I don’t use all of them every day (you’ll easily be able to tell which ones are part of my everyday routine), but I thought a roundup of these beauty shortcuts might interest those of you out there who may be short on time or simply have little desire to dedicate a ton of time to your beauty routine.
I’d love to hear all about some of your beauty shortcuts in the comments section!
My Favorite Beauty Shortcuts
Shortcut: Eye makeup remover + Moisturizer + Dark spot corrector in one
I briefly mentioned this oil in a previous Things I’m Loving Friday post, but I have fallen even more in love with it over the course of the past few months. After washing my face at night, I smear a thin layer of this oil all over my face and it works perfectly as both an eye makeup remover and a moisturizer. I swear my face sucks this stuff up every time! Rosehip Seed Oil is full of vitamins, antioxidants and essential fatty acids that are known to correct dark spots and hydrate dry, itchy skin, all while reducing scars and fine lines. (This article from the Huffington Post has more information about its benefits.) This is also the only stuff I’ve used that has made a difference in correcting the dark spots on my face. I’ve tried more expensive products to help with dark spots but this cheap-o oil is, without a doubt, the best and totally natural!
My favorite: Life Flo Rosehip Seed Oil (I buy it on Amazon for $5!)
- Nail Polish Remover Pen
Shortcut: Quickly removes excess nail polish without messing up your freshly painted nails
This pen is fantastic for those of you may be like me and paint your nails with the talent level of a third grader. For some reason, no matter how precise I try to be, whenever I paint my nails, I am inevitably left with polish all over my hands or toes. That’s where this pen comes in handy! It’s a nail polish remover pen and allows you to simply remove the polish around your fingers or toenails in a precise way that you just can’t seem to do with typical nail polish remover and cotton balls.
My favorite: Sally Hansen No More Mistakes Manicure Pen
- Wet Braid
Shortcut: Save time on blow drying and styling
Ever since Chase was born, the time I am able to spend getting ready has reduced significantly and styling my hair is usually the first thing I cut out of my routine when I am tight on time. I’ve started blow drying and straightening my bangs and pulling back the rest of my damp hair in a braid. Drying and styling the hair around my face makes me look slightly more pulled together and prevents my hair from air drying in a funky way around my face. As the wet braid dries, it creates a beachy wave that functions well as a laidback look and can easily be refined a bit with a curling iron later in the day if you have somewhere to go where you want to look a little more pulled together.
- Facial Cleansing Cloths
Shortcut: Allows you to freshen up a bit when a shower isn’t in the cards right away
I go through facial cleansing cloths like crazy. When I was teaching classes at the gym, they were the only way I was able to freshen up between classes and training sessions. Now that I have a baby who needs me at home, I use cleansing cloths to wipe away sweat and dirt after a naptime workout when I’m not able to grab a shower right away. (<—Um, always…) I feel like they do a good job of keeping my skin clean and preventing clogged pores until I’m able to shower. I use them on my face, chest and upper back and find them very refreshing.
My favorite: I really like the Burt’s Bees brand and find them at Target and most grocery stores.
Shortcut: Hydrates, tones and cools the skin with one spritz
I fell in love with this spray in the final weeks of my pregnancy and spritzed it on my face when I was feeling overheated (aka all the time). Rosewater spray can help restore the PH balance of your pores, minimize blackheads, hydrate and rejuvenate your skin in a totally natural way. I spray it on my face after applying rosehip seed oil at night and first thing in the morning. I’ll also randomly spray it on my face throughout the day when I feel like my skin needs a little pick-me-up. It’s also great to use over make up and doesn’t leave a residue on your face.
My favorite: Amaki Skincare Pure Rose Water Mist (I bought it on sale through Zulily, but it’s still super affordable on Amazon and has a 5-star rating, so I’m not alone in my love for this stuff!)
- Dry Shampoo
Shortcut: Allows hair to go longer between shampoos without looking greasy
Back in college, I’d use baby powder to freshen up greasy roots, but now that dry shampoo has become mainstream, I’ve left baby powder in the dust! I LOVE dry shampoo and swear by it. Dry shampoo allows me to go longer between shampoos without my hair looking incredibly limp, greasy and lifeless. It’s basically my hair’s BFF.
My favorites: Klorane dry shampoo, Amika Perk Up dry shampoo, Blow Pro dry shampoo
More Beauty Posts
Question of the Day
- What are some of your favorite beauty shortcuts?
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I love dry shampoo! I don’t know what I did before it became so easy to find!
