The moment you became an adult may have dawned on you while you were juggling multiple tasks, feeling a little frazzled, with a cold coffee in one hand and a hot phone in the other. Therefore, getting ready quick hacks become a necessity to you, rather than an interesting spot of reading for your relaxation time in the tub. I mean, who has time to take a bath nowadays, let alone read in there? Your bath tub soaking days – that likely occurred during college, in your gap year, or pre-children – are likely a distant memory.
There's no need to mourn your daydreamy tub days; you're probably too busy building an empire, being the best mom in the world, creating a work/life balance, and/or being a total boss babe. You can have as many long soaks as your mermaiden heart desires during your vacation days. But, in the meantime, you need to make the most of your time, because time becomes your most precious commodity as you get older.
So, no matter if you need to cut down the length of your morning routine, make leaving the house with your offspring a reality rather than a dream, or be able to get ready for dinner and drinks after work when you're on minus time, then here are some getting ready fast hacks to make your life a little easier.
1. Ditch Winged Eyeliner
Unless you are the Queen of Winged Eyeliner, don't bother with it. Winged eyeliner is of course awesome, however if you're not an expert at applying it, chances are, it's not going to go right the first time. This could make you late and leave you feeling flustered, which might add to your stress. So ditch it or learn to master winged eyeliner in your free time, so you know that you can nail it every single time.
2. Use Pre-Glued False Lashes
Eylure Pre-Glued Lashes 070, $4.74, amazon.com
If you're a gal who likes to wear falsies on the daily or you enjoy wearing them on evenings out, this is a helpful tip for you. Instead of buying eyelashes that you have to carefully apply eyelash glue to, skip this step by choosing self-adhesive eyelashes. Not only do they cause less mess, but they should also save you a heap of time too.
3. Do Your Makeup On Your Commute
If you like wearing makeup on a day to day basis and you commute to work, you can save so much time by doing your makeup on your travels. Of course, the ideal modes of transport for applying makeup are trains, subways, taxis, and trams, so don't be tempted to start applying your war paint if you're in control of a vehicle or a bike or while crossing roads. Take your makeup bag with you on your way to your destination and by the time you get there, your makeup will be done! IMO, it's a much better way to spend "dead" time pockets.
4. Learn A 5 Minute Makeup Routine
For those who can't do their makeup on their commute, YouTube is awesome for finding super quick and simple makeup looks. There are so many different 5 Minute Makeup Tutorials to choose from, so pick the one you like the best, practice it, and you'll be doing your makeup in five minutes flat!
5. Nail A Quick & Easy Hairstyle You Love
There are a ton of super speedy hairstyles out there too – you've just got to find the one that suits your personality and your day ahead the best. Personally, I always go for a quiff: I love having my hair off my face, I like the retro vibes it lends my look, and it's easy to transform it into an up 'do if the need arises. The aim is to learn a hairstyle you love that you could literally do in your sleep, so that you can automatically nail it when you're stuck for time.
6. Shower & Shave The Night Before
I understand if you're a morning showerer – like me – showering on an evening may seem like your worst, icky nightmare. However, depending on how fast you are in the shower and what ablutions you need to undertake, I'd guess that your shower takes you anywhere between five to thirty minutes. Obviously, washing your hair adds on extra time and if you're a lady who shaves, this means even more minutes will be added on to your morning routine. So make your life easier by taking out this entire portion of your routine and completing it on an evening instead. If you're worried about BO you can always quickly wash (or baby wipe) the offending area(s) in the morning, which is sure to be way quicker than having a full-blown shower.
7. Prepare Your Clothes In Advance
Pick out your clothes prior to your event, even if it's just for work the next day. Lay out your clothes in advance, so you don't have to sleepily fumble through your closet, or worse, be forced to go through your laundry because there's nothing you want to wear that's clean. In addition to this, nobody has time to iron their clothes when they're in a rush. To eradicate doing this chore when you're a little hot under the collar, iron in advance.
8. Become A Food Prep Aficionado
You're likely tired of people chiming on about food preparation, but if you haven't tried it before, it's worth giving it a go. You might wonder where on earth these food prepping masters find the time to make so many meals at once, but you'll probably save time in the long run by spending a block of time making your food in one fell swoop, rather than making multiple dishes every day. If you're stuck for where to begin, check out Bustle Fashion and Beauty Editor Olivia Muenter's, tips on how to plan an entire week's meals. Just imagine, when hunger strikes, all you need to do is head over to the fridge, pull out your meal, and eat it – sounds like a dream, right? Instead of having to wolf breakfast down in a morning, on top of preparing your breakfast and lunch, all you need to do is pop your prepared meals in your bag and eat on the move or at work.
9. Ensure All Of Your Purses Are Prepared
The last thing you want when you're trying to get out the door as quickly as possible is to be running around like a headless chicken, trying to find your keys, your wallet, and other items. To minimize this situation, make sure that all of your purses, from daytime tote bags to evening clutches, are prepared with the necessities such as tampons, lip balm, and bobby pins. Invest in a special storage system or DIY your own, that's placed near your front door, that will hold your keys, your wallet, your travel card, and anything else that you will need to switch between bags. This way you can easily grab your essentials on the way out and know that whichever purse you pick up already has everything you need inside it.
10. Brush Your Teeth On The Go
Rolly Brush 6-Pack, $5.99, amazon.com
Obviously you might not want to start doing this in place of actually brushing your teeth, but on those days when you've snoozed through your alarm and you're already late, a Rolly toothbrush will become your new BFF.
11. Leave Your Shoes Until Last
I know it's tempting to get in front of your full length mirror and try shoes on with your outfit, but kick them off as soon as you're done styling, unless you're ready to immediately leave the house. Wearing a pair of heels (of any size) while you're dashing from room to room, is not only a possible tripping hazard waiting to happen, but it also holds you up big time. If your home is located anywhere above the ground floor, carry your heels downstairs instead of wearing them all the way down – this way you'll be lightening quick and won't have to worry about falling down the stairs.
So there you have it, a bunch of quick and easy getting ready hacks to make your morning routine or evening out preparations a breeze!
Images: Blubel (1) /Unsplash; Olivia Muenter (1); eewilliams78 (1), freephotocc (1), Wokandapix (1), skeeze (1), Unsplash (1), 21150 (1) /Pixabay; Courtesy Brands
