Let’s face it: mornings are just too rushed. We’re getting dressed, getting kids dressed, fed and out the door, making or grabbing breakfast (or at least swigging coffee) and trying to get organised for the day ahead before the sun is even up.
And since we just want to stay in bed for that little bit extra… fussing over a longer-than-necessary morning makeup and hair routine simply isn’t an option.
We’ve collaborated with Clairol Nice ‘N Easy and TV presenters and busy working mums Gabby Logan and Andrea McLean to create a series of 10-minute beauty videos packed with practical tips to ensure your products work harder and last longer. And, of course, keep you looking fabulous, without spending endless hours in front of the mirror.
In the fifth video of this series, Gabby gives us her morning beauty hacks for when she’s in a rush. From her ultra-quick manicure hack to making hair look salon-wavy with minimal effort, Gabby’s tips will have us looking fresh-faced and ready to face the day in just a few minutes each morning. Which means more time with the kids, the newspaper or the beloved pillow…
Looking for more hacks to help streamline your morning beauty routine? Check out these tips below.
Use a teaspoon to perfect your winged eyeliner
You may or may not know this, but beauty bloggers swear by teaspoons as beauty aids. And they really work. Blogger Michelle Phan uses one to do everything from contouring to removing excess lipstick. The most useful – and unexpected - hack you can use a spoon for? Have it double as an eyeliner stencil to create the perfect cat’s eye makeup look to take you from day to night.
As we all know, getting perfectly straight lines – an essential for gorgeous-looking liner – is no easy feat, but you can use the spoon handle to measure out the cat-eye flicks (and keep them straight). Then, place the spoon over your eyelid and draw a line across your eye to join up with the flick at the side. And, there you have it: eyeliner perfection in mere minutes. Just remember to clean the spoon before dunking it into your tea.
Prepare your makeup and hair in advance
Just like you should plan your outfit for the next day the night before to avoid throwing every item out of your wardrobe in a panic in the morning, prepping your beauty look will help you save time and get you focused for the day ahead. Take out the products and hair accessories you’ll want to use for quick and efficient styling. Do a double-cleanse to get all of the makeup and impurities off your skin the night before, and see if you need any touch-ups in the hair department.
Nice ‘N Easy Root Touch-Up will be your go-to hair saviour for quick fixes: a 10-minute application gives you four weeks of 100% grey coverage, and the selection of shades available will match any leading shades, including salon colour* (*among retail permanent shades and pre-formulated salon colour).
Banish tired-looking eyes
While the dramatic, dark cat’s eye look works beautifully on the top lash line, lining the bottom waterline with dark liner isn’t going to do you any favours. Instead, swipe a nude liner across bottom lashes to make eyes pop and appear wider, larger and brighter while still looking totally understated. Done correctly, you can only see big, beautiful, well-rested looking eyes – not the nude liner doing the work for you.
Master some five-minute hairstyles
Waking up and attempting to do a full salon-style blowout each morning isn’t realistic – or the best use of those precious morning moments. Instead, master a few easy looks that take five minutes or less and look good no matter whether your hair is straight or wavy, freshly washed or slightly dirty.
A twisted ponytail (where you divide the hair in two, then wrap one section of hair around the other), looks like one of those hairstyles that a professional did for you, takes about two minutes and will get you from morning meeting to evening event. A messy bun is another favourite that can go from day to night: start by giving the hair some texture by running mousse or spray through it, then make a ponytail towards the ends of your hair. Twist and pin hair around to secure the bun, leaving however much hair you’d like out of your bun at the bottom for a done-but-not-quite-perfect updo. Voilà – gorgeous hair in minutes.