How to streamline your morning beauty routine

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… and get out the door faster.

Getting ready to go out (or to at least get out of the house) during a Friday or Saturday night looks completely different from your weekday morning routine. I mean, I’m just assuming here, but it’s definitely the case for me.

The “weekend beauty routine” often involves taking your time, maybe listening to some music. That’s kind of what makes “getting ready” fun, isn’t it? Getting ready to go out for drinks or dinner after a long week is often half the fun of the whole “going out” thing, no?

Now, the weekdays on the other hand… things tend to look a little different. Even though I’d definitely consider myself an early riser (as you can probably tell from a few of my posts about some of my life-changing morning rituals) so I almost never find myself being in a hurry. I would, however, be lying if I said that I don’t, at times, find myself rushing out the door.

So… let’s talk about a few obvious and those not-so-obvious tips for streamlining your morning beauty routine and getting out the door on time.

MULTITASKERS FTW

Yes, multitasking can be a productivity killer (and we all think we’re good at it although that’s not necessarily true) but when it comes to your beauty routine, multitasking products are very much welcomed. Tinted moisturizers, cream bronzers, lip & cheek tints… and the list goes on. To this day, I still sometimes go with my good old high school makeup routine and mix a bit of foundation with a lightweight moisturizer and apply it to my face with my fingers, for minimal coverage. It makes things easier and takes about a minute.

EXPRESS BEAUTY HELPERS

Most of you probably know that when, on occasion, you get busy and end up not getting enough sleep + water, and your diet goes to sh*t… it all immediately starts to show on your skin. Unless, of course, you’re one of those lucky freaks of nature who can sleep with makeup on, eat all the french fries you want and still wake up to a flawless skin (first of all, how dare you?!). This is one of the reasons why I always keep a big jug of water on my nightstand. As soon as I wake up, I reach for it and drink a good amount of water. This way, I get my first liter or so out of the way.

And, just because it’s not the weekend, it doesn’t mean that you can’t sneak in a little pampering here and there into your morning beauty routine. Whenever my skin feels very dry, I grab Patchology’s FlashMasque sheet masks. I know what you’re thinking- a facemask on a Tuesday morning? Who has time for that? Well, with these all you need is 5 minutes. The same thing goes for their eye gels, which I’ve been using for years. I usually keep them in the fridge and they work SO well whenever I wake up with my eyes looking a bit puffy.

I almost never reach for makeup-removing wipes (especially not to remove makeup, that’s what my cleansing balms and oils are for) but I really like these Spa Water cloths and they’re great to use when I don’t have time for my usual multi-step morning skincare routine. I just splash my face with cold water, follow up with these cloths that cleanse and nourish the skin and finish with sunscreen. Always remember the sunscreen.

THE OVERNIGHT HAIRDO

You’d think that at some point, during my life-long struggle with hair that’s naturally very oily (think Professor Snape) I’d figure out how to make dry shampoo work for me. Well… I kinda did. I always ended up with either tons or residue on my scalp, or my hair looking matte and lifeless due to my constant product layering because no amount was enough to absorb the oils. The secret, it turns out, is to use the dry shampoo before going to bed. I find that it prevents my scalp from producing excess oil overnight and I have less work to do in the morning.

With longer hair, I’d also put a bit of a texturizing spray in my hair, put it up in a bun and wake up to perfect “undone, but done” hairdo. It’s best to use hairpins when doing this, instead of a hairband to avoid creases and bends in your hair. Now that I have short hair, those loose curls/waives aren’t so easy to create. One, I can no longer put my hair in a bun, and two, curling it takes me way too long to do it in the morning and the curls themselves.. well, because of my blunt cut, they just end up looking a bit too curly. What I like to do instead, is quickly curl my hair at night with a wand. In the morning, the curls are nice and loose, and all I need to do is finish off with a texturizing spray or a pomade.

KEEP YOUR ESSENTIALS CLOSE AT HAND

We just talked about organizing + keeping your collection clean in this post. Keeping some of your most-used and loved products in one place helps keep things simple. The key is to stay organized and always put them back in their place- it’s the simplest way to avoid having to go through your three makeup bags to find your favorite concealer. False eyelashes, full coverage foundations, and bold lipsticks are all products I don’t usually reach for on a daily basis, so there’s no sense in keeping them “out.”

PENCIL/PEN VS. GEL & LIQUID FORMULAS

Everyone knows that cream formulas are pretty easy to work with- especially when you’re short on time. A similar principle applies to eyeliner: a pencil or pen liner is the way to go. Unless you consider yourself a pro, being in a rush and liquid eyeliner do not mix. Pen and pencil liners are much easier to work with. It also helps to keep a bunch of cotton swabs and a little makeup remover handy as well.

PRESSED VS. LOOSE POWDER FORMULAS

Learn from my mistakes, and go with pressed powder products when you’re in a rush in the morning. I can’t tell you how many times I was ready to leave the house, but had to set my foundation and spilled powder all over my clothes and ended up having to change my outfit. I guess that’s what I get for always wearing black.

+ YOUR MOST IMPORTANT ACCESSORY

Whether you spend 5 or 35 minutes getting ready in the morning, don’t let silly things (like a bad hair day) ruin your morning. Because then you’ll probably ruin your day, and then maybe someone else’s. Your smile is your best accessory that can work better than a “full-face” makeup. If you don’t always have the time to make yourself all pretty and put-together, it’s not the end of the world. Don’t be like the girl who almost ran me off the road the other week, while driving and trying to put on mascara. Or the guy I saw in traffic shaving his nose hair who yes, was also behind the wheel. Seriously. Don’t be that person.

Do you guys have any tricks for simplifying your morning beauty routine?