Beauty In A Rush! (Well, Kind Of...)

This weekend my Mum went away to Manchester, leaving me with a free house. I know what you’re thinking – time for a wild house party and no end of drunken debauchery! But no, instead of hosting a party I decided to have my boyfriend over, and we stayed up stupidly late watching films. This was, admittedly, a bad decision; we had planned to be up at 8am the next day to travel to a Motorbike Festival with a friend of his. Now, I’m not a morning person by all means. Anyone who tries to drag me out of bed before 11am without a cup of tea is just looking to be attacked by a small, angry ginger mouse. By the time I managed to fall out of bed the next day, it was a quarter to 9 already and Tom was not impressed. “I won’t be long,” I insisted, gulping down a mug of hot tea in a solid attempt to wake myself up enough to at least keep my eyes open for longer than five minutes. On the outside I seemed perfectly composed about the whole situation, but internally I was freaking out. How on Earth could I make myself look presentable enough to be seen in public when we were supposed to be leaving in fifteen minutes? It seemed impossible, and when you’re in the early stages of a relationship you constantly feel as if you have to look your best. I was definitely feeling the pressure. 

It normally takes me around 25 minutes to apply my makeup properly, with the appropriate care and precision – and that’s just my everyday natural look. However, at this point I had far too much to do to even think about pulling it all off in time. I had dogs to look after, an outfit to pick out, breakfast to eat and a bag to pack. I obviously had to cut down on the amount of products I used, and the time I took to apply them. All in all, I managed to complete my regime in under 10 minutes.

Here’s my Beauty ‘Quick Fix’ Regime:

1.     Concealer.
This is obviously an essential product to use when you're in a hurry, and provided the largest amount of coverage for me from dark spots and imperfections. I rubbed the concealer under my eyes with my fingers in an attempt to disguise the huge dark circles I had accumulated from lack of sleep, and then patted some of the product onto my blemishes using a cosmetic wedge.

2.      Powder.
A powder may provide merely the bare minimum coverage, but it is quick to apply and also stops your face from getting shiny throughout the day. I rubbed it all over my face using the cosmetic sponge, paying particular care to my T-Zone as this is the most greasy area of your face.

3.      Bronzer.
 I have such pale skin that if I don’t apply a Bronzer I end up looking washed out and ill - never an attractive look! Using a large blush brush, I spread the Bronzer around the outline of my face, not forgetting underneath my chin, and then in a ‘3’ motion brushed the product onto my cheeks. This gave my skin a quick, healthy glow and a solid base for the rest of my makeup.

4.      Blusher.
 Okay, perhaps I went a bit overboard here. Blusher is by no means an essential product to use in a hurry, especially if you’re wearing Bronzer, but I just couldn't resist. The bright pink shade of my favourite Blusher perfectly accentuates my red hair colour, and works well with my – admittedly large - naturally rosy cheeks. I swept the Blusher up my cheekbones using a smaller Blush brush kept separate to my Bronzing brush. If you don’t have time to Blush however, then I read about a quick trick to feign it online – even though it does seem rather painful! Pinching your cheeks will give you that rosy glow if you need it in a rush.

5.      Eyeshadow.
What I was looking for was a quick, natural shade to put onto my eyes to balance the colour of my skin. I used a light pink, and quickly rubbed the colour onto my lids using a large cosmetic wedge. Using the edge of a small eyeshadow brush, I also swept some white eyeshadow underneath my eyes; this trick widens your eyes, making you look more awake even if you don't feel it!

6.      Liquid Eyeliner.
I didn’t have the time or the energy to even attempt my slick black cat-eyed makeup, and so instead turned to a thin, natural looking brown line of liquid eyeliner above my lashes purely to help accentuate the eyes slightly. I’m a self-confessed pro at liquid eyeliner after using it for so long, but if you don’t have the time to work with the tricky product then a quick line of kohl eyeliner underneath your eyes could be easier for some.

7.      Mascara.
I normally use two different Mascaras to both lengthen and thicken my lashes to my desired level. However, I had to just settle for two coats of one Mascara that morning in my rush. With a light, natural look it’s important not to go overboard anyway. A few coats will be enough to open up your eyes, anymore would be too dramatic and contrast the rest of the look.

8.      Lip Balm.
 Lip Balm has more benefits than lipgloss; it protects your lips from the weather, and gives you a natural look. Besides, there are so many gorgeous flavors to choose from to resist! One of my personal favorites is The Body Shop’s line, but I also adore Lip Smacker products which come in a range of fun flavours including Fanta and Skittles!

9.      Messy Bun.
 My hair is so difficult to tame. Sometimes, no matter how much Dry Shampoo and Humidity Gel I use, or how often I brush and detangle it, my only solution is to shove my locks up into a messy bun and pull pieces out around my face to give it a more elegant appeal – or at least, that’s what I hope it looked like!

Little over an hour after waking up, I was – miraculously, in my opinion – ready to face the world, even though my boyfriend still complained that I had taken too long. Luckily he was in my good books for buying me some gorgeous roses, and generally just being the best, and we ended up having a great day out.

Brackley, where we went for the Motorbike Festival. Motorbikes aren't my thing really, but the scenery was so beautiful.

The roses Tom got me, my favorite flowers - and not just because I share their name!

Ever been in that situation before? How did you survive your last minute beauty rush and leave the door looking calm and collected? I think I just about managed it.

Be sure to think positively and take care of yourself readers.

Lots of love, Georgie Rose xx