Let’s be honest. Waking up is hard and alarm clocks get no love. Wrapped up in your comfy bed, all you want to do is grab a few extra minutes of sleep and sanity before facing the day. But once you finally manage to peel yourself out of bed, you have a laundry list of things to do before you get out the door. And you have less than an hour to do it. Fun times.

On the top of your to-do list? Looking pulled together with the help of makeup, wardrobe and hairstyling. So, how do you speed up your makeup routine without looking like you just rolled out of bed (even if that’s exactly what you did)?

Here are our favorite tips to help you look your best every time even if you only have five minutes to do it.

#1 Create a Signature Look

One of the best ways to simplify your makeup routine is to choose a go-to look. For your day-to-day look, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel each morning. If you find a look that works well with your features, adopt it as your signature.

If you enjoy wearing eye shadows, remember this combination: Light applied to the inner corner, medium applied to the middle of the eyelid, and dark applied to the crease. You can rarely go wrong with that combo.

Part of creating a signature look is knowing your own face. What looks best on you? Don’t go for trends, at least not when you’re doing your five-minute face. For example, if you know that it takes you 15 minutes to apply winged eyeliner and lashes but you love that look, save it for the weekend when you have more time to be creative (and correct mistakes). On the weekdays, when you want to be ready by the end of the commercial break, you need to stick with a routine that you can do almost with your eyes closed.

If you think your go-to look is boring, you can always add variety through different lip colors. If you want a Beginners Guide, we have one here: A Beginner's Guide To Makeup Do's and Don'ts

#2 Have a Place for Everything

Here’s a familiar scene: You standing in front of the bathroom mirror and rummaging through your cosmetics bag to find that one eyeliner that you seem to have misplaced. It happens all of the time. Disorganization robs you of your time and, when every second counts, you need to know where all of your makeup is located.

The best way to combat disorganization is to put away the bag until it’s travel time and use a makeup organizer instead. A popular option is an acrylic makeup organizer that you can pick up for less than $20. With this type of organizer, you can lay out your products in the order that you’ll use them. You can store your mascara, pencils, brushes and everything else that you need all in the same place. The benefit of going with an acrylic tool is that you can also see everything in one glance. No rummaging necessary. 

#3 Groom Your Brows

The brows are the most noticeable parts of your face, however very few people pay attention to them during their makeup routines. You’d be surprised how consistently grooming your brows can reduce the time you spend in front of the mirror.

Why are brows so important? One reason is that balanced brows also balance the features of your face. They contribute to the symmetry of your face.

Another important reason to concentrate on brows? Brows have the power to make you look more youthful. Forget those austere, 1920s pencil thin brows. Thicker, fuller, natural-looking brows read as young and fresh. Of course, you don’t want bushy. Here’s how to accomplish a perfect brow in 30 seconds:

Fill in the brows with a matte eye shadow or colored brow mascara. Then, use a brow brush to direct the hairs in one direction. 

#4 Use Pencil Instead of Liquid or Gel

One of the best ways to define your beautiful eyes is to line them. But, if we’re going to be completely honest, liquid and gel eyeliners are time-consuming. It takes a lot of practice to make perfect. However, even when you’re a pro at applying liquid or gel liners, you’ll still take a long time to do it correctly. One careless flick, and it’s all over - grab the makeup remover and try again. Ugh.

Pencil liner is your new best friend. In addition to being easy to use, our liners are specially formulated as they don’t contain all of the other processed ingredients that contribute to irritable, puffy eyes. Our liners glide against your lash line, creating a smooth and highly pigmented stroke.

Pencils are just easier to use.

Plus, you can easily create a subtle smokey eye with a pencil liner. After applying the liner to your eyes, simply wet a Q-tip and then smudge the liner softly. No need for additional shadows! 

#5 Opt for Multi-tasking Products

When you looking to get out of the door as quickly as possible, you don’t have time to go from one product to the next. You need a multitasking product that can accomplish several feats at once.

Fortunately, there are wonderful products on the market that do dual or triple duty. Here are a few tips on how to find a multitasking beauty product:

• Look for cleansers and moisturizers in one
• Choose a tinted moisturizer (instead of a foundation) that also offers SPF protection
• Opt for a BB or CC cream that also controls shine (which minimizes the use of primers)
• Consider using a lipstick for both your lips and your cheeks

#6 Focus on the Basics

You can do a lot in five minutes, but you can’t do everything. Pay special attention to the basic areas of your face that need the most attention. Start here:

• Under eyes - Apply a concealer that cancels out dark circles
• Lash line - Line your eyes with a rich pencil liner that helps to define
• Cheeks - Add a blush to bring color and youthfulness back to your skin
• Lips - Use a full, vibrant color to instantly transform your face
• Skin - Use a tinted moisturizer to balance out your skin tone

#7 Use Fewer Tools

Tools are often necessary to apply makeup evenly, but not all tools are needed. You can easily lose five minutes by looking for a brush. When you’re doing a five-minute face, you need every minute.

Pare down your tools to just the ones you need to accomplish your signature look. Sure, you can have a huge collection of other tools for when you feel more adventurous, but for the sake of speeding up your routine, adopt minimalism.

#8 But Don't Discard the Lash Curler!

The eyelash curler is a tool that you cannot do without. It may seem like extra work, but the eyelash curler is an important step in enhancing your lashes. Curlers help to extend your mascara. The curler works to curl those errant lashes, and makes them appear fuller. Plus, it only takes a few seconds to do.

#9 Go for Red Lips

If you're really pressed for time, go for a true red lip. Red lipstick looks great on every skin tone. What’s more-- red lips are a statement that needs no further comment. This is because red lips bring attention to your pout so you can do without the rest.

Sometimes, there’s nothing more perfect than a cleanly washed face and tone-appropriate red lips. 

#10 Spritz With Facial Spray

Dry skin can tell on you. If you look and feel like you’ve overslept, revitalize your face with a refreshing spray. One of the best out there is Mario Badescu’s Facial Spray with Rosewater. It not only hydrates, it also invigorates.

Two or three spritzes and you’re off with a dewy finish to your five-minute face!

You can also achieve a similar effect with Evian’s Brumisateur® Natural Mineral Water Facial Spray.

Final Thoughts

Putting on makeup should be fun and uplifting. If you’ve been dreading or avoiding it because it takes so long, put these tips into action.