Unless you’re a chirpy morning person who wakes up before the alarm, chances are you’re not your best at 8am.
Whether you’re heavily pregnant, nursing a newborn or preparing for the rush of the morning drop-off, our 8 tricks to looking beautiful before 8am will save your morning sanity and eliminate the need for oversized sunglasses.
At a glance
- Low maintenance looks are popular right now
- Exfoliating will naturally give you a rosy fresh faced glow
- Always take time to put on mascara, it'll help you achieve the wide eyed look easily
Messy hair
Luckily, current hair trends include ideal get-out-the-door-fast looks such as sleek ponytails and low volume hair. But a quick trick we love is the “shower wave.” Simply pull your hair into a high pony, twist into a bun, secure with grips or a hair band, pop on a shower cap and enjoy a steamy shower. Just before leaving the house, take your hair down and ta-da! The heat from the shower will have created gorgeous waves.
Exfoliate
Squeeze a little exfoliator – we love St Ives Invigorating Facial Scrub, into your regular cleanser and lightly scrub and clean your skin in one. The extra grittiness will stimulate the skin and encourage blood to circulate to the skin’s surface, giving you a rosy glow in seconds.
Do dewy quickly
For a dewy complexion in seconds, cheat! Who says you can’t mix moisturiser, foundation and highlighter? Take a small amount of each, mix in your hands and pat onto your face. Done.
Blush!
The quickest way to make you look bright eyed and bushy tailed is blusher. Apply a pink cream blusher – we love Topshop Blush in Flush, onto the apples of your cheeks for an instant healthy glow. A cream blusher will last longer than a powder, so you won’t even need to reapply.
Wide eyed and bushy tailed
Instead of propping your eyes open with matchsticks, follow our wide-eyed beauty trick. Simply apply a darker mascara on the top lashes and a lighter shade on the bottom to create an optical illusion. And there’s no need to buy two separate mascaras, Estée Lauder Two Tone Eye Opening Mascara, has it all in one for you.
Another sneaky way to make your eyes look fresh, alert and ready for action is to create distance between your eyes and your brows. To do this, simply brush the brow hairs upwards with either a brow brush or an old toothbrush. If you need a little extra help, apply a nude eye shadow with a very subtle shimmer under the eyebrows. Try NYX Cosmetics Single Eye Shadow in Champagne.
Get lippy
Don’t leave home without a killer lipstick. Pretty lips can make you feel instantly elegant and brighten up your ensemble. Our current obsession is Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Carina, it does not budge so you’ll be looking as good at 4pm as you did at 8am.
Get spritzing
A final flourish to boost your day has to be a spritz of perfume. A zesty fragrance will energise you so why not try, or get your partner to buy you, DKNY Be Delicious will automatically make you feel uplifted and at 8am that’s quite a feat.