Reading: Lazy Person’s Makeup Routine

Since my days as a beauty director at Glamour Magazine, I’ve been saying that I wish I could just dip a paint roller–like implement in my makeup and simply roll my entire face on. I love the way makeup makes me look: fresh and well-slept. What I hate, at this age, is the repetition of getting there.

To Hell with BB and CC Creams

I’ve tried tons of BB creams and CC hair creams and all of that marketing jazz. It never moved me because it didn’t really serve a need. I also found that tinted moisturizer was a little too thin for anything other than play days.

Enter Iris&Romeo Best Skin Days 5-in-1 Skincare by Michele Gough Baril, who spent 20 years as an executive in the cosmetic industry “where I reported to men and marketed to millennials.” She saw that older women — like herself — were being ignored, or “labeled with an outdated anti-aging story.” She writes: “We’re not looking to turn back time — we’re evolving!” Indeed. And she wanted to cut through the “crappy” products and cut down our 8-step morning routines in the process of inventing something new.

In Praise of Fewer Makeup Steps

Gough Baril sent me her Broad Spectrum Coverage SPF 25 in light medium, and I’ve found it a welcome alternative to a formal made-up face (which I strain to avoid these days). It does, as the label says, “even out skin tone” and add “a beautiful glow.” With almost 19% zinc oxide, it can get me through my daily errands without having to layer on stronger sunscreen.

No, this won’t give you a fully polished made-up face (mascara and all) in one stroke. But it’s a step in the right direction of cutting out the need for moisturizer, sunscreen, and then foundation. And any woman gutsy enough to talk honestly about the frustration of businesses aimed at women but run by men gets my vote.