I don’t have time for makeup. I wish I did, but realistically, I don’t. Plus, I am usually taking care of the kids or working at home, so the whole ‘done-up’ look would seem a bit weird. Yet, when I have to do pre-school drop off and pick-up, I don’t want to lool like a stay-at-home/work-at-home Mom. (Though my yoga pants give me away, but that is another post altogether.)

I needed to find some easy products that did the trick; making me look ‘put-together’ with minimal time. I had started feeling a bit desperate that I began to consider getting lash extensions and lash dip, but don’t have the time to do that either, let alone maintain it!

So when I was at a Clarins event recently, the makeup expert was a Mom herself and she totally felt my pain. While her children were now in the pre-teen phase, it wasn’t that long ago she struggled too. She even laughed about the fact she didn’t have time for makeup, but worked in the industry. (Now, I don’t feel as bad!)

She suggested three products from the Clarins line that would give the ‘polished-without-looking-like-you-were-going-to-a-board meeting’ look. While I did like her Clarins-specific suggestions, you can find similar drugstore items for less or organic versions in other makeup lines. Thus, here are my three makeup must have products – especially for stay-at-home-Moms.

1. A Bold Mascara. One that will give you that falsies look. That way, you don’t need liner or eyeshadow for your eyes to pop. I’ve been using the Clarins Wonder Perfect Mascara and you can see the difference. The Clarins mascara is on the right.

2. Sheer Foundation. I tried the Clarins Skin Perfecting BB Cream. It comes in three shades, and it is as easy as putting on moisturizer. It has just a hint of color and a light finish. It doesn’t conceal, but it does give you a nice even skin tone and SPF protection. Alternatively, you could use a pressed powder from lines like Bare Escenturals or Jane Iredale. The key to each one of these is an even skin tone, a wee bit of color, and is quick to apply.

3. Light Lipgloss or Bold Lipstick. I personally love a bold lip. It makes you seem posh. Red is a good color to have on hand at all times. A good red matte lipstick in a great shade (try Chanel’s Passion or Clarins’ Passion Red) will work in the winter and the summer. I’d personally suggest staying away from a gloss red. It will seem like you are going to Vegas and not the PTA meeting. Alternative to a bold lip color is a soft one. Like the Clarins’ Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector line. There are some great neutral shades, and it is easy to stash in your coat pocket or car. You can also find some easy, light glosses from Burts Bees.

If you have more time, obviously, then you can add blush, lip liner or eye liner. More power to you. However, if you only invest in a 3 step makeup routine, I think you’ll be rockin’ the bus stop with these three products in your pocket or purse.

To help you get started on your makeup makeover, I’m giving away three Clarins Rouge Eclat Age Defying Lipsticks in Juicy Clementine, Tropical Pink, and, of course, Passion Red! I’m also giving away the Clarins Skin Perfecting BB Cream too! Congrats to Kathy for winning!

Giveaway ends on May 10, 2013. Here are four ways you can enter. Do all four for the most entries!

• Leave a comment sharing your favorite makeup item! (How simple is that!)
• Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment telling me you’ve done so (and what your Twitter handle is!). (I send funny tweets so it may be worth your time!)
• “Like” the CharleneChronicles Page on Facebook OR my page on Google+ and leave a comment telling me you’ve done so. (I know this is a hard one, but you’d get to see cool things, right?)
• Tweet this message! and leave a comment with the tweet URL. (How to do so can be found here.)

And don’t forget to check out my other giveaways! Totaling over $300 dollars!
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Rules: (Gotta have them)

+Leave a comment about this post; US entrants 18+ are welcome. Include your name and email in the appropriate fields so I can contact you if you win. (Including just first name or first name + last initial is OK!). For your safety, please do not put your email in the actual comment. Anonymous or SPAM-like comments will be discarded. Entry period closes at 11:59PM ET, May 10, 2013.

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One lucky winner (drawn randomly via “And the Winner is” WordPress plugin) will receive three Clarins lipsticks. No substitutions and the winner will be notified directly via e-mail who has roughly 48 hours to respond and claim their prize. They then will be listed back at this post using first name only. A minimum of 5 people must enter in order for the Giveaway to occur.

+++Winner must comply with all rules mentioned here, or a new winner will be selected. Charlene Chronicles has the final decision on the winner and is not responsible for wrong email addresses or notification being tagged as spam. The prize will be fulfilled by a Third Party and Charlene Chronicles is not responsible for the fulfillment. Any concerns about your prize should be directed to the company(s) mentioned in the post. By entering this giveaway, you have agreed to all these terms and have assumed such liability and willingness to share the information requested. Twitter, Facebook or Google is no way affiliated with this giveaway. All information is being collected by Charlene Chronicles, but will not be used for any other purposes other than selecting a winner. Full legal disclosures can be found here.

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To claim entries, please post one comment on this post per entry (include permalink, name, or tweet url if required). Good luck!

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Image Credit: My own. All Rights Reserved.

Disclosure: I did not receive compensation for my review. I did receive the Clarins lipsticks and Cream that I am giving away here. All thoughts and opinions, however, are my own.