Five-minute style: An ounce of prevention
The simplest way to streamline your morning routine is by starting with consistent maintenance. I'm not talking about mending or cleaning your clothes; I'm talking about caring for your skin and hair.
Before you say BUT I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT, let me stop you; you DO have the time. Because it takes less time to wash your face every night than it does to spackle your breakouts with concealer in the morning. I promise.
What kind of maintenance are we talking about? Not weekly manicures, although that would be great; just a simple routine of caring for your skin and hair, so that your natural beauty can be highlighted every day. In less than five minutes.
Schedule regular hair cuts. Hair that has been recently trimmed is easier to style and requires less work than hair that is growing out of a cut. I know it seems like a hassle to get yourself to the salon every six weeks (hello, I go every FOUR) but the trade off is that you can cut ten or fifteen minutes off your morning prep if your hair is already essentially under control. Don't wait until your bangs are dipping into your coffee or you are compelled to wear a headband every single day. Book ahead and make the time to take care of your hair.
Choose a style that needs as little work as possible. Long hair can be pulled up or pulled back -- keep a supply of hair bands and head bands around for emergencies. Short hair shouldn't require much in the way of styling in the first place; if your short hair has you tethered to a blow dryer or curling iron, rethink your style. Talk with your stylist about a cut that will work for you, one that frees you from flat irons and blow dryers, or that at least gives you the option to skip the hair appliances.
Use the right products for your hair and style. I have no specific advice here; in fact, I am going to redirect you to the most fabulous Whoorl, and her Hair Thursdays, for product and style recommendations. But I will say this: the RIGHT product can make an ENORMOUS difference, both in how your hair looks and in how long it takes to style it.
Terralina facial moisturizer, $42.00. Best face cream EVER.
Baby your face. Makeup is not a must for a beautiful face; good skin, however, is, and the key to good skin is good skin care. I understand not wanting to fuss with makeup in the morning, but make time at night to wash your face, with a cleanser designed for your skin type, please, and follow up with a moisturizer, at the least. A good eye cream is also not a bad idea, nor is a nice lip balm.
Wear sunscreen every single day. Foundation with an SPF isn't enough; unless you are covering every INCH of your face and ears, you're not really getting complete protection in the first place. And because foundation sits on TOP of the skin, it migrates around and leaves you exposed. Go with a moisturizer with an SPF of at least 15 (I wear an SPF 45 on my face). You will thank me when you are forty and not all wrinkly. I promise.
Drink lots of water, get lots of sleep, and take five minutes each day to do something nice for yourself. The "something nice" doesn't have to be a big elaborate production; washing your face and putting on a nice face cream and a delicious lip balm can do the trick. But take the time to take care of your skin and your hair and your soul, every day; you will look better and feel better and you will find that you need to do fewer and fewer things to get out the door in the morning.
Before you say BUT I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT, let me stop you; you DO have the time. Because it takes less time to wash your face every night than it does to spackle your breakouts with concealer in the morning. I promise.
What kind of maintenance are we talking about? Not weekly manicures, although that would be great; just a simple routine of caring for your skin and hair, so that your natural beauty can be highlighted every day. In less than five minutes.
Schedule regular hair cuts. Hair that has been recently trimmed is easier to style and requires less work than hair that is growing out of a cut. I know it seems like a hassle to get yourself to the salon every six weeks (hello, I go every FOUR) but the trade off is that you can cut ten or fifteen minutes off your morning prep if your hair is already essentially under control. Don't wait until your bangs are dipping into your coffee or you are compelled to wear a headband every single day. Book ahead and make the time to take care of your hair.
Choose a style that needs as little work as possible. Long hair can be pulled up or pulled back -- keep a supply of hair bands and head bands around for emergencies. Short hair shouldn't require much in the way of styling in the first place; if your short hair has you tethered to a blow dryer or curling iron, rethink your style. Talk with your stylist about a cut that will work for you, one that frees you from flat irons and blow dryers, or that at least gives you the option to skip the hair appliances.
Use the right products for your hair and style. I have no specific advice here; in fact, I am going to redirect you to the most fabulous Whoorl, and her Hair Thursdays, for product and style recommendations. But I will say this: the RIGHT product can make an ENORMOUS difference, both in how your hair looks and in how long it takes to style it.
Terralina facial moisturizer, $42.00. Best face cream EVER.
Baby your face. Makeup is not a must for a beautiful face; good skin, however, is, and the key to good skin is good skin care. I understand not wanting to fuss with makeup in the morning, but make time at night to wash your face, with a cleanser designed for your skin type, please, and follow up with a moisturizer, at the least. A good eye cream is also not a bad idea, nor is a nice lip balm.
