Overslept? Look Awake and Alive with One Single Product

You know that moment when, on a workday, you wake up and open your eyes and the sunlight looks wrong? Like the light coming in through the windows looks way too bright. You sit up with a gasp, realizing you’ve slept completely through your alarm. And you have a meeting in an hour and no one is allowed to miss this meeting.

This is how my life goes way more often than I’d like to admit. And if you’re anything like me, on mornings like this, you don’t even have time for a lil’ five-minute makeup routine before you run out the door. But you still want to look cute, right? What if you could just keep one (one!) product in your bag or coat pocket and know it was always there—one that you could use on the bus to brighten up your whole face and arrive to work looking fresh and well-rested?

Well rejoice, because there are products designed exactly for this purpose. They’ve changed up my entire get-ready game, and I’m here to let you know which ones work. And so we aren’t daunted by the sheer simplicity of it all, pro makeup artist Sarah Lucero weighed in to offer advice on how to apply these lifesavers to perfection.

Choosing (just one) color

If you wake up, run out the door, and do your one-item look on the train or in the parking lot, you’ll obviously need to choose your shade wisely. “Peaches, corals, and caramels tend to look natural and pretty on a lot of different skin colors,” says Lucero. “Absolutely, a single color on eyes, cheeks, and lips is a quick way to look freshened up and bright.” (Lucero says she uses Stila Convertible Color in Camellia, Peony, and Fuchsia “ALL the time.”)

Putting it on

How would one go about applying this magical all-in-one in a hurry? Lucero recommends simply using your ring finger, which will give you the lightest pressure for doing this monochromatic look. Get some of the product onto the pad of your finger, and then lightly tap tap tap color onto your cheeks and lips. “You don’t have to do a lot of rubbing,” says Lucero. For eyes, keep the color close to your lids, and again gently tap the pigment into place. Easy!

Try it! 3 excellent one-and-done picks

ILIA Multi-Stick in All of Me

$34 | shop now

Let’s be best friends, ILIA Multi-Stick. Great on any skin tone, the vibrant, watermelon-pink goes on sheer and gives eyelids a little bit of warmth, while managing to make the rest of my face look alive and not at all zombie-like. The tube is a nice size (fits in my pocket!) and the ingredients are organic and also hydrating. The problem is I want this stick in all four colors to carry around with me, and that directly contradicts my whole one-product-for-everything idea.

rms beauty Lip2Cheek in Promise

$36 | shop now

My go-to spring and summer all-in-one-r stunner. This gorgeous warm pink has the tiniest bit of golden shimmer, which makes my lids, lips, and cheeks subtly glowy. Fabulous—and also made with the purest ingredients.

Inglot Cosmetics AMC Cream Blush in 88

$12 | shop now

The formula is so light and creamy, yet—in usual Inglot fashion—there’s a ton of depth to this peachy color. In addition to being smooth and instantly blendable, the pigment is easy to build up if you want more punchiness (a little goes a long way!). And there are 12 shades in all if my pick isn’t your cup of tea. And since they’re $12 apiece, doubling down isn’t out of the question.