Get out the door faster- how to simplify your morning beauty routine

Simplify your morning beauty routine.

Getting ready on a Saturday or Sunday morning is so much different from getting ready during the week. Isn’t it?

You know, you can’t take 30 minutes just to do your hair, while getting annoyed at those “are you ready yet?” questions. During the week, it’s more like constantly looking at your phone to check the time to see if you have enough time to do your eye makeup.

Okay, so I am an early riser and I’m almost never in a hurry- it’s just not something that I’m willing to give up for a few extra minutes of sleep. BUT, I’d be lying if I said that I don’t find myself rushing out the door at times.

These are a few obvious, and not-so-obvious tips on how to simplify your morning beauty routine.

Plan ahead

This may seem like a no-brainer, but it definitely helps quite a bit. Planning out your makeup and/or outfit the night before can save you A LOT of time. I also like to make sure that my laptop is always charging before I go to sleep, since I bring it to work with me everyday and that my bag is packed.

Putting your hair in a loose bun overnight

Styling hair is definitely a part of the beauty routine that takes up the most time, especially if you have long hair. One of the simplest ways to assure that your hair will look great in the morning, is to blow it out and keep it in a loose bun overnight.  Make sure that when doing this, your bun is in fact loose, and use a big hair pin, rather than a hair tie, to prevent any indents/creases from forming. Another cool way to refreshen your blow-out is to put velcro rollers in your dry hair, and take a shower (if you take showers in the morning). The hot steam from the water will help to curl your hair a bit and give it some shape. Now that my hair is short, I can’t really put it up in a  bun, but I like massaging some volumizing powder before going to sleep and using a texturizing spray in the morning. Sometimes I’ll use a curling iron and take big sections of hair and curl them away from my face, finishing off with a little hairspray before going to sleep. The next day, my curls are loose and slightly defined giving my hair some texture that helps to get that “undone, but done” bed head hair (with a little help from my texturizing spray).

Oily hair? Try using dry shampoo before you go to bed

On those days when you don’t wash your hair, use a bit of a dry shampoo before you go to bed. Using dry shampoo at night can help to prevent your scalp from producing excess oil. The fact that you rub your head on your pillow during sleep will help as well and will get rid of any excess product, preventing the powdery residue from forming.

Use a pressed powder instead of a loose formula

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.

Use a pencil eyeliner instead of liquid or gel formulas

Unless you’re great with makeup, you know that being in a rush and liquid eyeliner do not mix. You end up with uneven wings/lines and while trying to fix them you totally mess up, next thing you know, you need to take your eye makeup off because you look like a raccoon. Pen eyeliners usually work great for me when I’m in a rush (see some of my favorite and not-so-favorite pen eyeliners right here).  Also, it helps to keep a bunch of cotton swabs and a little makeup remover handy as well. Whenever I’m running late it’s almost always because I decided to use a liquid liner, last minute.

Keep your “beauty” space organized

This is something that I used to struggle with on regular basis. I’d finish doing my makeup, but wouldn’t have enough time to clean everything up. The next day, I can’t find my concealer or an eyeliner and I end up making even a bigger mess. What I started doing was keeping my “everyday” makeup products in a small bin right on my vanity. Because I have so much stuff, this makes things much easier for me; products like very full coverage foundations, intense lipsticks or false eyelashes are not usually ones that I reach for every single day, so it makes sense to keep them stored away.

Go for multi-tasking products

This is probably another point that might make you go “duh”, but it’s  helpful. I’m talking BB creams, tinted moisturizers, lip & cheek tints, etc. Products like these definitely come in handy when you’re in a hurry. Sometimes, I like going for one of those old tricks- mixing my foundation with a light moisturizer and applying it with my fingers. It gives me light coverage and fast, flawless application. Right now I also love reaching for these Grease Relief Cleansing Cloths from Ole Henriksen. When I don’t have enough time for my fancy 5 or 6-step morning skincare routine, I just splash my face with cold water, use one of these cloths and follow up with sunscreen. These are soaked with purifying eucalyptus and AHAs to exfoliate, remove dead skin cells, and smooth texture for a refined complexion.

I also can’t skip breakfast– even when in a hurry. Overnight oats or home made breakfast bars are my go-to options when I’m in a rush to get out the door.