Good If You Want Natural-looking Makeup?

For these three products, that’s exactly what I’ve liked about them. My priority when I put makeup on now is that I still want my skin to look like my skin. I don’t want to spend the day conscious that I’m wearing layers of makeup, and I certainly don’t want a five-minute morning routine that somehow turns into 25 minutes. The mineral powder evens things out without feeling heavy, the Hydra Stick adds that soft flush to my cheeks and lips, and the mascara gives me enough definition around my eyes to finish everything off. Together, they make me look fresher rather than fundamentally different.

That’s also why those unexpected skin compliments have stood out to me. If somebody thinks my skin looks good rather than thinking my makeup looks good, that’s exactly what I’m trying to achieve. The fact that it can happen after a night when the children have treated sleep as an optional activity makes it even better.

The Parenthood360 Verdict: Fake Awake in Five

Perhaps this is simply what my relationship with makeup looks like now. I still love beauty products and there are absolutely occasions when I’ll happily spend longer getting ready because I enjoy it. But Tuesday morning is not one of those occasions. Tuesday morning is a five-minute dash. Someone can’t find a drink bottle, somebody else has suddenly remembered something they need for school, my coffee is getting cold and I’m attempting to transform my face from “we’ve had a night” to “everything is absolutely fine here” before we get out the door. That’s what I’ve liked about this Nude by Nature trio. The Natural Mineral Cover feels light and gives me the fresh finish I’m looking for. The Hydra Stick is probably my favourite because cheeks-and-lips-in-one is precisely the level of beauty multitasking I need, while the mascara wakes up my eyes enough to finish everything without turning getting ready into an event. Do I look as though I’ve spent 40 minutes doing my makeup? Probably not, but that’s not what I’m trying to achieve. I look fresher, I feel more put together and I still look like myself. Better yet, people have actually complimented my skin when I know perfectly well how little sleep is hiding underneath that mineral powder.

If that’s not successfully faking awake in five, I don’t know what is.

Parenthood360 was provided with Nude by Nature products for editorial consideration. Products provided to Parenthood360 do not guarantee positive coverage. All opinions and experiences expressed are our own and individual results may vary.