How To Fast-Track Your Beauty Routine

Most nights, I make a promise with myself that I’ll wake up early enough to wash my hair, style it nicely, and do my make-up properly. But more often than not, come morning, my warm bed takes priority over my beauty routine.

This leaves me with about 20 minutes to shower, slap my ‘face’ on and throw my hair into a topknot. Sound familiar? Well, thankfully there are a few shortcuts you can take to not only speed up your everyday beauty routine, but also help you to leave the house looking fresh (and like you actually put in effort)…

Strut gif

RELATED: 4 time-saving beauty tricks

THE LONG WAY: SHAMPOO AND CONDITION YOUR HAIR

THE SHORTCUT: TRY SPOT WASHING

Dealing with a greasy fringe? Wish you could just wash the top layer of your hair? You can! Simply pop your head under the sink tap and shampoo and condition that section only. Then towel-dry your hair, blast it with the hair dryer, and get on your way.

Blowdry fringe

Image credit: theoutfit.com

THE LONG WAY: SPEND AN HOUR HEAT-STYLING YOUR HAIR

THE SHORTCUT: EMBRACE THE OVERNIGHT AIR-DRY

Wash your hair the night before, then apply a leave-in treatment and loosely plait it. In the morning, undo the plait and rake your fingers through your locks for smooth waves.

Plaits waves

THE LONG WAY: USE AN OIL ON YOUR FACE AND A SERUM TO TAME FRIZZ

THE SHORTCUT: APPLY AN OIL TO YOUR FACE AND HAIR

After massaging your facial oil into your skin, smooth the excess over the lengths of your hair to nix frizz. You could even skip washing your hands afterwards and let the oil sink in for a hydrating hand treatment!

Face oil

Image credit: adyesha.com

THE LONG WAY: USE A SPONGE OR BRUSH TO BLEND FOUNDATION

THE SHORTCUT: USE YOUR FINGERS

Using your fingers to blend foundation is a sure-fire way to cut down time rinsing your sponges or brushes and worrying about precise strokes. Just make sure you wash your hands first! Leave the brushes and sponges for occasions when you need an absolutely #flawless make-up base.

Foundation fingers

RELATED: 5 ways to apply foundation

THE LONG WAY: CURL YOUR LASHES, THEN APPLY MASCARA

THE SHORTCUT: GET A LASH TINT AND CURL THEM

Instead of curling your lashes and coating them with mascara, book in for a lash tint and simply curl them before heading out the door. A lash tint lasts four to six weeks, and will give your lashes a whole lot of definition. On a budget? You may prefer to tint your lashes at home the night before.

Tint your lashes

THE LONG WAY: APPLY BLUSH AND LIPSTICK

THE SHORTCUT: USE A CHEEK AND LIP TINT

Skip your blush and lipstick steps and opt for a multi-tasking lip and cheek tint instead. It’ll give you a flush of colour where you need it, and last all day long so you can forget about touch-ups. Genius!

Cheek tint

How do you fast-track your beauty routine? Will you be trying any of these tricks?

85 Member Comments

vtjh 5 Jul 2018 9:45 PM

The overnight plait looks gorgeous!

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Goddess..... 24 Jun 2017 5:12 AM

I always use my finger's for my foundation I've never once used a brush like other's do & I've been doing this one for a bit now hair oil/face oil save's me buying a serum for my face when this does the same thing & yeah I've noticed a big difference my pimples have gone since I've been doing this. So I see that as a positive l suggest ladies give this one a go.

lynx 22 Mar 2016 6:13 PM

I usually plait my hair while it's still damp, so that it dries overnight and all the fly aways are set down smoothly.

Pink_Sugar 15 Feb 2016 6:25 AM

I wash my hair at night and let it air dry overnight and style in the morning.

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Elefante 10 Feb 2016 12:51 PM

I have tried overnight styling but it never lasts longer than 1 hour the following day

Elunia 8 Feb 2016 11:29 AM

I always use my fingers to apply foundation. It is a lot quicker and I like the finish.

Shop A Everyday 7 Feb 2016 5:28 PM

Oh I use to wash my fringe when I had longer hair

Sydneyswans910 6 Feb 2016 12:58 PM

Great tips - I have found that since changing over from liquid foundation to mineral makeup, I save a lot of time as it is so much quicker to apply!

Miss_Lee 6 Feb 2016 11:48 AM

I like the idea of the cheek and lip tint - but I don't like those pink colours, they don't suit me at all. I need a peachy sort of colour

Ellelily 5 Feb 2016 9:40 PM

Doing my hair in a style the night before and wake up and its done cuts down on alot of time. For me i have always used fingers to apply foundation.

Ktktkt 5 Feb 2016 8:27 PM

I normally skip the foundation and spot conceal.

talashkenazy 5 Feb 2016 8:24 PM

Spot washing sounds like a good idea , gonna try that sometime . My hair is always super greasy ! ugh

TheUglyDuckling 5 Feb 2016 11:12 AM

I wish I could braid damp hair and sleep in it, then wake up with nice waves. However, I wake up with still wet hair! It's too thick. I do use cheek tints, however. I've tried lash extensions and they are just too tough for me. So irritating. I had to move on from that poor experience.

Becstar 5 Feb 2016 10:44 AM

Yes I should be skipping blush and lipstick steps and opt for a multi-tasking lip and cheek tint instead! Good idea!

Beautybabe140194 4 Feb 2016 9:56 PM

Great tips to save time and get extra sleep in the morning. I wash my hair and shave the night before to save time.

jessha 2 Feb 2016 8:02 PM

My hair is too short to braid. I usually wash it at night - leaves me more time in the morning to get ready!

Miss19 1 Feb 2016 12:47 PM

Instead of using your fingers for applying foundation, try a disposable makeup sponge. They are so much easier and blend nicely. Plus when you're done with them you can just throw them out!

MelissaFay89 1 Feb 2016 12:12 PM

I always air dry my hair

Beth E 3 Feb 2016 10:35 AM

So do I, MelissaFay89! Definitely the lazy girl in me, but also I really don't like how my hair looks when it's blow-dried/too polished...are you in the same boat?

maggieball 5 Feb 2016 4:43 PM

I’m in the same boat.

clearcrystalwater 4 Feb 2016 9:59 AM

Me too but I still feel like a need to own a hairdryer!

annalise572 5 Feb 2016 5:58 PM

I own a hairdryer too and use it about 5 times a year! Much prefer air drying.

Deantra728 1 Feb 2016 11:10 AM

I've managed to get my routine down to 20mins from shower to ready to go on the days I don't wash my hair. I apply a bb cream with my fingers, a block colour natural shadow to my eye lids, slip of eyeliner and mascara, quick brow tidy with a pencil and mildly slap on some blush...works amazingly and done in 5mins. The rest is working out what to wear, lol.

Pink_Sugar 15 Dec 2015 4:19 AM

Applying foundation with fingers is gross!

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Fast-track your beauty routine