For as long as I can remember, makeup has fascinated and enthralled me. As a 36-year-old working mother of two small children, makeup still has a special place in my heart—and for a long time, it lived there more often than it did on my face. I’ve recently made a vow to myself to incorporate a quick makeup routine as part of my own self-care, and this Fenty foundation has solidified that promise.

I always thought the “five-minute face” was a makeup myth until I became a mom. Makeup is an art, a hobby that deserves care and attention, how could I possibly look my best in just five minutes? Well, what they don’t tell you before you have kids is that you are forced to become a master at doing just about anything in five minutes or less. Making lunch? Three minutes. Getting your face washed, your teeth brushed, and dressed every morning? Four minutes on a good day.

Before falling head-first into Fenty fangirling (I’m so late to the game, I know), I settled for whatever $5 foundation Amazon had in my shade. And it was fine! I looked pretty good. My makeup setting spray ensured fewer cracks in my spackle.

Now I know what a fool I was.

Last weekend, my sister and I were traipsing through Sephora, as you do, with no real purpose other than ogling all of the things we don’t need and can’t afford. And then we perused the many, many shades until we were able to flawlessly match our skin tones and we sampled the Fenty Pro Filt’r foundation with a little dab on the back of our hands.

Within seconds, my hand did what Meryl Streep’s hand did in Death Becomes Her when Isabella Rosselini dabs some of that anti-aging potion on it (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, here’s the clip—you’re welcome). Right before my eyes, my Mom Hand turned into my late-teens/early-twenties hand.

SOLD.

I have never paid more than $10-$12 for a foundation in my life, but the Fenty Pro Filt’r foundation is $38. And honestly, it’s a steal. You need ONE PUMP to cover your entire face—I can’t believe how long one bottle can last. I’ve never been a “light coverage” kind of gal myself, but this foundation is totally buildable. You can start out with a little dab and go from there, depending on the kind of coverage you want.

And because I believe in this foundation so much, I’m willing to share a photo of my bare face on Beyoncé’s internet so you can see the miracle at work.

*Deep Breath*

Screen Shot 2022 01 31 at 8.55.16 AM Motherly
Cassandra Stone

OK, that’s me at 7 a.m. without a stitch of makeup on (or brow gel).

Screen Shot 2022 01 31 at 8.55.24 AM Motherly
Cassandra Stone

And here I am, minutes later, with my full five-minute face. No filters whatsoever. I’m not saying I’m Sandra Bullock over here, but there’s a clear improvement.

Redness? Gone. Undereye circles? Gone. My gigantic pores? A lot less gigantic. Acne marks, sun spots, and any other post-pregnancy damage? Couldn’t be me! I also have a few facial and lip scars from a childhood incident that I’m still a little self-conscious about to this day, and this foundation made me forget all about them.

And because I really, truly love this Fenty foundation, here I am again about six hours after I first applied it (remember that non-filtered skin has actual texture, though TikTok and Instagram would have us believe otherwise):

IMG 8353 Motherly
Cassandra Stone

All I know is I was chugging along all these years with mediocre foundation—which, again, is fine…but just fine—until I went out on a limb and tried something new. I even got two compliments the first day I wore it (my oldest daughter and my husband are used to seeing me look like a goblin in sweats and I am 100% unapologetic about that).

I hope that if you’re a busy mama and decide to try it, you love it as much as I do.

Screen Shot 2022 02 01 at 11.08.52 AM Motherly

$38

Fenty Pro Filt'r Foundation

This soft matte, longwear foundation with buildable, medium to full coverage, comes in 50 different shades. It’s a dream!