I've had a few people ask me recently for some makeup tips for college, and thought I'd write an article about it to answer!

College girls face special challenges when it comes to makeup: we need to get ready in a hurry, (8 AM classes on 4 hrs sleep means no time in the morning), want to look natural but pretty, but still love to have fun with makeup!

How can you create a look that's pretty, but not overdone? What's appropriate for college, anyway? These questions and more will be answered.

Today I'm going to talk about daytime makeup for college - a beauty routine for when you're going to class, work, and just hanging out around campus. I'll be covering nighttime makeup looks in another post soon.

Read on for my top tips to doing pretty & simple daytime makeup!

Keep it simple.

You don't want to spend hours getting ready every morning, so keep your makeup routine as minimal as possible. You'll be thanking yourself when you wake up late and have to run out the door to your 9AM class! Simpler is better.

Here are the cosmetics essentials that I recommend:

• Mineral foundation - Covers everything, looks completely natural, and is easy to use. I like Bare Escentuals bareMinerals SPF 15 Foundation.
• Concealer - For those days when you wake up with a zit or didn't get enough sleep. I recommend Benefit Cosmetics Erase Paste for the under-eye area, and Neutrogena Healthy Skin Smoothing Stick for blemish coverage.
• Mascara - 100% necessary no matter how great your natural eyelashes are. Mascara makes your eyes pop & helps you look put-together. My favorite is Maybelline Full 'N Soft Mascara.
• Lip gloss or lip balm - Because dry lips are never cute. I love Rosebud Salve for lip balm, and Chanel Glossimers for lip gloss.
• Blush or bronzer - For a hint of color & to help you look awake, even at 8AM. Which brand to choose? NARS makes the best blushes and bronzers out there!

Start with great skin.

When your skin looks good, the rest of your makeup routine becomes 100 times easier. Instead of piling on the foundation and cover-up, you can just use a mineral powder or tinted moisturizer.

A few tips to get your skin in tip-top shape:

• Drink water! I know it's cliche', but it's true. If you aren't getting enough hydration, your skin is just going to look bad. Buy yourself a sigg bottle and carry it everywhere. No excuses!
• Get rid of your blackheads. Huge pores that look dirty are never a good look on anyone!
• If you have acne, consider seeing a dermatologist if it's bad. They can get your skin looking better than any drugstore quick-fix ever could.
• If you only have mild breakouts, consider using a line of products like Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control. (I've tried that line myself, and it's fab!)
• Wear sunblock! Okay, another skincare cliche', but come on, you know people wouldn't keep saying it if it wasn't true.
• Don't ever go to bed without washing your face. It's a recipe for breakouts, wrinkles, and premature aging. Keep some baby wipes in your room for nights when you're too exhausted to make it to a sink and USE THEM!

Do your makeup in daylight!

Photo by sara.musico

I can't stress this one enough - put your makeup on in the best, brightest lighting you can find, even in front of a window if you have to!

Since most dorm rooms have terrible lighting, it's so important that you see what your face ACTUALLY looks like before you step outside! Makeup often looks perfect indoors but totally fake & awful outdoors. Don't let that happen to you.

Don't overdo it.

That opaque black, smokey eye that you saw in last month's Allure would be fabulous for a party - but it's not appropriate for a 10AM math class. Same goes with bright red lips and anything neon.

Keep your makeup simple and neutral for daytime. There's a time and a place for the crazy stuff, don't get me wrong! It's just that the place is not in a classroom during the day.

What are your makeup tips?

Do you have any makeup or skincare tips that you think should be here? Have I left anything out? Leave a comment with your thoughts!

Stay tuned for the next set of makeup tips - I'll get into all the fun stuff, and dish out some nighttime makeup tips!