The Need For Speed In Your Beauty Routine

Save time. Be beautiful. Here's how...

From the LifeMinute Team

November 26, 2014

If you like to keep things short and sweet, SELF Magazine Beauty Director Elaine D'Farley has the beauty routine for you. She's all about keeping it simple, and when it comes to your skin, she says beauty definitely starts from within.

Eat Beautifully

Streamlining your beauty routine begins with your diet, and it's all about the little things. "When you feel good, you look good; it is all connected," explains Elaine, "You can add in little things like kale and nuts and cucumbers to your diet, and it'll really help your complexion. Plus, you want to stay hydrated. Hydration is key; drink lots of water."

Exercise Beautifully

The workout is always the first thing to go when you're looking to save some time, but Elaine says it really doesn't take much to reap the beauty benefits. "Exercise is super important. And all you have to do is raise your heart rate for 20 minutes a day," she says, "And you can do that in a really simple way. A brisk walk will work, and it will really help your complexion."

Sleep Beautifully

This will come as happy news to master multi-taskers: You can even get things done in your sleep! During sleep is when your skin is working its hardest to rejuvenate, so a good night's sleep is a key component of a healthy beauty routine. To maximize your sleep time, Elaine suggests adding a moisturizer with retinol to help skin along in its rejuvenating efforts. "Retinol is the gold standard ingredient according to dermatologists for anti-aging, but not all retinols are the same," she says, "Neutrogena is the master formulator; they have a Rapid Wrinkle Repair Collection which has the fastest retinol available. And why wait four weeks for results when you can just get results in one week?" Elaine says the super speedy results you'll see are thanks to a combination of Accelerated Retinol SA, Glucose Complex and Hyaluronic Acid in the Rapid Wrinkle Repair Collection. "The night moisturizer renews the look of skin and helps smooth wrinkles fast and diminish the look of age spots while you sleep. So what could be better than that? It's a great way to multi-task," says Elaine. Even better news? There's a moisturizer for day, too, and an eye cream and a serum, which means you can extend your rapid repair routine into the daylight hours.

Beautify Beautifully

Turns out that HOW you apply your makeup can be just as important as WHAT you're applying. Elaine's tip for foundation application? "When you're putting on your foundation or your tinted moisturizer...go for a dewy finish, so spray your brush or your sponge that you're going to apply your foundation with, with a little bit of water and blend it into your skin," says Elaine, "And then when you're dabbing on your concealer, what I like to do is to use my ring finger to dab it under my eyes and around the red spots on my face because it kind of warms up the concealer and makes it blend in a little bit better." And when it comes to the WHAT, Elaine says a quick swipe of hydrating lipstick does wonders. To maximize your beauty choice here, think of skin undertones when you're choosing your color. "You can go for a bright color to look more jazzed up or a neutral to look polished and put together," says Elaine, "And if your skin has warmer tones, look for orange-y undershades, or if it's a cooler tone, look for something with blue undertones or pinker tones."

Style Beautifully

If speed is what you need, wash-and-go is the way to go when it comes to your hair. And here's where the cut counts. "You really want a great haircut because when you have a great haircut, you can get up in the morning and just go," says Elaine, "It's really an easy way to get out the door fast."

For more quick fixes and life-navigating tips, Elaine suggests SELF Magazine's story on what she calls "the busy vortex." Or, visit SELF.com to learn more.

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