Every morning during the workweek, I face a giant conundrum: Do I hit the snooze button and sacrifice my appearance, or do I bite the bullet and get up so I can be sure I look my best?
I am not ashamed to admit that the snooze button wins the majority of the time. Not that I ever go to work looking like a hobo, it's just that I'll sacrifice blow drying my hair and putting on mascara any day if it means extra sleep.
I just love sleeping. (I cannot stress this enough.) I'm a night person, so I would much rather stay up past midnight than get out of bed before 7 am. It always has been that way, and I daresay it always will. The snooze button is too tempting for me NOT to hit. It's just right there, taunting and tantalizing me with the promise of at least 10 more minutes of wondrous sleep.
But as luck would have it, the world is not so cruel as to make me decide between being rested and looking my best.
Enter beauty hacks. Glorious, magical beauty hacks.
Through just a few simple tricks, we all can get our sleep and complete a comprehensive beauty routine. Here are eight beauty hacks that'll let you hit the snooze button in the morning.
1. Shower and style your hair at night.
The longest part of your morning routine is definitely the showering part. No doubt. And it isn't exactly socially acceptable to NOT shower, so you have to find a way to make the shower experience work for you.
With that in mind, start showering at night. You'll still have the energy from your day, but as an added bonus, using soap and shampoo with a lavender scent can relax you and get you ready for a good night's sleep. And, of course, if you do this, you've easily bought yourself that 10 minutes the snooze button is more than happy to accommodate.
After you shower, style your hair to further cut the amount of time you devote to your morning routine.
2. Beach waves are probably your best bet.
If you try to straighten your hair before going to bed, you'll just end up with dents in the back of your skull — not the most flattering of hairstyles. But with beach waves, that's a part of the look! Plus, everyone knows that beach waves are sexy and sophisticated and can easily hold up while you sleep.
For any stray hairs that don't fall into formation while you sleep, a quick touch-up with the curling iron the next morning will send you on your way in no time.
3. Use dry shampoo the next morning to freshen your hair for the day.
Man, is there any invention more crucial to female style than dry shampoo? It's a godsend.
In case you're worried about your hair starting to look oily during the day with your newfound habit of night showers, a morning spritz of Batiste dry shampoo is all you need to allay those concerns. And don't forget to bring a travel-sized bottle to work so you can touch up those beach waves during the day, too.
4. Wear an overnight mask to shorten your skincare routine.
After you shower, push back your just-styled hair with a stretchy headband and apply an overnight face mask. Just remember that not all face masks were created equal, so identify your skin type — oily, dry, combination — and choose accordingly.
When you wake up the next morning, your skin will be moisturized and ready for makeup application after a quick scrub.
5. Smudge your eyeshadow instead of using an eyeliner pencil.
Painstakingly applying eyeliner (regardless of whether it's liquid or pencil) takes far too much coordination first thing in the morning. Besides, how many times have we screwed up our lines, only to need to start our routine all over again?
It's exhausting.
Instead of wasting your time, have the eyeshadow you're already applying do double-duty. Just take the darkest color in your palette and smudge it into the crease of your eyelid toward the outside corner of your eye. This will contour your eye the same way that liner does, but instead of a messy touch-up process, you can use a tissue to correct the lines and smudge the shadow into all the right places.
6. Use eyelash extensions so you don't have to wear mascara.
The whole point of mascara is to make your lashes look long, thick and luscious. But applying mascara is — pardon my French — just a pain in the ass.
Spare yourself the headache and have a trained professional apply a set of eyelash extensions for you at a salon. You'll only need to touch them up every three to four weeks, and even a half-set will leave your lashes so full that you'll be able to say buh-bye to mascara.
7. Apply BB cream so you don't have to use concealer AND foundation.
BB Creams (short for beauty balm) are an absolute GIFT for any woman who's looking to shorten her beauty regimen. They're basically the ultimate all-in-one skin product. They hydrate, protect your skin from the sun AND act as a concealer and foundation. Just find the right shade and apply with your fingers.
Pro-tip: Don't buy into the sponge/brush mode of putting on BB cream. (You'll end up wasting a good portion of the product when it soaks into your applicator.)
8. Buy yourself a combination cheek and lip tint.
As you can see, the key to a better morning lies in buying products with multiple uses. The same goes for a product that can color both your cheeks (for a blush effect) and your lips (as a stain).
With the time you're saving with these beauty hacks, you can hit the snooze button and even have time to eat breakfast.
