Speed Up Your Morning Routine: Getting Dressed

Speed Up Your Morning Routine: Getting Dressed 

• Organize your closet. Save time by knowing where everything is. Separate items by type (dresses,  pants, jackets, etc) and color so if you have an idea in your head you can quickly scan your closet to find the pieces to put it together.
• Keep accessories readily accessible. Organize your accessories and keep them close to where you get dressed. I used to store my jewelry in a second bedroom that  was close to my front door, BUT I hardly ever had to go into the room (other than for the jewelry) so it was easy for me to walk right past the room and forget my earrings. To fix this, I added a hanging jewelry organizer to my Christmas List last year.  Here's one that's similar to mine (link). Now I have most of my favorite jewelry items in my organizer and keep it hanging up in my closet so I can quickly make my selection in the morning.
• Plan ahead.  Prepare outfits weekly or the night before. This gives you time to iron, remove lint, and play dress up to come up with the perfect outfit when you are not in a rush!

Missed any tips in the Speed Up Your Morning Routine series? Click here to see the rest of the series. 

Speed Up Your Morning Routine: Hair

Speed Up Your Morning Routine: Hair

I believe that in order to have great looking hair requiring minimal morning styling time,  you need to make sure you have a solid night-time routine.  Here are some tips on how to prep a number of common hairstyles at night and shorten your A.M. styling time:

• When preparing your hair for braid or twist-outs, be sure to braid/twist your hair in the direction you want it to lay, and place your part where you plan for it to be. In the morning, all you have to do is take the braids/twists apart  and your style is set.  If you take a look at this post, you can see how I positioned my twists for a twist-out that framed my face and maintained the same side part from the night before in my final style.   
• To maintain straight hair, be sure to wrap your hair, or set it on rollers as shown here.  Be sure to cover with a satin or silk scarf/bonnet!
• If wearing buns or twists (like this protective style here) style your hair at night and cover with a bonnet or scarf and all you have to do in the morning is to smooth any stray hairs.
• If wearing wet styles like a wash-n-go, forego the blowdryer and let your hair airdry (weather permitting) on the way to work with the window down, or wrap your hair in a scarf during the morning commute to soak up excess water.
• To salvage a 2nd or 3rd day style, pineapple your hair at night (placing your hair in loose buns or ponytails at the top of your head) to maintain the look while you sleep and minimize the styling required in the A.M.

Missed any tips in the Speed Up Your Morning Routine series? Click here to see the rest of the series. 

Speed Up Your Morning Routine: Face

In the world of never-ending to-do lists, high-speed everything, and the feeling that you have to be Super Woman to juggle all of your responsibilities (work, school, family, and looking good), it seems like there just aren't enough hours in the day. I realize this the most as I lie down after a long day, and after what feels like only a brief nap (that was actually 7hrs) I'm up, scrambling to get myself together before rushing into work--hopefully on time.

While the amount of time we have each day is fixed, we can make little adjustments to our daily activities to make better use of our time.  Think about your morning routine; how long does it take you to make it from your bed to your commute? Do you find yourself sacrificing your looks or your health just because you feel you don't have enough time to put forth the effort?  Let's change that way of thinking ladies.  Here are some tips to help you speed up that morning routine while preserving your sexy (does anyone else remember that P. Diddy Proactiv commercial? lol)


Speed Up Your Morning Routine: Face

• Develop a beauty regimen.  A regimen is a set of steps that you do everyday. For example, you may start by brushing teeth, then washing your face, applying toner, then moisturizing. Once you have this routine set you can begin going through the motions on auto-pilot even if you’re still half asleep. To speed up the routine, line your products up in the order that you use them so you can just go down the line without having to stop and think about it.
• Use multifunction products.  Think you don't have enough time to apply makeup?  Well switching to a tinted moisturizer allows you to combine the moisturizing and foundation step in one.  Products like the Stila Prime Color Set (shown in this post) can be used to provide color on your cheeks, eyelids, and lips, saving you from having to fumble around for that lipstick at the bottom of your makeup bag!
• Keep it simple. Take care of the bare necessities, then focus on activities that provide the biggest payoff for you.  If just a little eyeliner and a swipe of mascara is all that it takes to make your eyes pop, then skip the eyeshadow. Also, if you get your eyebrows professionally shaped and just do a little clean-up on your own every week or so, you probably can get away with just brushing your eyebrows into place with a clear brow gel  instead of having to fill them in each morning. 

Want more tips? Check back next week where I'll cover your morning hair routine.