How to Build a Makeup Routine That Actually Works

Building a makeup routine that actually works isn't about owning more products or following every new trend. It's about creating a simple, personalized routine that suits your features, your lifestyle, and the amount of time you realistically want to spend getting ready.

Here's what I believe every great makeup routine should include:

1 - Your makeup routine should genuinely leave you feeling like you look better after you’re finished applying your makeup. 

You step back from the mirror, take in the overall effect and you think, yep, that looks good/great/amazing/perfectly sufficient - we’ll call that a win!

But, if you have any nagging doubts about your final results, trust your instincts that something isn’t quite right and put in a little effort to figure out what isn’t working for you. 

It could be the shades, it could be the textures, it could be your placement of product, it could be how you’re choosing to combine various shades/textures together. Makeup truly is about the details, one small tweak can be the solution you’re looking for. 

2 - You need a dialed in daily essentials makeup routine that you can just trot out on autopilot with minimal thinking or decision making required. 

A bit like the famous tech founders and their daily same-ness of black turtleneck / hoodies etc, you need your version of that for your makeup routine. You do not want to be re-inventing the wheel everyday around makeup. You want to know what looks good, you can do quickly and get on with life. 

This is likely going to be some combination of concealers for spot evening out skin, brow powder or a tinted gel to add definition, some light eye makeup (mascara / an eye pencil), something for the cheeks (a cream blush/some creamy highlighter) and something for the lips (a natural looking lip pencil, maybe a quick lipstick). 

3 - AND you also need to be able to dial it up and dial it down depending on what’s going on that day.

Your makeup routine doesn't need to be exactly the same every day. Day at the beach? Going to the office? Out with friends? Just not in the mood to wear much makeup? In the mood to be more glam for no real reason other than a whim? 

You want to know what parts of your makeup routine make logical sense to skip on a casual day or how to amp things up when you’ve got something special going on. This doesn’t mean you need to have multiple different styles of makeup you wear that involve a wide variety of different products, it’s more about having range and flexibility within your core daily makeup patterns and routines using the same basic collection of products in different ways. 

4 - You understand what the ideal way to do makeup is (that will give you the most polished/long lasting/gorgeous results) and you also understand how to be quick and break the rules. You don’t want to be a slave to your makeup routines! 

A makeup routine that works for you means you’ve got the right makeup brushes, you understand the basics of different ways to use your brushes and products - but then you also know how to break your own rules when you’re tight on time, just want to do something the ‘quick and lazy’ way.

Most days it’s worth slowing down and doing things properly, your results will be better, but sometimes it’s also okay to just not bother with the proper techniques and just use your fingers and be fast and less precise. 

For example, maybe your ideal routine includes primer, perfectly blended eyeshadow and three brushes, but on a busy Tuesday morning you skip the primer, blend with your fingers and leave the house five minutes earlier. Have space in your makeup routines for it all and hold no judgement against yourself.

5 - Develop and show your own personal sense of style.

A makeup routine only works for you if it feels like you. You want there to be something of your personality tucked into the daily essentials, your ‘signature touch’ if you will. 

This is highly personal and likely has remained quite static over much of your life. Maybe you love a good red lip. Maybe you always wear a smoked out winged liner (my personal go-to), maybe you can’t imagine life without your beloved warmed up bronzer kissed complexion. 

6 - At the same time keep a general eye on trends and keep things reasonably current

You want your makeup routine to leave you looking like the today version of who you are, not a locked in ‘this is how I looked back in 1987/2010’ version. 

Makeup routines need to be re-visited from time to time, probably at least once every few years really hit the pause button and take a good look at what you’re doing and what the results are. 

This isn’t about chasing trends - no you don’t need to be stalking TikTok or Instagram trying to be current on what the younger 20 year olds are doing with their makeup but you do want to keep generally current with makeup. The same way clothes shift over time, the styles of makeup shift. It can be gradual changes from year to year but if you haven’t paid attention or updated things for quite some time it’s probably a good idea to get yourself in for a makeup lesson and have a complete run through of what you’re doing. 

This update will also need to extend to your signature personality touch. Take that red lip for example, maybe it’s a shiny red gloss at one stage, then it evolves to a highly frosted red lipstick, then a few years later as the trends shift it becomes more of a matte liquid lipstick. Or the winged liner, maybe when you’re younger it’s crisper/sharper and more bold, and now over time it has shifted to something softer and more smoky. 

7 - Pay attention to how you feel when you’re doing your makeup 

If you’re feeling frustrated / discouraged / dispirited by what you’re doing - that’s a big red flag. Makeup shouldn’t leave you feeling discouraged. It’s definitely one of those areas of life where there are fairly clear cut answers and solutions so don’t let it be a source of stress for you. 

You don’t need to achieve makeup artist level of skill to come to a place where you feel confident and competent with what you’re doing. Yes, it takes some amount of effort and a willingness to maybe learn a few new things, shake up how you’ve maybe been doing things for a long time - being open to change! 

When your makeup routine just isn't working anymore or it’s simply time for an update

If you've been feeling frustrated with your makeup, chances are you don't need dozens of new products—you simply need a routine that's designed around you.

A professional makeup lesson can help you simplify your products, refresh outdated techniques, and build a makeup routine you can confidently repeat every day.