Dry shampoo is definitely the best! I use it all the time now without a baby, so I can’t imagine how helpful it is for you! I love using a sunscreen that has some tint in it as my “foundation”. I always wear sunscreen, so this just makes me not have to go through adding more products on after. I use one from Clinique that works really well, and BB Creams are also amazing!
Hi Julie! I always really enjoy your beauty posts and recommendations as I think we have very similar skin and hair types – I remember you saying you struggled with skin breakouts before and during pregnancy, and I was wondering if it just cleared up after Chase arrived? You look amazing despite the lack of sleep!
Yes!!! My skin got 10x better post-pregnancy. I think my hormones were going crazy there for a while!
Great tips!
My favorite product is a makeup remover and cleanser in one by Neutrogena, called ‘Fresh foaming cleanser’. I love the smell and the foam it produces is massive and I love that! 😀 It also doesn’t dry my skin so if I’m going somewhere for the weekend or one night I won’t bother brining a nighttime moisturizer 🙂 And speaking of moisture, daily moisturizer + SPF is a must for me (you can’t go through med school without having nightmares about the effects of UV radiation). Anyone still applying a moisturizer and THEN a sunscreen needs to step into the beautiful world of 2-in-1 😀
And lastly, I like tony & guy dry shampoo for the same reasons you listed above! Also super affordable and all around great product 🙂
Great list! I’ve been loving the rosehip oil. Now that I’ve got rosacea I have a prescription meds on some of my face but the oil absorbs so nicely over night! You look beautiful even without all that stuff but thanks for providing the line up. xox
I’m SO glad you like the oil! I honestly am addicted to it now. 🙂
Dry shampoo is the greatest beauty invention of all time! Don’t know what I would do without it. I’m really curious about the Rosehip Seed Oil and will be picking that up on Amazon today! Thanks for the great tips, Julie!
This is a great list! I need to go buy that manicure pen ASAP! I am so awful at painting my nails! and now that I am a mom dry shampoo is my best friend!
I get acne every now and then and no matter what I do I get dark spots from it. My favorite way to cover it up and even out my skin tone is BB cream. It’s so fast, it stays on my skin all day, and it doesn’t feel heavy. I also love targets up and up make up remover wipes. It is the only make up remover wipe that gets all of the make up off and my skin doesn’t feel greasy from using it. I don’t know if you count this as a beauty tip or not but I just bought a cheap electric tooth brush a few weeks ago and my teeth feel insanely clean all day long. I absolutely love it!
I have some severe under dark red/blue under eye circles so I will definitely be trying out the rosehip oil! Thanks for the suggestion.
I need to jump on the dry shampoo bandwagon. I love stretching my hair for multiple days when it’s cooler and I’m not sweating as much, but the roots definitely need to be freshened up!
I’ve definitely done the wet braid thing a lot! I like to French (okay, Dutch since I can’t figure out a French braid..) both sides of my hair and knot it in a bun on the back of my head. It’s a little more grown up version of super easy braids.
That sounds so cute and so easy!! Definitely trying this!
I use baby powder instead of dry shampoo – great for post work out or run and way less expensive!
Dry shampoo is my absolute go to! I don’t know how I used to live without it!
Same here! The best!
Great choices, Julie! I especially like your side braid. I use baby oil for removing my eye make-up, actually. The gel kind works fabulously.
I LOVE Rose Water! I have been using Mario Badescu’s facial spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater for years (you can also purchase this on Amazon). I bring a travel size with me when I fly and use it during the flight because as we all know the air gets super dry. It smells amazing and leaves my skin feeling nice and hydrated!
I saw that spray pop up on Amazon the other day as a recommended product for me to try! It had great reviews… I may have to try this!
I loooove dry shampoo! Not having to wash my hair every day saves so much time (and it curls a lot better on the second and third days too.) I think I’m going to give that rosehip oil a try, it sounds fantastic.
Thank you so much for sharing:)
I had no idea that Sally Hansen pen existed! What I do is shower shortly after my nails have dried. After the shower, while my skin is still damp, I just lightly scrape away (using my fingernail) all the polish from where I “colored outside the lines.” It’s fast and easy. Comes right off!
I do love the dry shampoo as well. My favorite make up remover is coconut oil. I love it on my hair too, mine is dry. Jojoba oil on face and hair is awesome too. But I”m definitely going to give this Rosehip Seed Oil a try. Thanks.
I have YET to find a dry shampoo that doesn’t make my hair more greasy than just leaving day old hair alone. (Weird, I know …. every kind I have tried has had the reverse effect) So I’m grateful to see recommendations!
I”m with you! I just bought some Dove dry shampoo and it seemed like it just made my hair more greasy so I’m a bit perplexed by all these comments raving about dry shampoo.
