If you had all the time in the world, you would love to spend hours on doing your hair and makeup, lounging in warm bubble baths and putting on all types of facial masks and creams. You love everything to do with cosmetics, and you enjoy using your body as your own personal beauty product canvas.
Of course, you live in the real world — the one with a full schedule, places to go, things to do and little time for pampering. If you feel like you’re always rushing out the door in the morning, the following tips can help you simplify your beauty routine while still looking amazing.
1. Shorten the Length of Your Shower
A great place to start saving time on your beauty routine is in the shower. If you love to spend as long as you can standing under the cascading water, it’s totally understandable — it is a relaxing habit. It is also one that can take up more time than you have in your busy schedule. On the days when you need to get out the door quickly, focus on basic hygiene needs and then get out; you can still enjoy a longer shower on the weekends or when you get home from work. In addition to saving time, Boston University notes you can also save a ton of water; if you shorten your shower by only two minutes, you will save 10 gallons of water, which adds up to 3,650 gallons by the end of the year. That is great for the Earth and your water bill.
2. Let Your Hair Dry Naturally
If you feel like you are a slave to your blow dryer, going cold turkey on this hot device can save a lot of time in the morning, and also help your hair look less dry and brittle. When you get out of the shower, pat your hair dry with a towel and then style it with a brush and/or your fingers. Spring for a hair product that is designed for air drying; Redken offers a line of No Blow Dry Air Dry Stylers that will help your hair look amazing and well-styled, even without heat. Of course, on those days when you have more time you can certainly use the blow dryer but once you stop using it regularly you will probably be pleasantly surprised at how much time you save and how great your hair looks.
3. Find Ways to Simplify Your Makeup Routine
Another great way to save time in the morning is by cutting some unnecessary corners in your makeup routine. If you painstakingly apply a lip liner and then fill in with lipstick, try going with the lipstick only or a nice lip gloss — you might not miss the lip liner at all. Instead of applying sunscreen and then a foundation, look for an all-in-one product with a built in SPF and save an application time. If you adore the look of long lashes but aren’t wild about applying multiple coats of mascara, you might want to buy eyelash extensions; many women find that they no longer need mascara once the extensions are in place. It’s easy to find a great selection of lashes in a variety of curls and thicknesses; with eyelash extensions you can still have bold and beautiful lashes while also saving time by not applying mascara.
4. Skip the morning facial wash and moisturize
From the time we were little girls, many of us have been advised to wash our faces before bedtime, and then again in the morning. But unless you are getting up at 2 a.m. for a jog around the neighborhood or your skin is super oily, there really is not any reason to wash your face so often. Before bed, when you have a bit more time, wash your face with a gentle cleanser and then follow up with a moisturizer, if you wish. Then in the morning, make sure some of that warm shower water hits your face and massage it in with your fingertips to wake up your pores, and that’s really all you need to do. In addition to saving time, you won’t strip your skin of so many natural oils, and you might find you can also use less moisturizer.
When you have some time off of work and can linger in the bathroom for as long as you want, by all means do so. But on most days, when you are uber busy and rushed, it is good to know you can cut back on some basic beauty tasks and still leave the house looking polished and beautiful.
