How long does it take you to apply a full face makeup?

Realistically, how much time I should expect to spend once I learn the steps and proper technique?

And conversely, how much time does it take you to remove make-up if you use the double cleanse method?

It used to take me about 10 minutes, but that was when I wore full makeup. Now it's just foundation and lipstick. I've found "less is more" now that I'm older and my skin is so saggy.

To remove it takes about 5 minutes. I don't know what you mean by double cleanse, unless you mean use a makeup remover wipe first, then wash my face. I use Neutrogena's makeup remover cloths. They get most of it, before using my cleanser.

BTW, baby oil is an inexpensive and effective eye make up remover, even for tough waterproof formulas. And a little goes a long way.

Double cleanse is using baby oil first and water-based cleanser second

I find baby oil too greasy for my face. But it's great right after a shower (on still damp skin) on my arms and legs when the air is VERY dry! That's all I use it for now since I don't wear mascara, liner, etc. anymore.

I am 52 and I am learning to use makeup. I just did not learn when I was younger. I do not have saggy skin on the face (and I am overweight which makes for tauter skin, I think) but have a problematic neck. Oh well. I have so far learned to use brow mascara and lash mascara and I remove them with baby oil followed by Vanicream cleanser. But it takes time. And in the morning, 10 minutes sounds like I will need to ramp up my skills acquisition to get there. I have bought all the products but have not mastered the routine yet and the specific application steps with brushes. A lot to learn.

Careful rubbing your eyelids to get the makeup off. I wore liquid liner for a while when i was in tenth grade, removing it with baby oil or vaseline, and unknowingly rubbed too hard, giving myself permanently wrinkly eyelids. They look like balls.

Oh my goodness, eyelids like balls! I am so sorry!

I will be careful and gentle.

Me too!

I forgot to say that, yes, be gentle. Actually it's good to be gentle to skin period, especially on the face. Around the eyes in particular, the skin is so much more delicate.

My mom didn't let me wear make up until 7th or 8th grade. And even then, just a bit of eye shadow, lip gloss (not lipstick), and blush. Sometimes I put too much blush on and looked like a clown. I hate clowns!

Technique can vary and there's so MANY products out there. And various formulas for just something like foundation: Liquid, powder, long-wearing, lightweight, etc. And don't get me started on finding the right shade!

I never got the hang of liquid liner; I didn't have a steady hand. So I used pencil instead. They do have long wearing ones.

For me, 20 minutes usually.

I do not have a steady hand, either. I just don't.

And I want to correct myself: double cleanse, as this method is explained by Dr Dray - YouTube, involved first using body oil, not baby oil. I bought body oil some time ago and I will switch to it; I was just confused. Body oil has another ingredient besides mineral oil and its texture is much lighted than that of baby oil.

To me this sounds comforting. I am not there yet with full face makeup, but I cannot see myself spending less than that.

I don't do makeup. Could never find anything that really matched my skin tone and consequently wondered why do I have to cover up my natural face color. I don't like to see people whose face is one color but their ears and/or neck is a different color. I also have dermatitis so a double cleanse would destroy my face - my skin is that sensitive. My skin also peels so if I were to put on makeup, it would look worse so instead I resort to putting on lotion on my face throughout the day.

I only do mascara (some times), blush (some times), and lip gloss. That's the extent of my makeup routine. Not even a minute.

I always put on sunscreen. I rarely wash my face. I put on lotion to "clean" it - think Pond's cold cream type methods. In dry climates, I have to put on vaseline and thick Nivea cream - I'm not making this up.

If your makeup is water based, I would think a water-based cleanser should suffice. If your makeup is oil based, perhaps an oily cleanser would be suitable. If your mascara is waterproof, then you may have to work harder to take it off.

At one point, I put argan oil on my face and it improved my skin greatly - can't even remember why I stopped.

Do you enjoy putting makeup on? I don't. But my sister loves it.

Wayne Goss - YouTube
Dr. Shereene Idriss - YouTube

I think I’m one of those people who look better without makeup or at least with not much.

I do think some (many) women look great with make up though and I wish I did look better made up. I love dramatic eye make up on other people!

For me my routine is a little tinted moisturiser (just to even my tone and for uv protection) and concealer for my eye shadows- so about 5 mins or less.

Oh, it is a must to put the same products on the neck and ears as one puts on the face. My makeup artist has taught me that but I have already been using tinted sunscreen on the neck, decolletage and ears. it is actually very important to put sunscreen on the ears because the ears are a frequent location of skin cancer. I learned it many years ago.

