Hi! My name is Mae and i need your advice and expertise badly. I'm 30 years old and a newbie in make up. As in I know no tricks, techniques or best products when it comes to make up. I was content on sponging on a powder foundationand slathering on lip balm since I have suffered from severe chapped lips since forever - thus my aversion to lipstick - and thats about it.

Ironically, I was hit with the desire to put on make up at a time when I could hardly squeeze in some time to learn, research, experiment and practice. You see, I'm a new mother to a 4-month old baby boy, very hands on and breastfeeding at that. To top it off, I have to be at the office by 8am. With the stress of adjusting and lack of sleep I realized I look pale and dry in front of my clients when I caught my reflection on a glass wall. Here I was marketing to them and I looked so unpolished! I felt myself shrink and what a jab to my confidence. That's when it hit me, the importance of make up to [achieve] a polished and professional look. Thus my hunt on beauty blogs and getting to know you beauty experts!

I've been following your blog for some time now since I can go online while breastfeeding but I admit it leaves me quite overwhelmed. Could you please help me? How can I sport an easy and speedy office look? Simple but polished and professional. Think of it as a tutorial for the dummy. What products do you recommend? 

Hi Mae, thanks for sending in this letter. I've already done a tutorial on a quick office look with long-wearing makeup (try Bobbi Brown - expensive but the best!), so you can check that for one way to do it. :) I decided to show another routine here with only nine products and 15 minutes of your time every morning! 

You will only need one brush and your fingers to do this look. If you use the right products, they'll stay on all day with only minimal retouching. :) Before you do all this though, don't forget to wear sunblock and some eye cream! That will keep your skin protected from the sun and other environmental stressors. Here goes!

Step 1: Use a face primer like the Benefit POREfesshional to smoothen your skin, cover up pores, and help your base makeup stay on longer.

Makeup for the office need not be overly complicated or fancy. It only needs to do these things for you: to make you look professional and polished, to mirror your competence and the effort you pour in your job. Now it depends on the office environment, but as a rule, a bare face can make you look lazy and ungroomed. A bit of makeup to liven up your complexion can do wonders to get you and your work noticed!

That's not to say that you should go all out and pile on the products. It's best to keep eyes subtle and soft, with just a hint of healthy glow on your cheeks. As for the lips, you can't go wrong with brown-based colors mixed with plum or pink - they are always flattering but never overbearing.

Here's a list of dos and don'ts when wearing office makeup!

• Keep your skin well-hydrated to make sure that it won't dry out with unusually cold office airconditioning. To moisturize during the day without removing your makeup, spritz on a face mist! The humectants in your moisturizer and makeup will trap the moisture of the water in your skin.

Evian is a nice facial spray. It's mineral water and has a minimum amount of chemicals.

• Invest in good makeup that are fool-proof and will get you out of the door in under 15 minutes. That means getting multi-purpose products like cheek and lip tints, BB creams, eyeliners that can double as cream eyeshadows - the likes. But of course it ultimately depends on your preferences.