Imagine this: You hit the snooze button on your morning alarm, then roll over to discover that your doze was actually 45 minutes long. Now you have to prioritize. Do you have time to shower, shave and do a smoky eye?
For many of us, this is an everyday reality. So to reduce the likelihood of having a meltdown, we've rounded up six ways to simplify your beauty routine for a less stressful morning.
- Wash your face the night before and don't skip the moisturizer. Give your mug a good scrub to remove makeup, sweat and dead skin build-up at the end of each day. Hydrating lotions and anti-aging products will work better on a freshly-cleansed face.
- Shampoo and blow-dry before hitting the sheets. Instead of feeling rushed to shower and suds up your strands, get it all done at night. (And you won't be caught wearing wet hair in the daytime like this celeb.) Save extra minutes by also styling your hair in loose braids or pin-curls. In the a.m., undo the plaits or pins, finger-comb into waves and you'll have full, bouncy curls.
- Use facial wipes to refresh your skin. This cooling and calming product will remove any gunk that ended up on your face while tossing in bed. It only takes just a few seconds to swipe your face clean.
- Liven up your locks with a touch of dry shampoo. Nightly hair prep can go wrong. So we recommend keeping a bottle of dry shampoo handy to instantly add volume to flat hair or a fresh and fragrant scent when you wake up.
- Get your hydration, sun protection and color by applying a tinted moisturizer with SPF. Our morning beauty routines were forever changed when made this summer skincare staple a year-round essential. Its many uses not only cut down on the overflow on our bathroom counter, but we gain extra time to pick out the perfect pair of heels.
- Ace the five-minute face with double-duty beauty products. There's no need to lay out all your makeup like you're preparing for a photo shoot. You can simply use your eyeliner as a brow corrector or shadow, lip stain as blush or concealer as primer.
What tricks do you use to simplify your beauty routine? Tell us in the comments section.
Meanwhile, here's a way to get your cosmetics clutter in order:
Want more HuffPost Style beauty content? Check us out on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram at @HuffPostBeauty. (For everything else check out our main HuffPost Style Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram @HuffPostStyle.)
---
Do you have a beauty story idea or tip? Email us at beautytips@huffingtonpost.com. (PR pitches sent to this address will be ignored.)