Here's how to master your make-up in just 15 minutes

Never have enough time to do your make-up? From concealer to lips, Rachel Marie Walsh explains how to master it all in just 15 minutes.

Fortune favours the prepared. Whether you’ve had a late night, use your mornings to work out, or just forgot to set your alarm, it helps to have a polished, time-saving face in your makeup repertoire.

Follow these steps or pick your favourites to leave the house looking great.

Conceal

Apply concealer with a light hand to look bright and well-rested.

BareMinerals BareSkin Complete Coverage Concealer, €26, provides radiant under-eye camouflage and has a serum-like texture that resists creasing.

The wand aids quick application.

“Dab it right up under the lash line, from corner to corner,” advises Scott Barnes, author of Face to Face, €27.74 at Amazon, and makeup artist to J-Lo and Kim K.

“You can also use it as highlighter, tracing a ‘C’ shape from the end of your eyebrow to the top of your cheekbones.”

If you wear a full-coverage cream base, as suggested below, pat some atop blemishes and around the nose.

It sets quickly and matching concealer to foundation makes flaws even less noticeable.

If you prefer sheer foundation, Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer, €24.50, is both foolproof and fade-proof.

Unify

Cream foundation is best in a hurry, as powder formulas generally require layering to achieve your desired coverage.

Liquid makeup can skip or catch in dry areas, which is fine only if you have buffing time to spare.

Once quality cream makeup hits your warm skin, it blends seamlessly.

Chanel Vitalumière Aqua Compact SPF15, €49, is excellent.

The creamy formula gives great coverage, sets to a radiant finish and suits all skin types.

While the blending pad supplied is useful on the go, it absorbs a lot of product.

Using your Beautyblender, €24, or even a stippling foundation brush lowers your cost per wear.

If you use foundation as your sole sun protection, try CoverFX Total Cover Cream Foundation, €32.45 at www.BeautyBay.com.

This makeup contains broad-spectrum SPF30 and creates a velvety second-skin look when properly colour matched.

Eyes

A neutral palette is best when you’re short of time, as mistakes are easily corrected and the colours always flatter.

There are great options available at every price point.

Smashbox Photo Op Trio in Filter, €26.50, is a classic.

For a polished smokey-eye in a flash, makeup artist Lisa Eldridge, author of Face Paint: The Story of Makeup, €27.42 at Amazon, recommends Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick in Bittersweet, €30.

This chocolate cream-shadow blends beautifully and wears well long after it sets.

Using the rounded tip, she smoothes colour through the upper lash-roots and then over the lid before smoking it up to the socket line with a MAC 217 Blending Brush, €26.

Try extending it upwards of the socket line and slightly outside the outer corners to “open up” hooded eyes.

Lisa uses same stick to trace a fine line all along the lower lashes, then dots another layer on top before blending it to softer finish with a cotton bud.

Curling your lashes is well worth the time. If your eyes are large or wide set, Kevyn Aucoin ‘The Eyelash Curler,’ €23 at SpaceNK, www.Net-a-Porter.com, let’s you grip the lot in one clamp.

Shu Uemura’s silver curve-setters are the obvious choice for any other eye shape.

Brow pens with liner-fine tips let you fill in sparse areas quickly and create a natural look with very little product.

Practice applying Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz, €21 at SpaceNK, www.Net-a-Porter.com, in neat, rapid strokes before blending with the spoolie end.

Finish with by pulling NYX The Skinny Mascara, €9.25, through from roots to tips for fast, even definition. An extra swipe on the outer lashes makes you look more awake.

Colour

Nude eyes with colourless cheeks leave you looking a bit washed out, so skip the bronzer in favour of a pretty rouge.

“With blush, placement is everything,” says Scott Barnes.

“Load the brush with colour and tap off the excess. Swirl it over the apples of the cheeks and set with a translucent powder.

“It must be translucent, as formulas will give you ‘makeup face.’ The key to looking natural is to really work your brushes. Blend ’til you can blend no more!”

Try Bourjois Paris Little Round Blush Pot in Cendre de Rose Brun, €9.99, for sheer rosy cheeks.

NARS new shade of Dual-Intensity Blush, €39, Sexual Content, lets you blend sandy peach with soft raspberry for a summertime glow.

It also comes in adorably illustrated packaging by contemporary artist Konstantin Kakanias.

Lips

Use neutral liner and your favourite lipgloss to get a pretty pout in minutes.

There is no risk of colour-clashing or slipping and a less than perfect line is easily disguised.

Most brands do a nude pencil but finding your true nude can be tricky.

Kevyn Aucoin ‘The Flesh Tone Lip Pencil,’ €27, is a makeup artist-favourite and available in seven nudes.

A light application begun from the outer corners is best, as your goal is to define the lips quickly.

If you prefer a slightly enhanced look, a shade lighter than your skintone can visually “push” the lips forward, as highlighter does to cheekbones.

I like 3-Custom Colour Clarifying Pencil, €19 at www.cultbeauty.co.uk, a very fair nude that can also be used above the waterline to widen the eyes.

A coat of Giorgio Armani Rouge D’Armani Sheer, €32, or any high-shine lip colour, intensifies the effect.

A quick check for tidelines and you’re ready to put your best face forward.