Our schedules are so jam-packed with work, social engagements, family priorities, fitness commitments, dates and parties – not to mention those occasional moments of leisure we enjoy every now and again – that the last thing we want to spend time on is endlessly doing and redoing our hair and makeup.
So we need some quick-fixes. Thanks to Clairol Nice ‘N Easy’s partnership with HuffPost, we’ve created some handy videos with the help of TV presenters and mums Andrea McLean and Gabby Logan, who know a thing or two about getting ready in a rush. In the video series, Andrea and Gabby dish out their advice and 10-minute beauty tips to help you maximise your time in a variety of situations.
In the final video of this series, Andrea explains how she takes her hair and makeup look from day to night – without redoing it all, and without the help of a professional crew. She offers up her favourite beauty advice on how to create the perfect smokey eye and hairstyle for a night out. The best part? You just need 10 minutes in your office loo to make the meeting-to-meeting-mates transformation a reality.
In addition to Andrea’s helpful beauty tricks, we’ve got a few ideas of our own you can try. And you might actually be early to meet your friends this time…
Keep your hair colour looking fresh
While you probably won’t have time to get a full blow dry between work and evening – especially if you’re doing something spontaneous - you shouldn’t have to worry about unkempt-looking locks. The easiest solution? Nice ‘N Easy Root Touch-Up, which banishes grey hairs and offers four weeks’ of complete coverage in one 10-minute application. Blending beautifully with your existing shade* (*including salon shades, based on leading retail permanent shades and pre-formulated salon colour), it’s a no-mess, no-fuss way to ensure you look fabulous, all the time. And you didn’t even need to head to the salon.
Add some evening accessories
Sure, you can touch up your hair and makeup to take your look from office to evening, but the easiest way to signal to yourself – and the world – that you’re ready for a night on the town is with some killer accessories. Keep a pair of neutral-hued heels (metallic and black pumps always work, too) in your desk at work so you can quickly glam up your daytime look for impromptu evening invitations. Store a clutch in there as well so you can ditch the rucksack with your athletic-wear in favour of something petite and night-out friendly.
Keep a standby makeup bag in your desk
Even if your morning makeup is threatening to melt by 4pm, you can still look amazing on your night out with the help of a few useful products: blotting papers, a setting spray or water spritz, translucent powder (it will help set your makeup and diminish any shiny spots), some mascara and a creamy lip or cheek stick that works as a blush and lipstick in one. If you’re feeling pale after an exhausting day and need some last-minute colour on your cheeks, you can also mix some primer or moisturizer with lipstick to create a DIY cream blush in minutes. Just keep everything stashed in a cosmetics bag in your desk so you’re always prepared.
Keep your hands away from your hair and face
Even the most meticulous makeup look is in serious jeopardy if you spend your day pawing at your face, scratching away, inadvertently smudging makeup and bringing unnecessary germs and bacteria into contact with your skin. The best way to keep your makeup looking fresh from dawn ‘til dusk is to avoid too much unnecessary contact with your face and hair (a surefire way to make a great hairstyle go limp). Occupy fidgety hands with a stress ball instead. Or, you know, start using your computer to type things.