Reducing the time it takes to get ready in the morning!

Jacks_xxx

Some good tips here! :T

Regular maintenance, organisation and routine are the key for me. There are four of us who need to use the one bathroom in the morning before 8am so I can't afford to faff. If I keep my hair cut regularly and in good condition it takes me less time to style. Likewise, if I keep an eye on my legs, underarms and brows I'll never have to do emergency hair removal in the morning. If I take my make up off thoroughly the night before then cleansing in the morning is very quick and I won't have to abandon moisturising in order to deal with big black splodges under my eyes! (Years of being a bit lackadaisical and undisciplined have taught me many lessons! )

I've got my morning routine down from 90 minutes to 40 minutes and now only hubby, the kids, and the cat can derail me! I always have to shower and wash my hair in the mornings or else I just don't feel fresh, and if I don't put make up on or style my hair I feel a mess - which impacts my whole day - so organisation is my only option really.

Having everything where you need to use it, with the hair straighteners plugged in, the next days make up and clothes laid out ready so that you don't have to rummage or wander to and fro is my top tip. I do 3 days worth of clothes at a time so I don't have to do it every night.

A tray, shoe box lid, or cutlery tray can be the place you put your make up for tomorrow. Keep it where you're going to use it. My default no brainer tray contains foundation, powder, mascara, eye brow colour, eyeliner, a Bobbi Brown palette (with eye shadows, a blusher and lip colours in it) and the brushes I need to apply it all. No extras or options to root through - just the things I need. I even line them up in the order I'm going to use them.

I also have a basic make up bag that I carry around so that If I didn't have time to finish because the cat was sick, or my daughter needed help printing out her homework or everyone seemed to take extra time in the bathroom today etc I can add it in later. I always like to get base and eyes on - if I have to add blusher and lips later it's no biggie. My mascara takes me a full five minutes and I just can't do eyeliner in a rush so I've had to do them at work before now as well.

My daughter straightens her hair the night before then puts it into a low pony by wrapping a scarf around it all the way to the end of the pony. This leaves her with just a bit of a kink at the back which takes two minutes to sort out. She also plaits it into two bunches overnight to give controlled wave, or wears it in a pony tail, side pony, side plait, two plaits, messy bun, or twisted and secured with a crocodile clip. (She's 15 and every day is a fashion parade! )

She gets up a full 90 minutes before she leaves and still complains that I make her eat a bowl of cereal before she goes cos she "doesn't have time"!

Fi_1966

I have a 1 1/2 hour train commute to work every morning and I always eat my breakfast on the train, as do hundreds of other commuters......can't see the problem with it myself.:D

With regards to other ways of reducing time in the morning (as others have said):

Minerals make up - a god send - plus a sweep of mascara and a bit of lippy (which I also reapply, after my breakfast, on the train. I must be really skanky!!!!!):eek: and you're good to go.
Dry Shampoo

Organising all your clothes and packed lunch the night before.

You will eventually get used to the commute (although it can be frustrating) and you will very quickly find your own morning routine to suit your needs.

Good luck
Fi x

Pink*Kitchen*Lady

ailuro2 wrote: »

See the extra time as time just for yourself instead of a time being taken away form you.

I totally agree, personal time is golden especially before a long day.
I've had permanent staightening done and it was great!! Yes a bit expensive, but it was so easy to just touch up the root (they grow curly) to match the straight ends and off I went.

I dont wear make up, but dry shampoo is defo a life-saver. They have it at Boots.com for £2.99

Good Luck with your commute!

Holly25

Oooo Pink Lady can I ask how much your permenant straigtening cost? Did you have the chemical one done? Did it affect the condition of your hair?

Sorry for the million questions!

donquine

I'm watching this thread with interest. :T

I have to look smart for work, but I feel I'm failing at that. I struggle to get ready in the morning - if I put mascara on, I poke myself in the eye and have to spend 10 minutes carefully removing all the excess black I've smudged on my eyelid. The fact that I'm really short sighted doesn't help, but I think I'm just terrible with makeup.

We're expressly told not to put makeup on whilst commuting as it's unprofessional and you never know if a client is in the same carriage as you. I do see the point, but it doesn't help with me trying to save time in the morning...

