Five Quick Tips for Beautifying in a Rush

When you’ve got a lot of stress in your life, from your work, your school, your family and your friends, it’s hard to balance all of the commitments and still take care of yourself. It’s especially hard to keep looking fresh, clean and perky everyday.

Women are rock stars, and we can make it happen, but when the priorities come down to an extra shower in the morning and another hour of reading prep for your presentation, we usually go for the latter. We’re smart, we know how to make it work.

But here are some five quick tips for how to clean up your look and up your beauty points on a tight time frame.

If your hair is greasy and smelly, don’t immediately default to the slicked back ponytail or the messy bun, these immediately show your co-workers, boss, and friends that you didn’t have time to shower. You want to frame your face and give your hair some dimension: some suggestions are the half-ponytail, a headband, or just bobby-pin back a few pieces of your hair to give it some volume.
Spend two minutes on your makeup. Literally, just two minutes will make a world of difference. Get one of those alcohol-swab face pads, then give your face a quick once-over to remove the excess oil. Then add a little dab of moisturizer, some concealer, powder, and a quick swab of lipstick. It will make all of the difference and you will feel 10 times better to have just a little makeup on your face.
Wash your hands and brush your teeth! These should be standard, but just a reminder: both will make you feel fresher and less self-conscious. Take 30 seconds, little toothpaste and handwash, and you’re good to go!
No sweatshirts or sweatpants, please! This especially goes for students or pre-professionals. Always at least default to jeans and a T-shirt or sweater. Sweatshirts and sweatpants look like you literally just rolled out of bed, and it’s very hard to improve on them.
Drink lots of water and have at least a little breakfast, even if it’s just a handful of cereal. It will give you the energy you need to make the morning great. And water always helps clear our minds and bodies.