How to Get Ready Faster Each Morning, As Told by a Beauty Editor

I’ve never been a morning person. I’m the girl whose inside-joke family nickname was “bear” because my sleeping patterns were constantly being likened to hibernation. I’m also the girl who used to cling my arms to the headboard and hold on for dear life to resist being pulled out of bed every morning. In my world, every last minute second of shut-eye counts. And it doesn’t hurt that my skin may be better because of it. 

As I grew older—read: became a responsible adult—my days of “sleeping in” became less and less of a reality. Since I can’t hit the snooze button past noon these days, I’m much pickier with how I invest my time in the A.M. A lengthy beauty routine at the crack of dawn? Yeah, not happening. In fact, I’m uber-strategic with the time I invest getting my skin dolled up before heading out the door—and now I’m sharing some helpful tips with you! One of the best parts of being a beauty editor is having access to a closet of complimentary products sent by beauty brands for editorial purposes. Thanks to a few of these samples I was able to develop a fool-proof plan for getting ready faster each morning. Ready to cut your morning beauty routine in half without sacrificing your look? Good! Here’s how it’s done.

Cleanse, Tone, and Remove Makeup All at Once

Truth be told, I could sing the high praises of micellar water all day long, but in the interest of saving time, I’ll keep it short and sweet. La Roche-Posay Micellar Water gently removes everything—read: dirt, oil, makeup, pollution—from the surface of your skin without harsh rubbing. All it takes is a few quick sweeps of a cotton pad to be left with perfectly cleansed, hydrated, and refreshed skin. It doesn’t even require you to rinse! If you’re really feeling lazy (hey, it happens), tackle this step without leaving your bed. Though, I’ll admit, I do like to give my face a quick splash of water at the sink post-cleanse. Moral of the story: Give this awesome product a permanent spot in your beauty cabinet. 

Moisturize with SPF 

No morning skin routine is complete without an application of SPF and moisturizer, so why not combine the two into one step? Garnier Clearly Brighter Brightening & Smoothing Daily Moisturizer SPF 15 formula boasts an antioxidant complex of vitamins C and E, pine bark essence, and gentle exfoliating LHA to transform dry, rough skin into a radiant, hydrated masterpiece. If your products are on your nightstand and you have a mirror handy, you technically don’t have to be out of bed for this step either…just saying.

Cover Imperfections and Contour at the Same Time

If you don’t wear makeup, skip this step and go make some coffee! If you do wear makeup, keep reading. I don’t know about you, but my “I woke up like this” look gets a little help from my dear friend, foundation. (Note: If I use a moisturizer without SPF that day, I’ll swap foundation for a BB cream that offers SPF in the formula, like Maybelline Dream Fresh BB.) The Body Shop Fresh Nude Foundation—in 16 flawless shades—provides just the right amount of coverage to hide imperfections and even out a skin tone in a pinch. When you’re ready to contour, add a few drops of The Body Shop Shade Adjusting Drops in Darkening to the foundation until it’s two shades darker than your natural skin tone. With a contour brush, apply the darker formula along the hollow of your cheek, jawline, edges of your nose, and temples. Blend in an upward motion with a blush brush, sweep on some mascara and lipstick, and voila—you’re ready to go! Easy, huh?