I do not know yet how to apply blush properly, or lip gloss. I apply mascara. I have gotten pretty fast at it after practicing for what probably has been two months. I apply brow mascara and lash mascara. For the blush, I have a brush but I am not a very dexterous person so I have yet invested time I will need to invest in learning. Still, I cannot imagine that for me mascara, and blush, and gloss will take less than a minute.

I also put on sunscreen and until I started with mascara, I would not wash my face. I just put Retin-A at night on most nights. On Saturday night, I apply glycolic acid and before that, I wash with a water-based cleanser and after the glycolic acid dries up, I apply CeraVe moisturizer. When I apply glycolic acid, I skip Retin-A.

Isn't that how our mothers' generation cleaned their faces, with Pond's cold cream?

I greatly enjoy the process of applying it, even though I do look good without it. I am hoping to learn the techniques and progress to a full face.

I do use sunscreen on my face and neck, and I wear a big hat or use an umbrella for sun protection as well. I see a lot of people using an umbrella for both sun protection and from the heat, as it provides shade too. We get so little rain that the umbrella is more handy for that. Years ago one would get strange looks if using an umbrella with no rain falling. Not anymore!

Lips are vulnerable to the sun and its damage too. I use lip balm with sunscreen. I hardly spend much time outside though. NOW we not only have the sun to worry about but mosquitoes since they love hot weather. And they carry diseases....malaria is back now.

Yeah, it was. And I found it too greasy when I tried it years ago. And I always wash my face, morning and night! It gets grimy and feels like it needs to be washed, no matter whether I wore make up or not. I couldn't stand not washing my face. That's like not brushing my teeth.

I've used Neutrogena and Olay's products for decades now.

Too much make up on older women can make them look even older, as the make up settles into their wrinkles looking like a road map.

I once had a VHS (!) video in the 80's by Donna Mills, an actress who did her own makeup. It was called The Eyes Have It and it showed how she made up her eyes for different occasions, like for the office, playtime, and evening. Of course I could never master her technique. And my eyes don't look like THAT. Now that I'm older my skin sags too much for me to bother with eye makeup.

I also drive in sun-protective gloves. I got them from Coolibar. They will have a sale at the end of the summer. I highly recommend the gloves. And modern UPF materials do not lose the sun protection from washings. So it is a one time purchase.

I am so glad people no longer give strange looks to those who carry an umbrella with no rain falling. One day I will buy an umbrella, too.

I think I have been using them for two months now and only now, for the first time, I got noticed. And it was by my hairdresser who said she noticed the moment I walked in that I was wearing mascara.

I wonder, do other people not notice or do they notice and not tell me?

The hairdresser agrees that she notices more things than other people do.

When i wear eye makeup, people tell me i look more awake.

A fellow comedian once told me that my mother had big beautiful eyes, which i did not inherit - he said i had these little pig eyes. Its true, i have my dads eyes.

My eyes were once big, but no more. I think it is a combination of age and the fact that my face has gotten bigger and rounder.

My grandmother had small but sparkling brown eyes. All her life she spoke with awe of women who had big eyes. I do not think she realized how much sparkle she had and how that more than made up for where she did not measure up size-wise.

This subject does remind me of an old Cathy cartoon (I sure miss and loved that cartoon; I could relate to her), where she went a day without makeup. I don't recall if on purpose or not. Anyway, at work she had people saying stuff like "You look tired. Maybe you should take the rest of the day off" and "Are you feeling okay? You look a bit pale. I'll help you with that today."

Last line in the captions is "Never underestimate the power of going without makeup" as she's smiling.

I looooooved Cathy!

Me too. I cut out and saved quite a few cartoons.

If one wears make up regularly so people are used to seeing you that way, they may not recognize you if you skip it! I'm reminded of something back in the 80's, when I had an acquaintance who wore a lot of eye makeup, heavy eyeliner and mascara that would smudge and make her look like a raccoon. (It looks good on them, but not us!) Her mom wore make up that way too.

We all volunteered at the same place. One day the acquaintance waved me down, and I thought "Who's that? I don't know her but she knows me." So I went over and said "Stephanie?!" And I was thinking, "Gosh I didn't recognize her without her eye makeup". She also looked washed out without it, because she wore so much.

Over 40 years ago and I still remember how I just didn't recognize her AT ALL!