Beauty Hacks for When You’re On-The-Go

It’s safe to say that having enough time to get your beauty regimen done with ease on a daily basis is close to impossible. Whether you’re rushing to work in the mornings, or you just don’t have enough time between errands – you definitely can benefit from simple beauty hacks that keep your skin healthy and keep you looking good when time is of the essence.

1. Take advantage of multipurpose products

There are quite a few innovative makeup brands that are dabbling with colour sticks and stains that can be used on your lips, cheeks and eyes to give you a healthy pop of colour. Before buying your next colour stick, however, I would highly recommend  checking its ingredients as you really want a product high in natural oils and with minimal chemicals. The objective is to help moisturise your skin with your makeup products, and not leave it feeling dry and fragile.

2. Get your hands on a good quality dry shampoo

Of all beauty hacks – this one is well known amongst women who are always on-the-go, and struggle greasy hair. But what needs to be kept top of mind is knowing how to choose the right dry shampoo and avoiding products with harsh chemicals such as butane, isobutane and propane – you don’t want those ingredients in your hair or in your lungs. The rest is basically personal preference. Women with finer hair often find powdered dry shampoos are better than the ones in aerosol cans as they don’t leave the hair feeling too coarse; whereas women with darker hair may want an aerosol dry shampoo designed for dark hair hair as the standard ones leave their hair looking dewy and white.

3. Leave the nail polish… you just don’t have time

It’s really that simple. I understand it’s nice to have perfectly manicured nails, but if you get a chip or an urge to paint please leave it for later if you’re in a rush. If you need groomed nails done and you only have 10 minutes, I would recommend removing the old lacquer, giving your nails a quick neatening file, paint two layers of non-toxic and quick-drying base coat, then finally rubbing some hydrating hand cream on before hitting the road. If you only have 5 minutes, skip the base coat and just clean, file and moisturise.

4. Make sure your skincare basics are covered

If your skin is in good condition, you will never have to worry about spending too much time on make-up in the mornings – which will cut your beauty regime time in half. The three daily skincare steps you cannot forget in the mornings include:

1. Cleanse – use a non-toxic facial cleanser or soap every day to remove the build-up of dirt that accumulates in your pores, causing your skin cell’s barrier to be compromised.
2. Moisturise – after cleansing apply a high quality emollient that moisturises, hydrates and protects your skin surface from external harms such as air pollution.
3. Protect – it really doesn’t matter whether it’s sunny or overcast, whether you’re spending the day inside or outside; you will still be exposed to UVA and UVB rays from the sun unless you are spending the entire day darkroom. This means that you need to get that SPF 50 sunscreen on everyday – even if the only time you’re exposed to the outdoors is when you’re in the car and on your way to work.

5. Keep it au natural with the make up

As far as beauty hacks go, this is a great one. Especially since it’s not only a beauty hack, it’s been a pretty big trend at the moment too. As mentioned in point 4, there really isn’t much need for piling on the makeup if your skin healthy and glowing naturally. To get that natural look, you really need to focus on skincare first and then use makeup as a supplement to lightly enhance your naturally beautiful skin. Keep the makeup application simple by using concealer, blush, mascara and a colour stain for your lips and cheeks.

6. Always carry a hydrating face mist in your handbag

If you’re always on-the-go, you’ll probably notice your makeup doesn’t stay on as long as it should, your skin can become a little too shiny and by the evening you’ll have accumulated residue under your eyes or around the contours of your face from whatever makeup you had put on that morning. If this is you, or even if you feel as though your skin has a tendency to dry out during the day – a hydrating face mist that doubles up as a makeup setter is something worth keeping in your handbag. Apply it in the morning after you’ve done your makeup and use it throughout the day when you need a little nourishing pick-me-up for your face. Look for a face mist that is packed with antioxidants, and hydrating ingredients such as hyaluronic acid.

Harvard Health has some more info on what to keep in mind when it comes to skin care and repair.

Beauty hacks are something everyone who’s on the on-the-go need to keep handy – the trick it knowing which ones will save you time and be good for your body as well. I hope this has given you a good taste as to what I find to be the most helpful, and prove to be just as effective in your beauty regime.