12 Tips To Great Beauty Shortcuts
If beauty rest seems but a quaint idea from some distant, pre-kid past as does rest of pretty much any variety it may feel easier to duck the mirror altogether than to take a peek and see a pooped and puffy face looking back. Not to worry we’re here to help.
Always in a hurry with no time to spare? Whether you’re trying to improve your everyday routine or get ready for a big party, these beauty shortcuts will help you save time and cut your routine in half. Because being a woman means having a little vanity or alot.
Multiple jobs, in fact: You’ll look like you’ve slept when you haven’t, showered when you haven’t, and splurged when you haven’t. In short (because, really, short’s all you’ve got), you’ll seem totally pulled together, even when your only fashion accessory is that oh-so-attractive Go-Gurt tube sticking out of your back pocket.
Give Yourself a Facial:
There’s nothing better than a professional facial. But if you have a big night and no time, you can still get luminous skin without the royal treatment. Try this 10-minute routine, suggested by Elena Arboleda, head aesthetician at Mario Badescu Skin Care, in New York City. First, wash your face with a cleanser for your skin type. Next, massage on a gentle scrub for 30 seconds with your fingertips. Rinse and apply a thin layer of a mask containing fruit enzymes, such as papaya, which will help give your face a glow. After five minutes, rinse off, and blot your skin dry. Finish with moisturizer, eye cream, and lip balm.
Look Bright-Eyed:
Using a soft, white liner, gently trace the inner corner of your eye. Then, using a pale shimmer shadow, soften that “V” and extend it a bit toward the inner part of the bridge of your nose. You’ll lighten up the eye area and draw attention away from dark circles. Try: Cargo EyeLighter in white (a pointed tip on one end provides the matte liner, a rounded tip on the other delivers the shimmery shadow).
Elaborate Eye Makeup:
Stick with three express moves. Tame brows, apply highlighter and slick on black mascara. Smooth unruly brows using brow gel or a pencil-and-comb combo such as Prestige Browliner. Then add a pop of white or bone shimmer shadow just below the browbone. “It draws attention upward and gives your face a more awake, lifted look,” says Ramy Gafny, a New York City celebrity makeup artist. Finish by applying black mascara from the base to the tips of lashes to give them maximum length.
Fix a Mani Smudge:
Hey, you’ve got places to go which is why you inevitably end up bolting from the nail salon before your polish has dried completely. You know what comes next an ugly smudge. Try this quick fix: As soon as you get home, carefully pour nail enamel remover into the cap, says Ji Baek, owner of New York City’s Rescue Beauty Lounges and author of Rescue Your Nails. Dip the pad of another finger into the liquid and lightly tap and smooth the smudged nail. Then apply a high-shine topcoat. This time, sit tight!
Cut Your Blow-Drying Time:
Towel-blot hair well, then do what we call a faux-out. Normally, you’d clip up the top and start drying the bottom layer of hair. But to save time, Put your dryer on high heat and finger-tousle the underside of your hair to zap out the moisture, says hairstylist Jimmy Paul of Bumble and Bumble. Then focus your attention on the top layer. Use a round brush to blow out sections that are the same width as the brush, applying lots of tension from roots to ends, he adds. The smooth, shiny top layers will conceal what’s underneath.
Blush, Lipstick and Shadow:
Choose one triple-duty product. A creamy blush that also works on lips and lids is ideal. Whatever you do, don’t skip blush; makeup artists say it’s the most underrated beauty product for waking up the face. Just smile and use the heat of your fingers to dab color on the rounds of your cheeks and across your lips, suggests Marcia Kilgore, creator of Soap & Glory. Use the same shade to brighten lids. Try E.L.F. All Over Color Stick in Persimmon.
A Styling Marathon:
Stash your blow-dryer and brush, and try some quick “detailing.” Pull slept-on hair back into the Tonytail, a faux-hair ponytail holder that creates the illusion your strands have been expertly wrapped around the base of the pony. Or give a cropped style instant polish by smoothing out bangs and short layers with one of the new purse-size flattening irons.
Hide The Evidence:
There are four spots (aside from under your eyes) where concealer can do a sleepy face a world of good, according to Roncal: the sides of your nose (next to your eyes, where concealer can lend extra brightening) and the outer corners of your eyes, nostrils, and mouth (three prime locations for sleep deprivation-induced darkness). “At the outer corners of your eyes in particular, even a little extra pigmentation can make your lids appear to sag,” she says. Dab away in good light with your ring finger, and blend well.
Give Your Hair Waves:
This trick works best for medium-to-thick hair that’s somewhere between straight and wavy, but can also help boost body in fine hair or curly hair that’s been blown out. Before bed, brush (dry) hair and secure it on top of your head with the scrunchie that’s been banished to bathroom-drawer purgatory since back when Jon-Bon was shot through the heart and you were to blame.
(Don’t use a rubber band, which would leave a mark.) If you have fine hair, says Toye, use a bit of volumizer at the roots before putting it up. Wrap the ponytail around the base, and tuck the ends into the fabric. Then simply release the ponytail when you wake up, tousle, and enjoy your lovely, loose waves or fuller-than-usual body.
Soften Your Feet:
Every night for a week, right before bed, slather on a salicylic acid- and/or urea-rich lotion, then pull on a pair of cotton socks. You’ll gradually slough off the rough spots (the salicylic acid and urea dissolve the dead skin) and leave the fresh skin moisturized, says Dr. Day. Sweet feet sans scraping!
Puffiness Prevention:
The flip side of all the good things that happen to your skin while you sleep? “Lying flat for hours causes fluid to accumulate in your face, especially around your eyes,” says Dr. Wechsler. Minimize puffiness by keeping your head elevated on at least two pillows and skipping salty foods like sushi with soy sauce for dinner.
Makeup Multitasks:
Here are five cosmetic overachievers that save you time and purse space by offering at least three beauty benefits in one small package.
- Foundation + makeup brush + sun protection = Neutrogena Mineral Sheers Liquid Makeup SPF 20
- Nail file + cuticle softener + cuticle pusher = 5 Second 3-in-1 Manicure Pen
- Concealer + wrinkle smoother + sun protection = L’Oréal Paris Visible Lift Line-Minimizing & Tone-Enhancing Concealer SPF 20
- Eyebrow tamer + skin softener + blister blocker + more = Bliss Problem Salved 20-in-1 Wonder Balm
- Lip gloss + tooth whitener + breath freshener = Tarte Enbrightenmint BriteSmile Whitener & Tarte Lipgloss