Wear sunscreen every single day. Foundation with an SPF isn't enough; unless you are covering every INCH of your face and ears, you're not really getting complete protection in the first place. And because foundation sits on TOP of the skin, it migrates around and leaves you exposed. Go with a moisturizer with an SPF of at least 15 (I wear an SPF 45 on my face). You will thank me when you are forty and not all wrinkly. I promise.
Drink lots of water, get lots of sleep, and take five minutes each day to do something nice for yourself. The "something nice" doesn't have to be a big elaborate production; washing your face and putting on a nice face cream and a delicious lip balm can do the trick. But take the time to take care of your skin and your hair and your soul, every day; you will look better and feel better and you will find that you need to do fewer and fewer things to get out the door in the morning.
18 Comments:
i use an SPF tinted moisturizer in the morning and an oil free non-tinted moisturizer before bed...
i am in the process of growing my hair out so it's zany :-/
Promise we will look as good as you do?? Promise? 'Cos you are a testament to lovely.
oh, and if i may add a random note: in addition to washing your face nightly AND moisturizing AND drinking water.. You really should wash your pillowcases once a week, it does seriously help.
Hmm. Maybe if I kept my good facewashing stuff and moisturizer at work I would actually use it. Would that be really gross, to wash my face in the bathroom? People brush their teeth there. And what would I do about towels? Maybe this needs more thought.
The best time to wash your face and do face cream is at bed time, to wash off whatever grease and ick is on your face before you go to bed (where you will LAY DOWN with your face mooshed against the pillow all night long).
Take five minutes in the evening and wash your face. Please. I'm begging you.
Does anyone have a recommendation for a cleanser for SUPER dry, sensitive skin?? Plain tap water makes my face dry, red, itchy and inflamed, so I am scared of cleansers. When I wear make up, I take it off with a remover, followed my moisturizer. Any suggestions??
rachel: i LOVE cetaphil. the body shop has a sensitive skin cleanser that is amazing as well.
Susan, I use a moisturizer in the morning with SPF, but it doesn't make sense to me to use that at night, too. I haven't found a good one for bedtime. Any suggestions? What about the PRICE TAG?! Ack.
I second the recommendation of Cetaphil. I've used it for years and I love it.
I need to be better about getting hair cuts. I'm always so much happier with my hair after it's been cut!
Anna, Neutrogena has some terrific moisturizers and night creams, at drugstore prices. You can take a little quiz thingy at their site, if I remember correctly, to get recommendations for your skin type.
But honestly, the Terralina is worth EVERY SINGLE DIME. I promise.
Whoorl looks great - any other recommendations for where to get hair advice? I, um, haven't cut mine in a year and it's pretty appalling these days. My issue with my hair is that while I like it cut very short, for at least the first three months after a surgery it's difficult to shower everyday, and if I don't shower in the morning with hair that short it looks like a rat died on my head. And I have surgery far too often.
I agree with the Cetaphil recommendation. Their facial cleanser and soap are the only things I can use and they're great.
Great suggestions! Like Vorilee, I use an SPF tinted moisturizer for day and a non-tinted, no-SPF moisturizer at night. On workdays, I also use Neutrogena Healthy Skin Enhancer, a light foundation with more SPF.
I've also found that the best way to keep my haircut (and color) from getting out of hand is to end my hair appointments by booking my next one (6-8 weeks in between). I'll have to check out Whoorl.
Becca - when I had super-short hair I would literally stick my head in the sink to wash my hair so I didn't have to shower every day. Depending on your post-surgery mobility you could probably do something similar, especially if you have a spray attachment (a detachable shower head would also work and might be less awkward).
I have ultra sensitive, dry, blemish-prone skin, and have seen a huge difference with the nightly use of Diacnéal facial wash and Rétrinal cream, both by Eau Thermale Avene. It is around $80 for the kit that lasts about three months, and it is very much worth the price. I used to spend a fortune on products that didn't work, or ended up being irritating. I think you can only buy them through a dermatologist.
I think the main thing is to get enough sleep. Not only go you look better, but if you get to bed early you can also be alert enough in the morning to fix yourself up a little.
About hair - I recently went from long layers to a chin-length bob. When I wash it and blow-dry it, it looks better than it did when it was long. But I can't skip those steps for even one day! I miss my lazy-morning ponytail...
I can't say enough wonderful things about Dermalogica's entire line of products. I use the special cleansing gel (which is amazingly gentle on my sensitive skin) but the have an even gentler face wash and myriad moisturizers, exfoliators, and prevention products for the sensitive face. Check them out! :)
Ok, I give, I give, I went and ordered it. It better be as awesome as you say :-) Thanks.
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