How to Create and Maintain a Streamlined Morning Beauty Routine  

Some of us may work at home and others may head to an office every day, but we all know what happens when that snooze alarm shuts off in the a.m. Kids need to get ready for school, spouse is heading out to work and you are trying to get that perfect look in the midst of total chaos. If your morning routine needs a little help to lower the stress level first thing in the day, try some beauty time savers that will effectively cut your morning beauty routine in half. And the less time you spend in front of the mirror, the more time you will have to hopefully enjoy that steaming cup of java before leaving the house. Work it the Night Before. If you are one of those wise women who lays out clothing and accessories the night before, take that process a step further and organize your makeup as well. Set out the products that you will plan to use the next morning so that you will not be rummaging through drawers and cabinets hunting for your mocha lipstick or your favorite taupe eyeshadow. If you can’t bear the thought of a counter filled with stuff, line your supplies up in a basket for easy reach and a neater bathroom to greet you in the morning. Make your Products Work Double Time. Why spend the time applying a moisturizer, sun screen and foundation, when you can get three hits for the price of one? There are some great tinted moisturizers on the market today that will include an SPF into the mix as well. If you can’t bear to part with your current foundation choice, try mixing it with your moisturizer for a single product that will do double duty. On the same note, look for a lip and cheek stain that can give you a glow everywhere you need it with minimal effort. Prepare your Hair: If hair is your big hurdle in the morning, try shampooing the night before. You can put your locks up in rollers or get the straightening iron out before bed, to save you the time and effort the next morning. If you can’t handle the idea of jump starting your do the night before, try switching to an ionic blow dryer that can cut your morning styling time by up to 60%. You can Take it with You: Despite your best efforts, there will undoubtedly still be mornings when you barely make it out of the house at all, let alone on time and ready to go. For these time crunches, keep a supply of blush, lipstick, powder and mascara for quick touchups in the car while waiting at stoplights or before heading in to your office. No one will ever know that your face went on seconds earlier. It is a fact of life that getting a family out of the house on time every morning is one of the most challenging tasks that you will accomplish throughout your day. Make your task a little bit easier with time saving tips that will work to your advantage.

Answered by Ajay Chawla at 6:30 PM on November 18, 2008

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The K.I.S.S. Beauty Plan For many women, K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid - or Sweetie, if you prefer), is the only way that they are going to find the time to include makeup in their morning routine. Mornings are hectic enough as it is, right? If makeup puts a major crunch on your schedule, it's not something you'll be willing to stick with for the long haul. So, let's identify the steps that are worth spending time on. The key is to only do what you must, and nothing more than that. Morning makeup should just cover the basics: skin, eyes and lips. And they should be done as simply as possible.
Step2
Foundation: Starting off with a good canvas is important. However, there are some questions you might want to ask yourself about your current foundation. There is a good chance that you'll need something different than what you have knocking around in your beauty drawer. Does your current foundation actually match your skin tone? Be honest. If it doesn't, that can be a hidden time-waster for your beauty routine! You should have a shade of foundation that you can just throw on. If you have to fight with it and blend it just right to make it look correct, congratulations! You're using the wrong color, and that's easy to fix. Is your current foundation too heavy? Few women should actually use a full coverage foundation. Even with all the time in the world it can be hard to make those foundations look right. A good foundation should be light to medium coverage. It should look somewhat natural and if it's breathable that's a big bonus for the health of your skin. My personal favorite is mineral powder foundation. It breathes, it's easy to apply and it's simple. Another morning friendly option is a tinted moisturizer. Pick the one you're most comfortable wearing and run with it, darling.
Step3
Lips: There are two different options for beautiful lips on the fly. Lip gloss or lip balm. Notice that I did not include lipstick. That's because unless you're supernaturally gifted with lipstick and it's cohort, lip liner(like my mother is), lipstick becomes a major hassle and time-waster. A basic lip gloss takes about five seconds to apply, moisturizes lips and makes them look gorgeous. What could be better than that? However, if you're one of those girls who hates the stickiness of lip gloss, lip balm is an acceptable alternative. Your morning gloss should be very light, so no scarlet red please. The very best, in my opinion, is a gloriously shiny clear gloss.
Step4
Eyes: The eyes don't have to be a big deal, but they're still very important. Lining the eyes in a basic black color, then coating the lashes in a coat or two of basic black mascara should do the trick. If you're really squeamish about black you could opt for a chocolate brown instead. But I strongly suggest trying black first, it looks so good on everyone.
Step5
Eyebrows: Having your eyebrows plucked and shaped, and then filled in with color makes such a dramatic difference in the face that, despite being the most time consuming of all steps, I've decided to include it in the K.I.S.S. Beauty Plan. Why? Simple, what else can you spend a few minutes on everyday that will make you instantly look years younger? Properly arched and filled brows draw the eye upward, think face lift! Plus the eyebrows frame the face, providing symmetry. A symmetrical face is a beautiful face. If your eyebrows need a good bushwhacking, your safest bet would be to hit the salon and have them shaped for you. You can maintain their new shape with daily plucking, courtesy of a good pair of tweezers. Investing in a nice brow filler is really worthwhile. As with your foundation, be honest about color! For example, if you have brown hair that you bleach blond, your eyebrows will still be brown, therefore you'll need a brown brow product. If you try one for blond brows, your real brow color will contrast with the color of the product, producing an odd looking dual color effec

Answered by Jitendra at 1:55 PM on November 18, 2008