What to keep in your bag as a busy mom, and the five minute makeup routine that fits in a purse.
Kiera's first job out of college started at 8 a.m., which she was never once ready for.
So she brought her makeup with her. Not a little pouch. The whole makeup bag, into the car, every single day. She'd do her face at stoplights on the way in, which she'll be the first to tell you was not safe, and if she ran out of stoplights she'd finish it at her desk.
Her boss caught her. More than once.
"I was like 22 years old, though. Don't judge me."
She's a mom of two in Phoenix now, filming this on six hours of broken sleep, and the instinct never went anywhere. What changed is what she carries.
The 5 a.m. alarm that never worked
For a while she tried to solve it the way everyone tells you to. Set the alarm for 5, get up before the kids, do a full routine, eat breakfast like a person.
What actually happened was she slept an hour and a half past it. Every time. No makeup, no breakfast, out the door.
Then she stopped trying to become a morning person:
"The best thing I ever did was start planning for the day I'm actually going to have, instead of the day I want to have."
The day she actually has contains fifteen minutes parked in the school drop off line. It contains red lights, and ten minutes early to an appointment, and a parking lot. None of those are long enough to go home and get ready. All of them are long enough to put your face on, if your face is in the car with you.
The minimalist makeup routine that replaced the makeup bag
She keeps a Stak in her bathroom and a second one in her purse. It's a set of makeup pods that twist together into one Stak about the size of a travel deodorant, and you choose which pods go in it, so you're not carrying shades you'll never touch.
The full face she's wearing while she films this was done four hours earlier. She points that out, a little smugly, and she's earned it.
What's in hers right now:
The Cream Concealer in 004N, which is the pod that never leaves. When a blemish turns up at 2 p.m. she covers it at a red light, and covering it takes roughly as long as the light does. Then Lip and Cheek, one pod doing two jobs, and Bronzing Balm, which in her words adds some colour she could really use right now.
Then the Phoenix problem. She describes sweating her face off more or less permanently, and BB Powder is what locks the creams underneath it into place, with a bit of extra coverage on the way past. Powder Blush rotates in when she feels like it.
Her Lip Glaze is in the shade Undone, which she noted was also a fair description of her day. And there's always an Eyeshadow Duos pod in there, two shades to a pod, one matte and one shimmer.
The piece that makes the car work at all is the Mirror Lid, Base and Brush. There's a mirror in the top and a small brush in the base, so the thing you'd normally forget is already attached to the thing you remembered.
She's clear that the on the go thing predates the kids. "I have literally always been like this. I think there's something wrong with me." Her read on the cubicle years is that a Stak sitting on a desk would have been fine. Discreet, even. It was the full makeup bag that got her caught.
What else to keep in your bag as a busy mom
Two snacks, always, one for her and one for the kids. Protein bars for herself, True bars for them, both from Costco. She names these before she names anything else.
A pair of black sunglasses, alongside the Ray-Bans she already had, and her stated reason for keeping them in the bag is that on a no-makeup morning with dark circles they let her walk into a store anyway. Sunglasses count as getting ready.
K18 AirWash dry shampoo, which she's blunt about being expensive. She's used dry shampoo for a decade, her hair turns greasy inside a day, and this is the first one she's found that leaves nothing behind.
A hair clip, for Pilates or the gym or just getting it off her face while she drives everyone around.
And electrolytes, because two kids and errands all day in the hottest city in the country will do that.
How to build a makeup routine that fits in your purse
Picking pod by pod is the fun version. If you'd rather not make seven decisions today, the Starter Stak comes ready to go, and it's where about a quarter of customers start. If you'd rather have your shades picked for you, the Stak Quiz takes a couple of minutes.
Every pod is vegan and cruelty free, with no parabens, talc or fragrance, built on jojoba oil, shea butter, plant derived squalane, vitamin E and sweet almond oil. The full ingredients list is here. Pods refill, so when a shade runs out you replace the pan and keep the pod.
One warning from Phoenix: on genuinely hot days the Stak comes out of the car and goes with her. Balms soften.
She isn't the only one doing this
"I don't often wear makeup and always wanted something I could easily keep in my purse since I usually decide I need makeup well after I leave the house. Their sets are perfect for this need."
"I took my Stak on my first trip last weekend and it was so convenient vs bringing a makeup bag with a bunch of products. I travel a lot and have been trying to reduce my toiletries, and this product has exceeded my expectations."
"This little brush is so convenient and works great. It goes well with the stak. Put it right in your purse and off you go."
Frequently asked questions
What is the best minimalist makeup for busy women?
The best minimalist makeup for a busy schedule is something you can carry and finish in one sitting, wherever you are. A Subtl Stak holds concealer, bronzer, blush, powder, eyeshadow and lip in one stackable set of pods that twist together, with a mirror in the lid. You pick only the shades you'll use, so there's no filler and nothing to dig through.
What should I keep in my bag as a mom?
A snack for you and a snack for the kids, sunglasses, dry shampoo, a hair clip, electrolytes, and makeup you can use one handed. You're covering the gaps in a real day, like fifteen minutes in the school drop off line, rather than carrying a whole getting ready kit around.
Can you do a full face of makeup in your car?
Yes, if your products are built for it. A Subtl Stak has a mirror in the lid and a brush in the base, so you don't need to bring a separate mirror or a brush roll. Most people finish in under five minutes using their fingertips and that one brush.
How much makeup do I actually need in my purse?
Most people reach for four or five things: coverage, colour, something to set it, something on the eyes, something on the lips. A Stak holds exactly those in one pocket sized Stak, so it replaces a makeup bag instead of going inside one.
Does powder makeup hold up in hot weather?
Powder helps in heat because it absorbs oil and sets whatever's underneath it. BB Powder is made to lock in cream layers like concealer and bronzing balm, and it adds a little coverage on its own, which is why people in hot climates tend to keep it in their Stak year round.
Is it safe to leave makeup in your car?
Creams and balms can soften or separate in a hot car, so bring them inside when it's really hot. A lot of people keep one Stak at home and carry a second one, moving it out of the car on the worst days.
Plan for the day you're actually going to have
You don't need a longer morning. You need the five things you reach for, in one Stak, in your bag.
Or build your own, pod by pod.