It's safe to say our skin has been through a lot over the past few months, from bitterly cold temperatures to being caked in party-ready makeup. Thus, January calls for lightweight and low-maintenance beauty buys – of which our team is brimming with recommendations.
While our best foundations, concealers and go-to volumising mascaras will always be staples in our makeup bags, the festive break has left our entire beauty team flinching at the sight of anything full-coverage and heavy. Indeed, the mere mention of glitter eyeshadow and even eyeliner, for that matter, is likely to elicit a groan or an eye-roll (or both).
That said, with the return to work and a calendar stuffed with New Year plans, forgoing makeup altogether may not be an option. Thankfully, though, there are a few product alternatives that offer the skin a pick-me-up without feeling OTT. So, if you find yourself similarly fatigued with your daily makeup routine, we've quizzed our team on the five products they're swapping in this month...
The 5 lightweight makeup 'cheats' we're using this month
As mentioned, our foundations and concealers are shoved to the bottom of our makeup bags for the time being while our skin recuperates from the recent party season. Instead, we'll be dipping into our best face moisturisers even more readily, along with the following glow-givers and timesaving, multipurpose buys.
In case you're in a rush and need some fast and fresh makeup solutions, here are our three quick picks to get you started.
RRP: £31
Infused with skin-loving ingredients like niacinamide and beta-glucan, VIEVE's Skin Nova illuminates, primes and hydrates.
RRP: £21
For a fresh and elevated look, sometimes an eyelash curler is all you need and our Digital Beauty Editor, Aleesha Badkar, loves this one.
RRP: £43
Boasting a blend of nourishing plant extracts, this balm is part serum, part skin tint and offers a touch of sheer coverage and a ton of hydration.
Our 5 lightweight makeup picks
For Digital Beauty Writer Sennen Prickett, this month is all about giving her skin a breather while still achieving a glowy and put-together look. "I frequently wore makeup throughout the festive period, to the point where my skin felt like it needed a well-deserved break," she says. "Although I’ll still be reaching for my makeup icons in my daily routine, I’m also on a mission to let my skin breathe more in January by opting for lightweight, glow-boosting products. So, after dousing my complexion in my go-to hydrating winter skincare essentials, I complete my regime by applying VIEVE’s Skin Nova all over my face."
RRP: £31
Sennen says: "This multi-tasking balm is equipped with skin-loving ingredients and light-reflecting pigments that create the most hydrating and radiant glow – a perfect base, whether you’re wearing it on its own or for those no-makeup makeup days accompanied by your favoured concealer."
Offering a similar healthy gleam but with a hint of coverage, Digital Beauty Editor Fiona McKim's go- this month goes by the name of Anastasia Beverly Hills Beauty Balm. "There are so many products I genuinely enjoy in December, then can’t bear to even think about afterwards," she says. "Top of that list is high coverage foundation. A perfected base holds its own against party makeup – and lasts from the first bucks fizz to the last sweat-inducingly competitive round of charades – but by January 2nd the urge to scrub my face clean and never paint it again is overpowering. However, thanks to this beyond-cold snap, my Celtic complexion has taken on its signature pink-borderline-puce flush. So I’ve been getting along very well with Anastasia Beverly Hills Beauty Balm, a self-described ‘serum-boosted skin tint’ that has a slippery un-makeup-like texture that I can swipe on straight from the tube."
RRP: £43
"It’s got a bit of sheer coverage that helps even things out but feels like absolutely nothing on my face," says Fiona. "It also hydrates with hyaluronic acid and various plant oils, which my wind-whipped and frozen numb cheeks appreciate, too."
If you're looking for coverage and to brighten your complexion without slipping back into your pre-Christmas routine, Digital Beauty Editor Aleesha Badkar recommends one of the best colour correctors – specifically the Erborian CC Red Correct: "Designed to neutralise redness on the face, I dot this creamy formula around my nose and lips, onto my chin and under my eyes to add a touch of brightness and make it look like I'm wearing makeup."
RRP: £20.50
Aleesha loves this cream for days when she doesn't want to "faff" around with makeup but wants a hint of coverage, especially under her eyes. "I feel like I need my under-eye bags covered, but on no-makeup days concealer is too much and often leads me to having to apply other makeup to counteract it – but this is the perfect solution," she says.
She also makes a strong case for investing in a new and good quality eyelash curler – to quickly elevate your look without having to coat on mascara – along with the Erborian CC cream: "Combined with a quick eyelash curl from my go-to Kevyn Aucoin tool that fits in all my lashes without pinching and doesn't leave a kink, this gives me a finished, comfortable and lightweight look in two minutes – no makeup needed."
RRP: £21
If you don't want to bother with mascara but still want your eyes to look awake, a lash curler, like Aleesha's fave Kevyn Aucoin tool here, is just the ticket.
For those who want to add a flush of colour to their cheeks and lips without doing your full makeup routine (and then lugging said routine around in your bag for touch-ups), Digital Beauty Writer Naomi Jamieson swears by the Tower 28 Beauty BeachPlease Luminous Tinted Balm. "I stayed with family over the Christmas break and actually forgot to pack this in my makeup bag and severely missed it," she says, "one, because it's such a flattery shade on me (I use After Hours) and two, it's so easy to apply and actually lasts, unlike some blushes that melt away into the makeup ether. Instead, I used a cocktail of powder and liquid blushes, along with full coverage foundations and glitter eyeshadows, and am now so ready to strip everything back and return to using this cream blush exclusively."
RRP: £21
"Along with offering a fresh and natural flush to your cheeks, this blush also doubles and a hydrating lip balm," Naomi says. "I love to just apply a skin tint followed by a dab of this on my cheeks and lips for a fresh and healthy pop of colour – as well as a cohesive but very natural makeup look. It's buildable, weightless, cruelty-free and wears so beautifully throughout the day, adding to its low-maintenance appeal."
