The Lesser-Known Beauty Tricks For Busy Mornings

To say that I'm not a morning person is a gross understatement. Without a few morning beauty tricks in my arsenal, I would be perpetually late and completely unkempt, scurrying about the house sipping coffee in a panic, most likely with wrinkly clothes and makeup where it shouldn't be. But over the years, I've perfected the art of lurching throughout my apartment in a foggy post-sleep haze, preparing my body and face to be viewed by the outside world without sacrificing time or energy.

The advantages of perfecting a morning routine are undoubtedly beneficial to those of us who hit snooze approximately three dozen times. For a lot of people, the morning is when you always seem to have the least amount of time to get your life together. And as we head into the bowels of winter, the time constraints of the dark, chilly AM can feel even more limiting. Because who wouldn't want to spend that extra 30 minutes in bed?

As such, the morning is the time of day when a few hacks and some helpful knowledge can prevent you from collapsing in on yourself like a dying star. All it takes is a little bit of ingenuity, and the belief that you really can get multiple things done at once. These are my personal favorite, tried and tested busy morning beauty tricks to speed up and ship out in a calm, cool, and, most importantly, collected manner.

1. Use Masks Right After You Exercise

If you like to work out first thing in the morning, you should know that breaking an early AM sweat does more than simply jumpstart your energy for the day. After exercise, your skin will be flushed and your pores open, making it the perfect time to slap on the mask of your choice and enjoy its benefits. Assuming your skin is clean from the night before, simply splash away the sweat on your face with warm water before applying your mask, then leave it to work its magic while you make a fresh pot of coffee.

2. Condition First, Do Everything Else Later

When I get into the shower, the very first thing I do (sometimes even before my body is completely wet) is shampoo my hair. That way, I can get my conditioner in there as soon as possible, leaving it to moisturize and repair my hair while I do other things. Rapid shampooing and conditioner application mean you're getting the benefit of the conditioner while you're shaving, loofah-ing, and rinsing. Just don't forget to rinse out your conditioner at the very end.

3. Put On Lotion While You're Still Standing In The Shower

I like to keep my body lotion right next to the shower, and I apply it while I'm still standing inside. Not only will the lotion trap and utilize the moisture from your damp skin, but you'll also spare yourself from having to lotion up in your bedroom. An added bonus is that your hands end up feeling less greasy than if you'd applied lotion when you were totally dry.

4. Use A Makeup Brush To Remove Makeup Smudges

When it comes to putting on lipstick, I'm not the most elegant applicant. When I make a mistake, I often try to rectify it with my finger. Suddenly, I've worsened the problem exponentially, and I end up having to remove all of my lipstick and start over. To remedy this hot mess of a situation, I started using a makeup brush dipped in a little bit of micellar cleansing water or makeup remover to get rid of the offending makeup mistake. It's much tidier, and you end up saving tons of time fixing your mistakes.

5. Use Baby Powder To Voluminize Your Lashes

If you love wearing false eyelashes but simply don't have the time to fasten them to your eyelids every morning, try this trick. After your first coat of mascara, swab a tiny amount (and I mean really tiny) of baby powder across your lashes. Then add a second coat of mascara. The powder acts as a thickening agent, making your lashes look gorgeously lush without you having to spend time glueing and applying falsies.

6. Harness The Power Of A Nude Eyeliner Pencil

I've heard rumors that white eyeliner can make your eyes look brighter and more awake, but I don't have the skilled hand it takes to apply white eyeliner and not look like a batty old lady (especially if I'm in a rush). Instead, I line the waterline of my lower lashes with nude eyeliner. It provides the same bright-eyed results, but the effect is slightly more subtle.

7. Keep Your Perfume By The Front Door

For those of you who wear perfume, you most likely understand the struggle: It's the last thing you put on before leaving the house, and therefore the thing you're most prone to forget. To make sure I always leave the house smelling great, I keep my perfume in a bowl with my keys near the front door. Not only does it help me remember to put it on, it's also close at hand if I end up realizing I've forgotten when I've got my foot out the door. Bonus: Perfume bottles tend to look really pretty on vestibule tables.

These are my favorite ways to spare myself added blood, sweat, and beauty-related tears on an already busy morning. Try adding one or two of them to your routine to see just how much simpler your early hours can be.

Want to create a DIY clay mask that's sure to brighten up any morning routine? Check out the video below, and be sure to visit Bustle's YouTube page for more.

Images: currystrumpet, pyxopotamus/Flickr; Bianca Consuji/Bustle (1); snortmaiden, Diamond Farah, Felipe Ernesto/Flickr