This happened to me before, too!! I used the Tresemme dry shampoo from Target before because it was cheap and it made my hair look SO greasy! I’d definitely try the Blow Pro brand out… it has never made my hair look greasy and goes on like baby powder, not a spray, which might help!
I couldn’t agree more!! If it’s not greasy, it’s super crunchy/filmy/funky feeling. I’ve tried 4 so far and gave up – it was worse than my dirty hair. I’m glad I’m not alone, I was beginning to feel I was the only one on earth who couldn’t use dry shampoo! 🙂
I bought the Blow Pro after reading about it here . I do like it but you have to be careful and make sure it doesn’t go on too heavy. It has a weird dispenser. I was sitting in work one day and scratched my head and there was a big clump of it stuck under my nail. Maybe I didn’t rub it in enough?
Ummm I pretty much need that oil in my life! Ordering on amazon now!
Dry shampoo is life for me! Washing and styling my hair is just not something I enjoy doing..
I use coconut oil as my makeup remover and I use it as a body moisturizer. It is so good for so many things!
Happy Tuesday!
Where would we all be without dry shampoo? Baby powder can also be used if you are in a pinch and Vaseline for eye lids and lips!
Just wondering if you have any new self tanner finds! I remember a while back you used the Loreal one-day bronzer for your face, but it’s so hard to find so I’m just curious if you’ve found anything else! Thanks!
I’m actually still using that sunless tanner! I bought it in bulk from Amazon (I literally bought 4 bottles), so I’m still making my way through it!
I love rosewater! I need to check out rosehip! Thank you!
I’ve never tried Rose Hip Seed Oil – but I definitely am going to give it a try . I’m all about as natural as I can be with products. I recently started oil cleansing only at night and don’t wash my face with soap in the morning anymore. My skin has never looked better – for me less is becoming more. Thanks for sharing some great tips.
Love this post! I use facial towelettes, and I have no excuse for the lack of time other than laziness. But it sounds like I use baby oil the same way you use rosehip oil. Maybe I’ll test it out! Baby oil has been my makeup remover and nightly moisturizer for years – it’s incredibly!
My other shortcut, if I’ll be around the house for a while is to toss in a hair lotion (similar to a leave-in conditioner) and let my hair air dry at home. The dampness allows the goodness from the product to soak in, and it makes you hair incredibly easy to style with a quick swipe of the hair dryer if you need to leave later that day. All while helping your hair become healthier! (Note: that process is definitely best for straight hair! 😉 )
I am most definitely purchasing some of that Rosehip Seed Oil! Sounds like exactly what I need. I’m curious about the dry shampoos you mentioned too. I’ve tried some dry shampoos, and I haven’t been happy with them, but I love the concept!
AMEN sister to dry shampoo and the side braid. You are SINGING MY SONG! I can’t imagine what I’m going to do once baby girl is here, but I figure I’ll just keep rocking the side braid!
This is an unrelated question, but do you feel that regular barre workouts are effective? I did a month unlimited classes last year at Pure Barre and I enjoyed it. I can’t say if I saw much difference in a month — maybe a little more core strength. I’ve been thinking of getting back into it. How many classes do you take per week?
I had no idea that rose hip could be used a dark spot remover! Thanks for sharing Julie!
– Nicole @ Simply Nicole
http://simply-nicole.com
Hi Julie, I’d recommend spritzing on the rose spray before you apply the oil. Doing so will help prep your skin for the oil and it will sink in all the faster, especially if you give yourself a nice facial massage with it. You could always spritz it on after you apply the oil too, but it is ideal to apply a hydrating toner before a treatment!
Ooh! Good tip!
Love the wet braid..one of my favorite styles as well!
Dry shampoo is a LIFE saver for me too! I can’t wash and dry and fix my hair everyday, so some spritz and I’m good to go!
I am super interested in trying the rosehip oil–I had not heard of this before. I looked it up and apparently is supposed to be good for adult acne which I unfortunately battle constantly! I know you mentioned struggling with acne earlier in your pregnancy–were you using this then? Did it help? Also, what do you use for your regular facial cleanser before applying the oil?
I don’t even have a 7 week old baby and I live for shortcuts! Dry shampoo is my jam-especially for traveling.
I hope you are getting some rest during this new chapter in life.
Love, Allison over at Allison’s Eye
http://allisons-eye.com/
I love all of these product recommendations! My skin is so dry, especially with the colder months coming so I’m definitely going to give that oil a try.
