Making the Most of 5 Minutes, Aprés-Shower

Have you ever been in the shower when you realize you have to be somewhere a minute ago? Short of wearing the towel as a culturally re-appropriated head accessory, there are a few smart moves you can make in five minutes to make it look like you meant to have wet hair, accompanied, naturally, by naturally fresh skin.

Take this pony, for example, made chic by the talented hair stylist Cecilia Romero.

Even if you don't have a trained professional on hand to whip up the perfect wet-look pony, this is something you can recreate, easy. First, start with wet hair. How convenient that you just showered!

After towel drying, run a comb through to help detangle strands. Squeeze a nickel-sized blob of light-hold gel onto palms, coating hands so you can control how much products goes onto your hair. Start with less — you can always add more if needed. Philip B's Styling Gel is a great option to keep the wet look consistent all day. Just tie back with a snag-free ponytail holder, using a comb as needed to keep it sleek.

Phew, hair is done and you've got two minutes to go! Next, you need a five-minute makeup look to match — and there are three easy steps for a clean, flawless face.

1. After moisturizing, dab highlighter on the inner corners of the eye to brighten things and help disguise dark circles. YSL Touche Éclat is magic.

2. Use a spooley brush to groom eyebrows for a slightly more polished look.

3. Slick on your favorite red or pink lipstick. Bold lip color automatically makes a face look pulled-together.

So easy, fast, and chic. We won't tell if you use this five minute routine everyday.

Images: milanmarkovic78/Fotolia, @ceciliaromerohair on Instagram; Courtesy of Brands