Marion Simms_03We are all punishing critics when it comes to our own bodies and appearance, particularly as we age. Remember those days when we could jump out of bed, shower, grab breakfast, slap on some make-up and be on our way to work in thirty minutes? The older we get it seems to take longer and longer to make ourselves look presentable in the morning, so I thought I would share a few tricks that I use and that clients have shared with me to enhance and speed up the process.

1. Early morning  mask treatments – when you first get out of bed, splash your face with tepid water and apply both an eye and face mask. (Keep the eye mask in the fridge for extra de-puffing benefits). Then you can go about your normal early morning rituals and be getting a mini facial at the same time. 15 minutes is all it takes. You might even want to dampen your hair and apply a mask if you are planning to wash it.

2. Lash and Brow tinting – tint lashes and brows every month to save using mascara and eyebrow pencils.

3. Have a fast way to deal with hair on the days you have no time to style – hats, hair pieces and hair ties are all great accessories to have on hand. Also having an manageable cut that matches your hair type – straight or curly – saves having to fuss or curl.

4. Select what you are planning to wear the night before including accessories.

5. In a real crunch, shower the night before and even make your breakfast smoothie.

6. Keep make-up simple. Moisturizer, mineral powder with SPF, and lipstick. You can always embellish later in the day.

Like many things in life, being beautiful and confident every day and at any age takes planning.