10 beauty cheats for the time-poor woman

We all have those days where it's a toss-up between an extra ten minutes in bed in the morning or peeling yourself from underneath the sheets to beautify yourself for the day ahead.

And we're not going to lie, the extra time snoozing is nine out of ten times always a winner.

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We spoke with Lauren Capelin from tanning salon Beach St, who gave Be her top ten beauty cheats for the modern day woman.

1. Manicures at for lunchtime

A manicure in your lunch break is an absolute luxury, and most would agree that it’s simply not realistic. According to Lauren an at-home mani will suffice provided you’re equipped with high-quality polish and a steady hand.

"Avoid ruining all your hard work in a matter of seconds with this sneaky tip – dip each hand in a bowl of ice water for one minute each to dry nails and go about your day with full use of your hands," she recommends.

2. Get a spray tan

Many people argue that the sign of health, beauty and confidence is glowing, sun-kissed skin. However, most would agree that they do not have the time to lounge about on the beach all day building up a healthy glow – not to mention the health risks involved. Lauren reccomends getting a spray tan to "feel like your best self". "Some of our customers swear they look 10kgs lighter after a spray," she said.

3. Dry shampoo – enough said.

"This god-send should be in every busy woman’s bathroom cabinet and work drawer," Lauren says and we couldn't agree with her more. Dry shampoo isn't just for those greasy hair days either. Add a spritz of your favourite dry shampoo to your hair before styling it and you'll be blessed with unimaginable volume. Double win!

4. Don't be afraid to use your fingers

“You were born with hands for a reason – use them," Lauren says.

"If you’re in a hurry, put your brushes away and apply eyeshadow with your index finger, blush with two fingers (moving in a circular motion on the apples of your cheeks) and foundation with all four fingers."

Most beauty-lovers are either for or against using fingers over brushes or beauty blenders. The big pro of applying foundation with the hands is that the heat from our skin melts the product and allows it to be applied smoothly and seamlessly.

5. Sticky tape is winger eyeliners best friend

"You’ll have no excuse for not being punctual if you use a small amount of sticky tape applied along the eye," Lauren says.

The tape acts as a guide to ensure your liner is straight and going in the right direction. You can be as messy as you want as the excess ink will fall on the tape.

6. Shave your legs in five minutes

Let's face it, the worst thing to realise before a hot date is that you’ve forgotten to shave your legs. Thank the beauty gods for on-the-go shaving cream.

"You can simply apply the cream and shave in five minutes flat. Always avoid dry shaving, even in dire situations, because it can cause serious skin irritation.," Lauren says.

7. Embrace multipurpose beauty products

Most nude eyeshadows with a shimmer make excellent highlighter and illuminator for cheekbones and cupid bows. Just like glossy pink or orange-toned lipsticks make for creamy, lasting blushes and a clean mascara brush works as a brow brush in a pinch.

8. Too lazy to cleanse? Micellar water will be your new favourite product

"Some nights cleansing the face just seems like far too much effort and it’s easy to fall into the trap of sleeping with your make-up on which most people know is torture for the skin," Lauren says.

"Simply apply micellar water to a beauty pad and swipe over the face.”

9. Invest in good products

We all love visiting the salon but sometimes it can be ridiculously hard to fit it into our schedule. Lauren recommends investing in good, beauty salon-worthy products to limit the amount of time you need to spend getting treatments done.

10. Be versatile with your hairstyles

“If you know you have an event the following day (or you just feel like looking fabulous, no event necessary), sleep with your hair in braids for easy, wavy in the morning," Lauren recommends.

"For a less dramatic look, twist your hair into two Princess Leia-style buns and spray each with sea salt spray. This will result in a beachy effect and you can literally say you did just ‘wake up like this’.”

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