Here's how to get out the door faster (and looking more beautiful).
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| Photography by: Jason Imber |
By Alexandra Churchill, Martha Stewart
Here's the secret no one will tell you: any proper makeup routine takes no more than five minutes. (Yes, really.) It's about cutting down on your products -- you don't really need a full face of foundation, concealer, and powder every single day -- or substituting them for multi-taskers (think an all-in-one blush, eyeshadow, and lipstick pen). It's also about completely rethinking the way you spend your time in front of the mirror at the start of every day.
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Tone your face with cold water
Why cold? Hot water has the tendency to dry out your skin (contributing to your need for adding extra moisturizers and toners later in the day), whereas a splash of ice-cold water temporarily tightens the skin and "seals" your pores to prevent dirt from clogging them. In the shower, cold water helps to increase shine and strength of your hair. Martha herself swears by a 20-second blast of cold water at the end of her shower, followed up with one of her favorite facial sprays.
Get Martha's Skincare Regimen and the Products She Can't Live Without
Invest in a quality bronzer
Using a rounded blush brush, sweep bronzer over your face to contour the nose, fill the hollows of your cheeks, and even color the eyelids (with a smaller brush) to give yourself a warm glow.
Brush your lips as you brush your teeth
It may sound silly, but it's a low-key multi-tasking tip: After you're done cleaning your chompers, rinse your toothbrush to ensure it's free of toothpaste (which can be dehydrating) and then use the bristles to gently scrub your lips. Do this twice a day every day and you'll notice your lipstick applies much more evenly. It's the best way to keep your lips soft and supple, and your pearly whites... pearly white!
Tone your face with cold water
Why cold? Hot water has the tendency to dry out your skin (contributing to your need for adding extra moisturizers and toners later in the day), whereas a splash of ice-cold water temporarily tightens the skin and "seals" your pores to prevent dirt from clogging them. In the shower, cold water helps to increase shine and strength of your hair. Martha herself swears by a 20-second blast of cold water at the end of her shower, followed up with one of her favorite facial sprays.
Get Martha's Skincare Regimen and the Products She Can't Live Without
Invest in a quality bronzer
Using a rounded blush brush, sweep bronzer over your face to contour the nose, fill the hollows of your cheeks, and even color the eyelids (with a smaller brush) to give yourself a warm glow.
Brush your lips as you brush your teeth
It may sound silly, but it's a low-key multi-tasking tip: After you're done cleaning your chompers, rinse your toothbrush to ensure it's free of toothpaste (which can be dehydrating) and then use the bristles to gently scrub your lips. Do this twice a day every day and you'll notice your lipstick applies much more evenly. It's the best way to keep your lips soft and supple, and your pearly whites... pearly white!
Wait before you dry your hair
This may sound counterintuitive, but blow-drying your hair when it's sopping wet actually ends up taking longer. Here's what to do instead: wrap your hair in an absorbent towel and go about the rest of your beauty routine. As the last step before you get dressed, unrwrap your hair and blow dry it in a steam-free bathroom. The remaining moisture in your hair will help it set and the lack of steam will prevent frizz.
Brush your hair with dry shampoo
No time to shower? You can soak up excess oil with dry shampoo with each brush stroke. Just be sure to check the label for corn, rice, or oat starches, which won't leave behind that obvious chalky residue.
How to Choose the Right Hair Brush for Your Mane
Use facial moisturizer as hair conditioner
Some of your go-to products can do double duty, like facial moisturizer. After blending moisturizer into your skin, use the excess from your fingers to smoothen out unruly locks and frizzy flyaways.
Swap in your products for makeup multitaskers
In the morning, just finding your products is half the battle. And rummaging through makeup drawers and cluttered medicine cabinets is a huge time suck. Instead, use multitasking products like a blush you can use on your lips, or a DIY beauty treatment, like coconut oil, that you can use to hydrate skin, fight frizz, and soothe chapped lips.