I'd never heard of Batiste Dry Shampoo Tropical before, so will look out for that. I have very long hair, which I have to wash each day. It's normally just the roots that need washing; the rest probably would be happy to be washed less often, so this may be a good shout for me.

Are there any other miracle products people would recommend? I've heard if you invest in a proper eyelash curler, it's easier to get your mascara right; is that true?

belfastgirl23

You could think about getting eyelashes dyed - that would mean you wouldn't need mascara so much...

Pink*Kitchen*Lady

Holly25 wrote: »

Oooo Pink Lady can I ask how much your permenant straigtening cost? Did you have the chemical one done? Did it affect the condition of your hair?

Sorry for the million questions!

Heya, sorry for the late reply.
It was the chemical one and took ALL DAY! I kid you not, I was there for a good 8hrs! Shoulder length hair, thin wavy/curly so didn't need anything too strong. It wasn't too expensive, not like the quote I'd had for the Japanese one (£300 :eek:), but it was about £180 a year ago. Then it was £90 for the touch ups, every 6mos or so, or when I could get the time to get in there. The touch ups didn't take as long, but still.

Condition of my hair--- it was fine. Took a lil while to get used to having it straight all the time and even when I had a fair amount of re-growth a quick blast with the hairdryer and I was good to go. The GHDs only came out if I wanted pin-straight, but that wasn't often.
I will say this though, DO NOT GET BLEACH!! I didn't heed this warning from my hairdresser and insisted on having my whole head bleached AFTER it was all straight..... oh dear me it wasn't pretty! But that said, it didn't take long to get back to normal and I had it done again once all the blonde bits were cut off. I haven't had it done this year as I've chose the highlights, but am tempted towards winter as I dont want to be faffing about taming my locks.

Also if you have very very strong curl or it's a bit Afro-textured then it might not work. I paid for my little sister to have it done and it didn't take and had to be repeated (nightmare! this was another 8hrs + :eek:). They do have sensative chemical mix as well if you have a slight curl/wave, but it's best to ask before they start :cool:

Hope this helps
~PKL

Pink*Kitchen*Lady

Holly I was just thinking have you looked into the eyelash extentions? They work really well, if a bit costly. They last about 6weeks, but you wouldn't have to stress about mascara applicaiton, home or train
~PKL

Fuzzy_Duck

Makeup wise you get better with practice. I can do a full face in a couple of minutes if I'm pushed for time. 'Forgiving' products help- try bunging on a tinted moisturiser, a dab of blush and a sweep of powder. It's quick and easy to do. Eye makeup is a little more difficult- I would use a creamy eyeliner pencil which you can simply blend in if the line's a bit wonky, and apply mascara to only the outer lashes to prevent any smudging. Eye lash curlers are always worth having I think. Give your lashes a quick clamp before applying mascara and you should find it easier as it opens them up a bit more. If it comes to the worst a cotton bud dipped in water makes cleaning up easier!

I straighten my hair (far too much) and will do it the night before rather than do it in a rush the next morning. Then I just tie it back into a ponytail. If you've got long hair, whatever the thickness/style, it should look fine in a ponytail or bun. When my hair was shorter (and messier!) I used hair extensions, particularly the hair bun scrunchie sort. You just tie it over your own hair, and assuming you get a good colour match, no one is any the wiser. This is particularly useful when your hair's looking a bit lank!

As others have said, do as much as you can the day before. Prepare your breakfast and/or lunch, leave out your clothes/jewellery ready, shower and wash your face. When I get up in the morning, I just need to get dressed, brush my teeth, spray some body spray and some Batiste dry shampoo on my hair, and put a face wipe round my face before applying my makeup. Hair is tied back and I wear my glasses as it's not worth the faff in the mornings.

Good luck with it, I swear you'll get used to the commute soon I only give myself 20 minutes to get ready- less when I sleep through my alarm! I don't know what I was doing when I had a whole hour. The only thing I really miss is having time to have a cup of tea in the morning!

kajstring24

As someone has already said, dry shampoo is a great way of keeping your hair fresh. I now wash my hair twice a week rather than everyday. It's also kept my hair in good condition because I'm not straightening it all the time.

Small things work wonders too.... filling the kettle the night before, sorting your outfit the night before, brushing your teeth in the shower etc etc.

A lot of the stuff I do has already been mentioned and on a good day I can be ready in 15 - 20 minutes :-)