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Sparkle (1)
I am not a morning person. I never have been, and a full-time job (for which I leave quite early) and two small children have done nothing to change that. All that those factors have done is force me to become more creative with my morning routine so I get the MAXIMUM POSSIBLE NUMBER OF EXTRA MINUTES blissfully nestled in my so-comfortable-it-should-be-illegal-or-at-least-heavily-regulated bed.
I've carefully pared down my morning routine so that I sleep those precious few extra minutes (they make such a difference, don't they?), but still have enough time to avoid leaving the house looking like a ghost. A ghost whose hair was styled by a myopic, ill-tempered rodent.
So what do I do? For starters, I shower at night. I realize that not everyone can do this, but if your hair is anything like mine, and requires minimal styling, I highly recommend it. You CAN blowdry it at night too, but I prefer to fall asleep with it wet. Primarily because I am lazy, but also because, well... nothing beats the excitement and anticipation of walking to the mirror the first thing in the morning, and seeing if your hair miraculously dried nicely, or if it appears that it was styled with some sort of evil hybrid of Flowbee and egg beater. NOTHING wakes you up faster than that, people.
The second part of my routine involves actually getting hair and makeup done in under five minutes. Mornings are run with an almost surgical precision in my house, and that's the maximum amount of time I can devote to getting myself vaguely presentable while still having enough time to greet my husband and children, feed said children, and get dressed before walking out the door. "But Metalia!," you're thinking, "You really apply a full face of makeup AND do your hair in under five minutes? It can't be true, can it? Also, you look like you deserve pretty new pink shoes, no matter how impractical they might be! Can we buy them for you? And then perhaps get you a massage at a nearby spa?" The answers to these questions are yes, yes and YES, but for purposes of this post, let's just focus on the first one.
As with any speed-related activity, effectively implementing a quick morning hair/makeup routine requires practice, and forethought. I read a lot of articles in magazines touting the DEFINITIVE morning makeup routine, but I notice that most of them read pretty much the same. The difference with what I do is take into consideration the feature you most want to highlight, and spend the most time working with that.
Step 1: Take stock of your features, and divide your time accordingly
I am an Eye Person. I believe they're my best feature, so I devote most of my makeup time highlighting them. Lips? Cheeks? Maybe 20 seconds, tops. But eyes are key for me. I invite you to do the same; take a good look at yourself, and figure out what on your face really pops. Gorgeous cheekbones? Focus on blush and perhaps some glow/light shimmer. Lips? Balm, lipliner, fill in, and top with a rich gloss/lipstick. The important thing is not to spend time highlighting everything. If you're going all out on your lips, just apply concealer and mascara. If you're making your cheeks the focus, just top your lips with neutral gloss.
Step 2: Choose your weapons wisely
Once you've figured out what part of your face you want as the focus of your morning makeup routine, dump out the contents of your whole makeup bag. First pull out the absolute must(s): concealer (and foundation, for some people). Next, select all of the items you'll be using on the feature you're highlighting. (In general, for quick morning makeup, I love blendable creams and sticks. They make things so much easier.) For me, this involves eyeliner, mascara, and eyeshadow, and for my hair, Frederic Fekkai Hair Plump (...which I got as a sample, and will weep when said sample runs out, because NO WAY IN HELL am I paying $95 for hair product, unless the product will also magically cut my hair for me). Then, pull out the remaining products you want to use on the rest of your face, and place them all in a small bag. Leave the bag in front of the mirror where you'll be applying your makeup in the morning. Trust me, much like a surgeon or a chef,
