Waking up early in the morning is hard — and figuring out how to get ready in the morning and jump into your beauty routine with gusto is even harder. If you’re part of the camp that knocks their alarm clock to the floor on its third snooze, running a comb through your hair might seem like asking for much. Getting out of your jammies and into something thoughtful and fashion-forward is asking for even more. Whether you’re a morning person or not, there are certain tips that — if used properly when armed with a cup of coffee — can make your morning beauty routine a lot faster and a lot smoother.
Whether you're a lazy girl or just really enjoy getting your full eight hours of rest, sometimes one can't be bothered with giving the mirror a lot of time. If you don't enjoy waking up at the crack of dawn to get your hair done and your skin pampered, then this is the list for you. A lot of it has to do with night-before preparation and then divide and conquering on small tasks rather than committing to big projects. With a few of these tips handy for tomorrow morning, your scramble for the door just might get smoother, if not more enjoyable.
Here are seven tips on how to get up early in the morning and get the most out of your fashion routine.
1. Cut Out Steps
If every last minute counts when it comes to your beauty sleep, cut out steps for you to do in the morning by preparing them the night ahead. For example, before you pull on your pajamas, head to your closet and decide what you want to wear the next morning. Sometimes an outfit in your head doesn’t quite work out on paper and requires some trying on, which can take a good chunk of time in your morning routine. Experiment the night before and odds are you’ll end up with a much better end result.
The same goes with your beauty routine. I like to keep a little makeup bag with all the essentials I use so I don't have to dig around my black hole of a makeup drawer for that one lip pencil in the morning. Having a makeup bag of your favorite colors and tools also ensures that you stick to what you know, and don't end up sleepily deciding you want to experiment a little and try out a smoky red eye that goes terribly wrong. This ensures you won't have any mishaps that’ll require makeup remover and too many cotton balls because you made a bad, sleepy decision.
2. Make Or Buy Yourself A Fun Drink
Alright, so you’re up super early in the morning when all you want is to be burritoed in your bed. It stinks, I know. But since you have to get through this next hour whether you like it or not, you might as well make your morning routine a little bit happier by fixing yourself a little treat before starting. Make a nice cup of coffee, an exotic tea, a sweet cup of hot chocolate — whatever fits your fancy. I make myself a hot cup of coffee in a fancy British-high-tea type of cup and get adventurous with my creamer flavors. I literally wake up excited for it every morning. If you have something pleasurable to sip on while you convince yourself to wake up, you’ll have a more fun time of it.
3. Sign Up For The Five-Minute Makeup Routine
If you’re a morning person and enjoy taking your time in the bathroom with your pots and tubes, then this tip isn’t for you. This tip is for the gal that comes in grumbling with her hand running down her face, wishing she could justify jumping back into her covers.
Simplify things for yourself by establishing what your five-minute face looks like. We all have different features we like to accentuate and highlight, so figure out what yours are and focus only on them to ensure your bathroom time is as quick as possible. For example, if it’s your skin, spend time adding concealer and highlighter, adding a touch of bronzer and blush to coax color back into your cheeks. If it’s your eyes, give your time to winged eyeliner and penciling in brows, bringing all the focus to them. For me, I love a bold lip so I slick on some magenta or poppy red and then don't bother with mascara or blush. It takes me a whole three minutes.
Focusing on a few features feels like a lot less work than putting a full face on, and it’ll make the task a little less painless.
4. Add A Finishing Touch That Adds A Pop Of Fun
Now that you’ve got your makeup on and done, add a touch of fun to your look that’ll get you a little excited to start your day. Whether it’s a bright lipstick shade, a rosy color on your cheeks, or an expert flick of highlighter that makes you feel like you should be on a runway, add a finishing touch to your face that will make you feel a little more pumped to head outside. For me it's running a finger of copper gel eye shadow quickly over my lids. I always feel like a model at a Michael Kors show and instantly feel fabulous.
5. Fall On A Fool-Proof Hairstyle
Love how tousled waves look on you, but have never really mastered on how to make them? Then this is not a project for 7 a.m. on a Wednesday. That’s an experiment for a Saturday afternoon when you’re putting off cleaning your room. For the mornings, figure out three hairstyles you love, feel confident in, and can never ever go wrong. For me, I have the back of my nape buzzed so I throw my long hair into a topknot to show it off. It always looks fun and contrasting with my summer dresses and minimalist jumpsuits and it takes about a 30-second investment on my part. Whether it’s some form of braid, a topknot, or if you’re skilled with a heating tool, stick to looks that won’t take more than ten minutes to make. You’ll be out of the bathroom faster than you came in it.
6. Have Your Bag Packed And Ready To Go
Don’t change bags or have the usual contents scattered around the house, making you scramble right before you leave the door. Chances are high that you’ll forget something, and no one likes that panicked, annoyed feeling you get as you’re looking underneath furniture to find that one last item. Pack your bag the night before, gathering the essentials at the very least. As long as your wallet, keys, and favorite lipstick are in there, it won’t be too big of a calamity if you do space on throwing something in in the next morning. Or if you just don't have it in you to be that forward thinking, do what I do and have a small makeup bag carrying those essentials. That way if you change purses you just slip out that bag and have everything handy, from your bus pass to your keys.
7. Put On One Extra Thing That Will Make You Happy
Coco Chanel advised us to take off one accessory before leaving the house, but I say put on one extra thing. But under one condition: It has to make you smile every time you think of it. Spritz on your favorite, most feminine perfume. Slip on a couple of favorite rings that you’ve been collecting during your travels. Stack a couple of bracelets that make you feel super fashion forward. Slip on a pair of shoes that make you feel like a street style star. I always love putting on a stack of my mom's rings, no matter if they clash with my look or not. Whatever it is, add a third element to your look that instantly boosts your mood and makes you forget you were a cranky mess just an hour ago.
The most important thing to focus on when getting ready in the morning is how you feel. Do you feel confident? Ready to take on the world? If these tips and tricks help you get closer to saying, "yes" to those two questions every morning, then my job here is done.
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