I am always looking for ways to keep my morning routine quick, peaceful and effective. Each morning, we find ourselves in the middle of a chorus of salutations—who will stir first?—we’re never sure. I very rarely wake up before the kids, since they are early wakers, but I try. And if I can’t, I attempt to get things underway while they’re still occupied with “quiet” playing (or something like it!), before they’re dressed and we begin
our morning routine.
In the quiet of downstairs, I’ll habitually open blinds, slide open a window, get our breakfast provisions out on the counter, tidy up if need be, and get school or play belongings out and ready. I have my quick free moments to freshen myself, brush teeth, wash my hands. But that’s only half the battle, figuring out how to de-puff my eyes, calm down my hair and wake up my face, well that’s often that’s relegated to the car, the least preferable spot! I don’t have to use these tactics every day and if I have time at home, I will use my products there.
Some of this began not in the motherhood portion of my life but the working years. Getting ready after a bad nights sleep or just always on the run. I’m pretty sure hot mess is sort of a universal concept though we’re all capable of achieving 😂 So for whatever’s causing your hot mess, here are a few on quick, on-the-run methods for making sure I don’t end up the hottest mess you ever saw.
Cold face cleanse—whether at home or one of my cleansing face pads that I keep in the car (which stay particularly cold this time of year!), the cold helps reduce swelling and helps “wake up” my skin. I have been using the Trader Joe’s miscellar face cleansing wipes or these Burt’s Bees cucumber cleansing towelettes. I’d like to try Burt’s exfoliating towelettes by the that give you a scrub without any rinsing if needed.
Under-eye pads—I use these gel-style under eye pads (from Target) to run around with until I put any quick makeup on. They seem to de-puff a bit and a cool pad under my tired eyes in the morning feels really refreshing!
Embrace your hair—a few months ago, I started flipping my hair the opposite direction. It is such a small change, and felt so odd at first, but it gives tired hair so much instant volume and life. I’ve noticed that my hair has adjusted to me not washing everyday too; so with that, seems to produce less oils and stay fresh longer. It makes quick mornings a whole lot more simple since I can sort of shake up my hair, tame a few pieces and voila, I’m done!
Go monochromatic—lastly, an easy way to feign a put together look is going with one color, which in my case is black. I don’t this every day, but it’s such a great hack on the ones I need a little help!
Lash curl—this helps me feel a little less drab and is such a quick boost. I have this pretty rose gold one by Tweezerman.
A few highlighting techniques—a little cream highlighter in the right places can brighten your look so quickly. I go for the inside corners of my eyes, and then all the places that light would hit my face (tops of cheeks, chin, forehead and sometimes in the curve of my eyebrows). For around my face, I enjoy High-Beam by Benefit, Strobe Cream by MAC and I’m interested in trying this Illuminating Cream Highlighter by Beautycounter. On my eyes in particular, I’ve always used Lemon-Aid by Benefit, which is an eyelid primer.
Eyeliner save—A nude lip/eye pencil can also do well on your under-lid to help with any redness. NARS has always been my go-to for pencils, I like the Via Veneto Larger than Life eye pencil in cream.
Consider allergies—if you are puffy or bloodshot after a night or morning of sneezing or itchy/watery eyes, consider your allergies! On days like this, I’ll grab a 24-hour Claritin and some Visine on my way out. It’s always a quick soothe for my allergy related puffiness and eye redness.
It’s lovely how a few things so easily wake me up for the day and make me feel fresh for myself, my family, etc. Because sometimes is not enough for me!
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