Time is one thing that's in very short supply in my life right now. Building a career, running a household, dealing with two small children and a lively dog, not to mention trying to cram in quality time for my husband, friends, exercise, self-growth…sometimes it's exhausting just thinking about it.
Whether it's a busy life or you just like to press the snooze button in the morning, being able to reduce down your getting ready routine is a definite life skill.
If you're in a hurry but still want to look polished, you need a failsafe 'rush routine', packed with preparation and hard-working, multi-tasking products.
Here are the best tips I've learned for a speedy morning routine that delivers:
Get as much ready the night before as you can
Good mornings start with good evenings. When you take ten minutes the night before to prep as many of your A.M tasks as you can, it's so much easier to completely boss the next day.
While my kids are in the bath and brushing their teeth before bed, I whip around and get things ready for the morning. What this looks like is personal to each of us, but in our case it's:
- Laying out the kids' uniforms for the next day
- Packing their bags and filling their water bottles
- Getting my gym kit ready to go
- Loading the coffee machine and getting out cereals and juices for breakfast
The more of these routine tasks we take care of the evening before, the easier and quicker the morning goes.
Move your shower to the evening
Are you a morning shower person? If time is a factor, it might be a good idea to switch to the evening instead.
Not only do dermatologists recommend an evening shower as being better for your skin (it removes dirt and impurities before bed, leaving skin clean and able to regenerate itself at night), but it also ensures you have clean sheets, and helps you to wind down mentally and relax before sleep. Plus, it's a time saver for the morning, especially if you need to wash your hair.
Try using a microfibre hair towel to dry your locks quickly and a heatless curler to wake up with beautiful waves. Using a silk pillowcase also helps to cut down on frizzy hair that needs styling in the morning, as well as being far kinder to your skin.
Plan out your outfits for the week
The last thing I need on a rushed morning is to think about what clothes go together in an outfit. So on a Sunday, while I wait for my bath to run, I check the weather forecast for the coming week and then pull out the clothes I want to wear for the five days ahead, and put them to the back of the rail in my dressing room.
Finding some quick outfit formulas that work without needing much thought is also a great idea. I love leather trousers or a midi skirt with a roll neck jumper at this time of year, as it works for the school run or the office.
Do the high low trade
I'm a big believer in being high maintenance to become more low maintenance. That means investing the time every so often to do things like get your brows tinted, colour your hair, or get gel nails - whatever it is that makes you feel 'done'.
That can mean making a regular appointment at the salon or setting aside an hour on Sunday for beauty at home.
For me, I do my own lash extensions and gel nails every one to two weeks. Once a month, I put on a hair glaze and whiten my teeth. These little things make me feel more put together and then I need to do less each morning to look 'done'.
I've also explored treatments like Lumi Eyes and baby Botox in order to look my best even from waking up. They're not for every one, but for me it's something that makes me feel better and means I can spend less time on makeup.
Find a five minute face
Finding your 'five minute face' is a question of picking out products that are high performing, quick to apply and can multi-task for you. A concentrated edit of things that you keep in a cosmetics bag as your go-to, in-a-rush makeup.
I'm a big fan of Trinny London productsTrinny London products for this reason, as well as how portable they are for travel. I also rely on the following super-speedy routine when I need to:
>> Colab Original Dry Shampoo | The absolute best for not leaving white marks in brunette locks. I wash my hair twice a week and use this on the other days to freshen and pep up my roots.
>> Maybelline Glow Perfector 4-in-1 | Easy to apply primer that gives a gorgeous glow. I love the easy to swipe giant doe foot applicator on this that makes it so easy in a rush. It smooths out your skin and gives it a beautiful, lit from within look that fakes the sleep you didn't get last night.
>> Maybelline Eraser Multi Use Concealer | Swipe on, look more flawless in two seconds flat. There's a reason this has been a best seller for years- and it doesn't crease.
>> Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Powder Foundation | Dab and blend for coverage with a blur. This perfecting powder evens out the skintone and is so quick to buff over skin - plus, using a powder foundation means no need for a separate setting powder.
>> Kevyn Aucoin The Contour Duo | Use to quickly sculpt the face. I take a tapered brush and do a speedy contour down the sides of my nose,on my cheekbones and under my jawline. I love that this is a cool toned shade, perfect for creating natural looking shadows. It's also great as eyeshadow- the taupe shade in the crease, and under the lower lashline, and the highlight shade for inner corners, brow bone and lids. One product, all the look you need for a natural polish.
>> Victoria Beckham Beauty Satin Kajal in 'Cocoa' | Smudge along the lash line for a gentle smoke - I also use it on an angled brush to fill my brows, so it works really hard for me, and I don’t need a separate brow product. I love that this pencil can do everything from soft to dramatic smoky eyes, or a neat line because it's so blendable. The bitter chocolate shade is perfect.
>> Beauty Pie Velvety Matte Lip Crayon in 'Nude Go To' | This crayon is a liner and lip colour in one - I also double up and swipe on as cream blush to speed things along.
>> Beauty Pie Pro Glow Setting Spray | Quick spritz to lock it all in for the day.
>> GHD Unplugged Stylers | Super quick cordless tool to touch up and neaten the front sections of hair.
Have breakfast ready prepped
Having a quick and healthy breakfast ready to go is another great way to save time first thing. It's another thing you can put a little bit of time towards prepping at the weekend.
Things I've tried before are making savoury cheese and spinach muffins for the week ahead, having a banana with a scoop of almond butter, buying pouches of chopped frozen fruit to mix with coconut milk and protein powder into a quick smoothie or making a classic overnight oats recipe with berries, seeds and nuts.
Plus, I love my Lavazza A Moda Mio coffee machine for barista-worthy coffee in my own house!
Working out the routine and the products that balance giving you the look you want with saving time is definitely the way forward for rushed mornings.
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