I know you’ve blogged about this before, but what do you use to generate your little infographicss for your wokouts or even what you have in this blog post in the beginning to display “your favorite beauty shortcuts”?
Or does anyone else remember what website she uses? I would appreciate it! Thanks 🙂
PicMonkey or Canva!
I loveeeeeee rosehip oil!! I use it every night and it is a miracle oil! I also love to use jojoba oil as my face wash in the morning, it leaves my skin so soft!
Right after I read this I went to Amazon and ordered the Rose Water Mist and Rosehip Seep oil. I hope I love them as much as you!
Speaking of rose products, I’ve been loving Thayers Alcohol-free Rose Petal Witch Hazel with Aloe Vera. You can buy it at health grocery stores or online and it has such a lovely smell. Plus, it isn’t too harsh on my sensitive skin. I like to freshen up after a walk or YouTube workout with it.
A quick and wonderful makeup routine: the Stowaway Cosmetics kit. The site calls it “your little black dress of beauty.” I won the products through a giveaway and I am such a fan! I feel beautiful and glamorous in less than 5 minutes. I especially love the cheek & lip rouge.
I just got dry shampoo !! Having a 8 week old, I often forget when the last time I showered was..shameful I know….but I’m loving it and helps keep styling easy because my hair always does better with a few days wear out of it! Love anything to help the dark circles under my eyes…those babies…sleep stealers…lol..
These are my favorite posts. I always see new products, but I have no idea how to use them! I’ve been obsessed with my Smashbox Primer after your post on it and just ordered the Rosehip seed oil! 🙂
dry shampoo is a life. saver. I really don’t know what I’d do without it at this point in life!!
I’m loving stuff that is just foolproof and user-friendly right now! Right now my main jam is sally hansen gel nail polish as is paints on easy, lasts longer than 5-minutes, and dried quickly (great for my impatience while waiting for nails to dry!) and Burt’s Bees tinted lip balm for when I don’t feel like wrestling with lipstick before a meeting, and it smells good 🙂
Sea salt spray and oi oil is a must for me!
I’ve been using argan oil and a moisturizer and I love it! Ill have to try rose hip oil too 🙂
My number one beauty shortcut is a quick swipe of mascara. I love how just a bit of makeup can define the eyes. My acne has been horrible since getting pregnant so I always ass a bit of coverage with a bb cream.
If you have a chair for Chase , set it up in the bathroom! My little guy loves the sound of the shower and blow dryer- it’s like built in white noise. He will probably end up falling asleep: )
Hi Julie! Chase is so adorable. I love seeing all the pics of him, it reminds me of when my boys were little. I have been using jojoba oil and just recently found rose hip oil. Love it! Have you tried mixing it with essential oils? I now mix my rose hip oil with frankincense and lavender essential oils. The essential oils are a great addition for your skin. If you have any questions, please email me. I’d love to chat about how great essential oils are and all the chemical free, non toxic products that Young Living has to offer have helped my family. I’m hating that this is sounding like a business plug….I have been a reader of yours for a long time and loved reading about your pregnancy and now all things baby. So really, it’s just one mom to another mom. Nothing more. 🙂
I use the same rose hip oil as serum and sometimes mix it sweet almond oil for an extra boost! Coconut oil is a fantastic cheap eye maker remover (it removes the most stubbornest eye make) and makes a great hydrating overnight hair mask on towel dried hair. Just shampoo and condition as normal in the morning!
Love Chase’s giggle smiles on Instagram!
Ever since I cut my hair short I have been loving my dry shampoo. It is so easy to use. Can’t believe I never tried it before. Oh and thank you again for the recommendation on rose hip oil. I kept meaning to email you to see which one you used. I am going to have to get it on amazon.
Love seeing all the beauty tips! You’d LOVE the Rodan and Fields cloths if you like Burts Bee’s, they are amazing! They are dual purpose, removing makeup and reduce the visible signs of aging, they have a unique blend of proven peptides, these cloths minimize the appearance of lines, wrinkles and under-eye puffiness while dissolving stubborn eye makeup, even mascara!! Check them out: https://laynehellman.myrandf.com/Shop/Product/AAEY030
Dry shampoo is THE BEST! I used to have to wash my hair daily because it would get greasy so quickly, but with dry shampoo I can go 3 or 4 days with no washing whatsoever. I feel like my scalp actually produces less grease now that I don’t wash it as frequently. Plus it makes styling easier and faster 🙂
I’m also a fan of the wet bun to create lazy, beachy waves: http://www.today.com/series/morning-routine/how-sleep-wet-hair-wake-glam-hairstyle-yes-its-possible-t5131