You jolt out of bed after realising that you didn’t wake up “five minutes later” after you press on the snooze button. You get dressed while brushing your teeth and wonder which skincare steps you should skip and if you should do your makeup only at your work desk, only to remember that you have a meeting with a business associate first thing in the morning and you really ought to make a mad dash for the door in the next 15 minutes or you’ll be awfully late for work.
Sounds familiar?
While not all mornings are as frantic as what we’ve just described, most of us would prefer to get a few more minutes of shut-eye. If only we could get the extra rest we desire without compromising on how we look in the morning! If this is the dilemma you often go through, read on for seven time-saving hacks that we have compiled that can help make your mornings a lot breezier.
1. Organise your vanity table
Any battle you take on requires an organised plan; it’s the same when it comes to overcoming the mad morning rush. Spend a weekend doing this: Discard products that have expired or that you no longer use, and move those that you don’t need every day into storage. Now, you’re left with your daily essentials. Line them up according to the sequence you use them, from the first step to the last one. This way, you’ll save a couple of minutes in the morning trying to find what you need.
Do this: Invest in storage boxes and labels to further help you organise your stash and to find them easily.
2. Moisturise your skin overnight
On those days you don’t get a lot of rest and fatigue is showing on your face, what you need is a hydrating skincare regime that perks your skin up. A great skin booster, sleeping masks are a great way of giving your skin that SOS attention that it needs when it’s stressed. What’s more, applying an effective sleeping mask will hydrate your skin so thoroughly, you can choose to skip the moisturiser in the morning.
Try: Lancôme Énergie de Vie Sleeping Mask. Énergie de Vie is the newest innovation by Lancôme and is designed for re-energising your skin. This sleeping mask is a skin-repairing solution that you can use as an emergency treatment. It has a unique balm texture that breaks into water on skin to lower its temperature so it feels and looks fresh. This product is also packed with skincare goodness that will help neutralise free radicals that damage your skin while you sleep.
Apply a generous amount of the Énergie de Vie Sleeping Mask before you sleep and you’ll find yourself waking up to hydrated, fresh-looking skin that looks plump and luminous.
With this amazing product, you can skip the moisturiser if you like, to save a few extra minutes in the morning.
3. Create effortless waves overnight
Your skin isn’t the only thing you can take care of overnight. Use this hairstyling hack if you know you’re going to have a time-strapped morning the next day.
Do this: Divide slightly damp hair into sections (the larger the waves you want, the less sections you do) and braid them. Secure them with hair ties or bobby pins, depending on your preference. Go to bed with those braids. The next morning, remove the hair ties or pins, untwist the braids, and run your fingers through your hair or use a wide-tooth brush to loosen up the waves. You can apply some curling mousse to keep the curls in shape.
4. Use multi-functional products
You’re a multi-tasker; the products you use should be so too. Multi-functional products help cut down the number of products (and time) you need in the morning, without compromising on the results you can achieve.
Try: Lancôme Énergie de Vie Liquid Care. This is an all-in-one skincare product that’s designed to be many things in one: fresh as a lotion, concentrated as a serum, and as moisturising as a Lancôme cream. This means that you can essentially jump straight to this product after cleansing in those time-starved mornings, and still give your skin the care that it needs. Fortified with three superfoods (French Melissa, Goji extract, Gentian extract) that are known their hydrating, anti-inflammatory, and skin-energising properties, the Énergie de Vie Liquid Care also turns your skin into a smoother canvas for easier makeup application.
5. Dry your hair last
If you have the habit of washing your hair in the morning and the previous hack doesn’t work for you, we have this simple hack to share: blow-dry your hair last. After towel-drying your hair as much as you can, go about with the rest of your tasks in the morning. Leave hair-drying to the last step because by then, your hair would have been air-dried enough to require less of your time.
6. Focus on makeup that “wakes” you up
If you have limited time for makeup, focus on only these features: brows, eyeliner, and lips. Defined brows, well-lined eyes, and vibrant lips give the illusion of energetic complexion and can help you look less fatigue.
7. The best hack of all? Invest in great skin
Great skin that looks fresh and hydrated is actually the best hack of all. With healthy, radiant skin, you’ll find that you’ll require less time to prepare in the morning: you’ll need less makeup to perk up your complexion, and you’ll notice makeup last longer and look better.
Achieving skin that looks fresh and energetic isn’t a tall order despite the busy schedules of today’s women. Let Lancôme experts show you how you can rejuvenate your skin at the complimentary Energise Boost Skin Rejuvenation Service. At your one-on-one session, you will get to:
- Rejuvenate your skin with the Énergie de Vie Pearly Lotion
- Boost the effectiveness of your skincare routine with the iconic Advanced Génifique pre serum by stimulating the youth proteins in your skin
- Revitalise your skin with Énergie de Vie Liquid Care, the star product in the series
- Renew your skin with the Énergie de Vie Water-Infused Cream or Overnight Recovery Sleeping Mask
- Get your skin shielded from environmental aggressors, blue light and UV light with the UV Expert CC Cover
This article is brought to you by Lancome.
