15 Amazing Time Saving Beauty Hacks

Let's paint the ideal scenario for almost every woman out there. You wake up in the morning feeling completely refreshed after 9 plus hours of sleep. You are able to take your time getting ready for the day because you have gotten up with plenty of time to spare. You finish your full beauty routine, eat breakfast, and even have time to relax before leaving your home for the day. Sounds great, right? Now let's switch to reality. You wake up cursing your alarm clock and yourself for staying up late to get the extra things on your to do list done (or to binge on Netflix needlessly until 2am, whatever.) You hit snooze a couple (or 5) times and then frantically rush to get yourself together before skipping breakfast and running out the door. Sound more like your mornings? While they probably will never be like the ideal scenario, the mornings also don't have to be a hectic race out the door. Now, yes, we could be more responsible and go to bed earlier, wake up earlier, and, you know, actually succeed at adulting in the morning. Or, we can continue to feed our Netlflix addiction and use the time saving beauty tips below. (I pick the beauty tips.)

15 Tie Hair Up with a Scarf

Thank goodness this trend is coming back. Wearing your hair in a scarf not only looks retro chic (hey, Jackie O), it also hides dirty or unruly hair. Because let's be real, showering and drying/styling our hair takes up way too much time. (Seriously so jealous guys can just jump in, jump out, comb, maybe gel, and keep it moving.) But a beautiful scarf is a great way to keep it classy while hiding that mess of hair underneath.

14 Dry Shampoo

If you're not into the scarf idea, dry shampoo will be your hair savior. It is both one of the most disgusting inventions and one of the most convenient. It's pretty much a short cut to actually washing your hair. Spray this stuff in and your hair will look and smell fresh and clean. Only you will know that it's been three days since you last washed your hair. Then why is it disgusting, you ask? Because it only encourages shower procrastinators to go longer without actually washing their hair.

13 Wash Front of Hair in the Sink

Not into any of the previous dirty hair options but still don't have time to shower? Try washing the front of your hair in the sink. It sounds odd, but this is the part of your hair most will see. And it's also the part most likely to give you away if it's dirty. Washing this small section of your hair will give you a fresh, clean look while still saving you the time of a shower.

12 Mix foundation with Moisturizer

Whether you use a makeup brush or a sponge, applying foundation can be a lengthy process. You have to make sure the coverage is even, blended, and that streakage is at an absolute minimum. The quick solution to this make up time eater? Mix your foundation with some of your daily face moisturizer for a quicker application. No, you won't get as much coverage, but you will get an even tone in about half the time.

11 CC Cream/BB Cream/Tinted Moisturizer

Not comfortable with mixing your foundation with your moisturizer? Afraid you will mix too little of one or too much of the other? Not a problem. Go out and buy a CC cream, BB Cream, or tinted moisturizer (depending on your coverage needs.) This will take the guess work out and still allow you to have a quicker application process than a full foundation.

10 Mix Highlighter with Foundation

While some of us are just trying to get our skin to look decent before leaving the house, there are those that are adding all of the wonderful effects of makeup. Contouring, highlighting; seriously changing the way their face appears. But if you are running behind schedule and don't have time to fully commit to the professional makeup artist routine, try adding highlighter to your foundation for a little added glow. No, this will not give you your normal the Kim K look, but it will do more than just foundation alone.

9 Invest in a Multi-functional Beauty Product

Buying a cheek and lip tint (like Benetint) will save you a little bit of time when getting it together in a hurry. Having both functions in one product saves time in many ways. Firstly, you only have to find one product. And we all know searching through your makeup bag seems to take forever (more on this later.) Secondly, there is no need to match up shades that will complement each other since you lips and cheeks will be using the same product and thus, be similar shades. And lastly, a tint stays longer than blush or lipstick, so there is no need for touch-ups on your way out.

8 Organization

So more on digging through that makeup bag. Not only is this a frustrating experience, it slows you down. And more than likely, some products will spill out that you didn't want. So what's the solution? Organization. Create a little vanity space and neatly lay out your most used beauty products. Even if you take your makeup with you, this is something you can do the night before. If you want to carry your products with you during the day, simply pop them into your makeup bag after use. Then unpack before bed that night.

7 Line Eyes and Curl Lashes in One Move

This little trick is one for the books. How many steps does it take for you to get your eye makeup done? There's mascara, curling, lining, and shading. It's no wonder it takes forever to get our eyes together. But if you're one who refuses to go with just mascara in a pinch (no judgment- those eyes have go to pop!), this may be the beauty trick for you. Ready? Simply line your lash curler before curling your eyelashes. This is will allow the curler to both line your eyes and curl your lashes at once. You. Are. Welcome.

6 Curl in a Jiff

Now I understand some women are just not willing to leave the house without styled hair. No problem. There are a couple of time saving solutions for that too. Save time curling your hair by putting it into a high pony tail towards the front of your head. Then separate into 4 or 5 sections and curl. Undo the ponytail and viola! Loose, sophisticated waves done in just minutes.

5 Dry your Hair and Do Your Makeup at Once

Think this is impossible? It's not. As long as you have a hair dryer holder. These can be purchased at almost any hardware store, and they are certainly worth the coin. This nifty invention will hold your dryer and blast your hair, leaving your hands free to apply makeup at the same time.

4 Cat Eye Stencil

The freaking cat eye. Why does it have to look so good but be so hard to get right? It's one of those things that you can't rush through or else it's just going to end up looking like a hot mess. BUT, if you make a stencil ahead of time, you can have the perfect cat eye in no time. Simply draw and cut out the shape you like in a piece of paper or index card and you will have that classic look in no time.

3 Stick with the Pencil

Speaking of eye liner, let's just skip the liquid when we're in a hurry. Yes, it does have a bolder look. But it leaves no room for error. And we all know hurriedly applying makeup is a recipe for at least a few mistakes. So stick with the super smooth eye kohls instead. This way you still get the staying power, but if you have an uh-oh moment when applying, you can always blend it for a little bit of a smoky look.

2 Shave with Baby Oil

This will do two things. One: it will keep your legs smoother longer, and two, it will extend the life of your razor if you replace your shaving cream with baby oil. It also allows you to skip the body lotion since the oil also acts as a moisturizer!

1 Mean Business with Mascara

Mascara can be a messy product. But it is one of the beauty staples. So how do you avoid having to fix messy mascara marks? Hold a business card or index card behind your lashes while applying mascara. Any extra mess will then stick to the card instead of your skin. Beauty shops such as Sephora also sell plastic pieces shaped for this exact purpose. Either way, it avoids the “how do I remove this mascara without having to redo my makeup” dilemma.