Hi girls! College has been fantastic for me so far. I’ve survived my first week of classes without any major catastrophes! There is one catch… I have class at 8 in the morning twice a week. Even though there’s no way to avoid going, I like to catch a few extra Z’s in the morning so I’ve quickly found ways to cut time getting ready in the morning.
However, you don’t need to have an 8am class to need quick ways to get ready. After all, any class on Monday might as well be 6 am. I’m going to be touching on five “time saver” products – all that are affordable and easily accessible – that I have found to already be essentials in my freshman year.
These are the no-brainer products. They have an impact, but there isn’t much of a way to mess up using them – they are perfect for the early mornings.
1. Dry Shampoo
It is exactly what it sounds like, and if you haven’t discovered dry shampoo yet – you’re really missing out.
Basically it’s the same formula as shampoo, but it is put either into a spray, powder, or foam. It will absorb the oils, impart a clean smell, and add shine to your hair. I’m not telling you to never go out and wash your hair now – no, but if you have to get to a class and you have some serious bedhead going on, you get an instant tame without any time spent waiting for it to dry. (Also helpful in the winter if you don’t have time to dry your hair!) I personally prefer the foam variety because I feel like it has the most control and is the least messy.
Recommended: Tressemme FreshStart Waterless Foam Shampoo $4.79 at Target
http://www.target.com/p/Tresemme-Fresh-Start-Dry-Shampoo-5-7-oz/-/A-12912731
2. Hydrating Lip Balm
Note that I said lip balm and not lipgloss. I’m sure we’ve all had the experience of the edge of our hair flying to stick to the lipgloss. No one wants that first thing in the morning. A hydrating lip balm adds instant shine to your lips – which is a way to make you look awake super fast – and there’s no way you can add too much because it doesn’t layer as thickly as a lip gloss does.
Recommended: Evolution of Smooth lip balm appx. $3 at Walgreens or Smith’s Minted Rose Lip Balm $8 dollars or 2/$12 at Urban Outfitters
3. Clear Mascara
Clear mascara? Why would you want clear mascara? Simple answer – you can’t mess up! If you hit the edge of your eye, no one is going to see the telltale black mark. There also isn’t any way to get raccoon eyes
because it doesn’t run. If you have dark lashes, like me, it can also make an ample substitute for everyday black mascara. As a bonus, clear mascara can be helpful for a few other beauty tricks. It can be used to tame unruly eyebrows as well as flyaways around the hairline.
Recommended: Maybelline Great Lash in Clear $3.84 at Target
http://www.target.com/p/Maybelline-Great-Lash-Mascara/Maybelline-Great-Lash-Mascara-Collection/-/A-12187178
4. Brown eyeliner
I feel that brown eyeliner is a bit harder to mess up with than black eyeliner because it’s more natural and rarely as pigmented. A thin swipe of a golden brown eyeliner on your upper lashline is a ten second fix that can wake one up without worrying about looking too smokey for the daytime. (I still love black liner though!)
Recommended: L’oreal Hip Studio Secrets Professional Color Truth Eyeliner appx. $8.49 at CVS
5. Primer plus setting powder
The rumor is that primer must be used under a foundation to have any effect. The truth? This is wrong!
Primer is fantastic. It often times has an SPF within the formula which is always helpful. Some of the primers have a more dewy effect while others mattify, it’s all based on preference which one you go for. I personally like the mattifying ones. Either way, they smooth out your skin and can make it look like you have a full face of makeup on when you don’t. If you dust some setting powder over it, a usually translucent white based powder (think foundation without any color), and you suddenly have an airbrushed effect!
Recommended: VS PRO Airbrush FX Face Primer $18 at Victoria’s Secret stores and online and E.L.F Studio High Definition Setting Powder $6 at eyeslipsface.com
http://www.eyeslipsface.com/studio/face/powder/high_definition_powder
With these five (well, four and one pair) products and about five minutes, you suddenly look like you’ve spent all morning getting ready when in reality it wasn’t any time at all! Next week I’ll continue with five more products. Enjoy!