How to Speed Up Your Morning Beauty Routine

Mornings can be tough, especially if you’re not a morning person. I know I’m surely not! Some have a long commute to work that eats into their morning hours and leaves them feeling over it by the time they get there. Or you have to dedicate this precious time to making sure your kids are up and ready for the school day? But what if you could spend a little more time sleeping and a little less on your morning routine, while still being able to dedicate the time you need to your other commitments? Read on to find out more.

The key to preparing for the morning is actually starting the night before and there are several things you can do in the evening that will dramatically speed up aspects of your morning routine the next day.

Things to do the night before

Take a bath or shower before you go to bed.
Showering the night before can take away many stresses of your morning routine and could also improve your nights sleep too. Try making your shower or bath a part of your evening routine, use it as a way to unwind, take as much time as you need to exfoliate, shave, moisturize and pamper yourself and then slip into bed clean and zen ready for a good night’s sleep and an extra hour in bed in the morning. When it’s time to wake up you can freshen up with a quick wash of your face, a fresh swipe of deodorant and a spritz of your chosen perfume and be out the door in a fraction of the time. If you really can’t go without a shower in the morning then allocate a set amount of time to your shower and keep it quick, grab yourself an efficient hairdryer to avoid going to work with wet hair and and keep hairstyling to a minimum by utilising hair dryer multi tools.
Lay out your skincare routine for a quick application.
If there are aspects of your skincare routine that cannot be done the night before and you know that there are certain items you grab every morning such as an SPF, moisturiser or your deodorant, then make it easier for yourself by streamlining this process and laying these items out within easy reach on your vanity or sink the night before to save you fumbling around in the cupboard bleary-eyed. This may seem like it’s only going to save you a few seconds but it will also make the process of getting ready much less stressful and help you to feel in control and organised for the day.
Choose your outfit and have it laid out ready to wear.
Perhaps one of the biggest timesaving things you can do the night before is to check the weather and your schedule and then pick out your outfit and lay it out ready to wear the next day. Be sure to also include items such as your underwear, socks and any accessories you want to wear such as jewelry and don’t forget your shoes and any outer garments such as coats and scarves too. This very simple routine will stop you wasting time staring at the wardrobe wondering what to wear, will save you from last minute panic ironing and will give you the time you need to plan your outfit to a tee.
Prepare your breakfast and pack your lunch.
Whether you eat breakfast at home or prepare something to take to work, remove the hassle of doing this in the morning by choosing something that can be prepared the night before, such as overnight oats or breakfast muffins. As with your clothes and skincare items, have your pre-made breakfast ready to grab from the fridge or if it doesn’t need to be refrigerated you could even pack it ready in your bag. If you still want to prepare breakfast in the morning such as cereal or toast then take a moment to take stock of what you will need in order to prepare for this and have it ready for the morning so that you don’t have the surprise of having run out of bread or having no bowls left to use.
Pack and organize your bag.
Whether you’re going to work or attending a gym class, always pack and organise your bag the night before. Although packing your bag is one thing, the key to the smooth running of your morning is to then organise it – place your wallet, keys and any other essential items such as train tickets or bus passes in specific pockets, this means that rather than digging around in the bottom of your bag you know exactly where to go to grab what you need. The goal here is to have everything packed for the day ahead which includes laptops and chargers so if you’re working on these in the evening be sure to put them in before you go to bed. If you’re also packing for other people such as your kids then pack their bags with them ahead of time too so that it’s easy for them to grab as they go out of the door.

Now that you’ve done as much as you can the night before it’s time to focus on streamlining the morning itself.

Things to do in the morning

Get up as soon as your alarm goes off.
Having put in all that hard work the night before in order to give you that extra hour or so in the morning, you don’t want to simply waste it! If you’re going to use it for getting in some well-earned sleep, then sleep, don’t set 12 snooze alarms and lay in a dazed state of semi awakeness – set one alarm and get up immediately when it goes off. If you’re using the time to give you a few extra hours in the day, then again, don’t snooze! Get up and utilize this newfound time in whichever way you choose but don’t waste it otherwise you’ll be back to square one and rushing to get ready all over again. Preparing the night before can only help you so much, actually getting up is something you need to do yourself.
Have a quick and natural makeup look and stick to it.
If you’re able to, why not have bare-faced days and skip the makeup altogether, if this isn’t an option or you’re not feeling quite confident enough to bare all just yet then establish a quick, easy and natural makeup look for your weekday mornings and save your creative, longer, looks for the weekend. Streamline your makeup bag to make the products you need easy to find and to make your makeup bag more transportable for touch-ups throughout the day. A great way to not only save space in your bag but also on time in the mornings is to use a single product for multiple purposes such as a bronzer as eyeshadow and blush or a tinted moisturizer instead of both moisturizer and foundation. If you love wearing color on your lips then opt for a fairly neutral shade that doesn’t require a lip liner and is more forgiving, and save on products by using a tinted lip balm over lipstick or gloss. If the chore of applying daily makeup is really eating into your morning routine then you could even consider having lash extensions fitted and your eyebrows tinted to save on these areas of application each day. Another thing to consider would be leaving your makeup at work and applying it once you get there.
Choose a low maintenance hairstyle.
If you’ve decided to save time by showering the night before then you may have already put your hair in a braid or started the prep for your morning hairstyle the night before, which is great, you’re already two-thirds of the way there to a sophisticated style. If you’re showering in the morning then consider using a hairdryer with styling attachments to combine the drying and styling of your hair into one or twist your hair up on your commute for an effortless natural wave when you let it down later in the day. Remember there’s always a variety of sleek up-do’s for days when washing your hair simply isn’t an option and dry shampoo can save you if you feel you’ve gone a day or two too long. Although styling is important, the most important part of a good hairdo is the haircut itself and a good haircut can work wonders for having a super low maintenance hair routine that just requires a rough blowdry and a brush through in the morning. Look up low maintenance hairstyles that work with your hair type rather than trying to force your hair into a style that it wasn’t designed for.

Making little changes to your routine and preparing properly for the day ahead can really speed up and improve the efficiency of your morning routine. Which of these tips will you try?