Staff Picks: How we do our three-product face

Maybe you woke up late, and you’re pressed for time to do your makeup. Or you really want to use your cute new purse but only have room for three products. It can be difficult to have to curate your look to just three essentials but the PV team decided to take on the challenge and nominate which three products we just can't live without!

Liz: My top three essentials would be a brightening base with SPF, eyebrow pencil (or pen), and a moisturizing lipstick. Right now my favorites are the Origins Smarty Plants CC Cream with SPF20 since it makes my skin look great without any coverage, the Benefit Goof Proof Brow Pencil for quick full brows, and the Burt's Bees Lipstick in Sunset Cruise since it's a beautiful shade with a moisturizing balmy texture.

Den: When I'm in a rush, I really do just apply three things to my face. I use Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Repair CC Cream SPF30 to moisturize, protect, and even out my skin. The tint is very light so I don't even have to worry about blending it properly! I tend to look pretty pale though so I can't skip my Happy Skin Get Cheeky With Me blush in Summer Fling. I apply it just below my cheekbones so it also gives a slightly contoured effect. Finally, as a PV girl, I make sure my brows look lush but groomed with K-Palette Liquid 2 Way Eyebrow. As bushy as my brows are, I sadly have sparse areas that I've only been able to successfully cover with this HG brow product!

Diane: I use MAC Studio Fix Powder to even out my skin tone and dab Benetint on my cheeks for color. I currently love Happy Skin's Bulleye Perfect Trio. It's my go-to product to achieve perfect brows because it already has a pencil tip, a powder tip, and a spoolie brush.

Kim: This is really hard because even on my most 'natural' days, I'd still be using around five or six products. If by some bad joke I am forced to cut down to three, I'll go for a cushion foundation, brow pencil, and mascara (tough choice between lipstick that could double as a blush, but I figured I'll just bite my lip and slap my cheeks for color). So my three product face would be made up with the L'Oreal Lumi Cushion in W3, Heroine Make Eyebrow Pencil, and the Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara!

Renee: I have pretty bad dark circles so I have to have a concealer. I stumbled onto the Careline concealer in Chestnut (P95) during one convenience store run, swatched it and never looked back. It is surprisingly creamy for the price and matches me to the T. My other picks would be the City Color Be Matte Bronzer in Chocolate Truffle for cheekbone snatching purposes or lightly applied all over the face for warmth, and the NARS Illuminator in Orgasm that I would probably carry to my grave, just in case.

Charlie: I can’t leave the house without fixing my eyebrows because they’ve gone crazy, and right now my best bud is Witch Pouch’s Easy Drawing Gel Eyebrow. It stays on all day and it’s the right shade of brown for me. When in a hurry, I usually just put on my Naturactor Powder Foundation. It doesn’t have much coverage but it evens out my skin and makes my dark circles look less scary so it works. And my lips, being super dry, need constant moisturizing. Currently, I’m loving a couple of Burt’s Bees lip balms.

Crystal: Whenever I'm in a rush to get out of the house, there are three things I'll reach for. I get a powder with good coverage like MAC studio fix powder, a bright lipstick like NARS Schiap, and a brow grooming product like Snoe Eyebrow Gel. This is one of my favorite brow products because I can get away without using a browcara.

Jordianne: My go-to look when I only have two minutes to get ready needs just three products: one for the eyebrows, one for the lashes and one for the lips. I use the e.l.f. Treat and Tame for my brows. My favorite mascara is the Covergirl Lash Blast Volume mascara, but I'm currently using up the Brow Lash Ex Lash Sculpture mascara, which works really well. As for the lips, my go-to is the Wet N Wild matte lipstick in Bare It All.

Angela: I use KJM Lip and Cheek tint Bittersweet Magenta on both my lips and cheeks. I then put Maybelline Clear Smooth All-In-One Powder Foundation. It's really good and affordable! Lastly, I use Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm so my lips don't get dry or chapped.

Marianne: When I'm pressed for time, I just focus on a clean face, groomed brows, and a pretty pucker. For my face, I use the Nivea Men Post Shave Balm, which is popular online for being a primer - but this doubles as a moisturizer, too! Then I prefer using a pencil product for my brows so I can vary the opacity easier; Nature Republic's By Flower Wood Eyebrow is my fave. Lastly, I use NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream because I love the formulation, and it sits really nicely on my lips. Budapest is my current favorite shade.

Katsy: Right now my three product face would be this - Avon Ideal Oil Control Pressed Powder, Daiso Eyebrow Pencil, and a lipstick that may/may not double as blush. Current fave lipsticks are Guerlain Automatique in Roselip and By Terry Dare to Bare. I find that I can easily apply these products in the car, and the finished look is enough to make me look polished for meetings.

Marielle: The idea of shaving down my whole routine to three products freaked me out a little bit, but I've always had an idea of what makeup I could survive on. For my base, it would be a powder foundation to cover up and remove shine, like Silky Girl Silky White BB 2-Way Powder + Foundation in 01 Light. I can't be without eyebrows, so K-Palette's Lasting 2Way Eyebrow in 102 Natural Brown is my immediate pick to help with mapping and filling. To color lips and cheeks, Pink Sugar's Queen Bee Sugar Tint is the gorgeous multi-tasker for me. 

Stacie: On a non-school day, I only wear Heroine Make Mineral BB cream, which has light-medium coverage to cover my broken capillaries and even out my complexion. I define my brows with Etude House's Easy Brow Pencil, and use a tint on my lips and cheeks. I currently have Tony Moly's Liptone Get It Tint, which is really pigmented and not as drying as other tints.

Gett: My default makeup consists of filled-in brows, concealed skin, and lipstick (usually something red or dark). I use Nature Republic Auto Eyebrow Pencil to lightly fill in brows, and Pink Sugar Our Li’l Secret Concealer to conceal spots and blemishes. Then, I’ll use a lipstick like Besame Cosmetics 1946 Red Velvet lipstick. I like how it has a square tip which makes it easy for me to make precise lines with a red lipstick.

Sam: If I had to, I'd go with a customizable concealer like the Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage, which I'd be able to use for spot coverage and all-around coverage mixed with moisturizer. Its two pans will make it possible to highlight with concealer, too! Then I'd go with the Sleek i-Divine Eyeshadow Palette in "Oh So Special" (rather than more adventurous palettes) because not only is it pretty, it's also pretty versatile! I can do my brows with the brown-black shades, eyes with everything, and some contouring and highlighting as well. Lastly, I'd pick a dark mauve-y shade like Bite Beauty's Pomegranate, which I can wear as is or mix with my concealer for a nude pout (or even some eyeshadow to create more looks), and cream blush. But only if I had to.

Claire: Whenever I'm in a rush, I always, always reach for my Laneige BB Cushion. It has great coverage and lasting power even if I don't set with powder. I'll be fine as long as I have blotting paper. For lips and cheeks, Nudestix's Double-Ended Lip + Cheek Pencil is a great option for effortless color. For eyes, I was so torn between a brow product and a mascara but I figured I'll be happy with my lashes as long as I have my lash curler. I love using The Face Shop's Designing Eyebrow Pencil for that natural brow look I often go for.

Karla: It'd be the Bobbi Brown corrector in Bisque, Make Up For Ever Aqua Brow, and Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Outlaw!

Can you survive with just three products? Which ones would you include in your three-product face?