I make fun of my husband because on some days it takes him longer to do his hair than it takes me to work in some gel into mine. My morning get-ready routine is optimized to be as efficient as possible and in total takes about 15 minutes, including shower, makeup, hair and getting dressed. If I could make it shorter, I would — I see it as a chore that takes up valuable time.

It turns out that I am not alone in that. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m a master of doing everything as fast as possible:

I take less time in the shower than my husband and can completely my entire morning routine in less than 12 minutes (yes, I’ve timed it and yes, this is from getting out of bed to being showered, make-uped, and dressed for the day).

I am NEVER rarely one of those people who hold up the line at the store while they look for their wallet or count out 95 cents in change… and you will laugh, but I put everything on the counter with the on top, so the cashier can scan things easier.

My breakfast is an incredibly boring combination of one or two things (tea or coffee, toasted English muffin with peanut butter, egg white omelet or Greek yogurt with berries) and I’ve figured out the optimal way to make it so that it’s ready in 2-3 minutes and consumed in about as much.

As I was wolfing it down the other morning I was flipping through an issue of Body and Soul Magazine and one of the articles I skimmed through talked about mindful eating: Read the rest of this entry »

This is the question my daughter asked me this morning as we were rushing out to get to daycare on time.

My husband is usually home in the mornings so I have more than seven minutes to take a shower, get dressed and ready for the day. Today he was traveling so my morning routine was in its most compressed version, which did not include putting on makeup. I was surprised that my daughter noticed - all I usually wear is some concealer, mascara, and a bit of blush - but maybe the dark circles under my eyes gave it away. (She also likes to come into the bathroom and attempt to put on my makeup when I do it.)

I’ve always worn some makeup to work - I like looking awake even when I’m not, thus the reason for some concealer and mascara daily. Recently, as I’ve written about here, I’ve gone from working in an office to working from my home office, but I still put on my usual bit of makeup. There are days when I have meetings, but on some, I don’t see anyone besides my daughter, my husband, and the other kids and some parents in daycare. I am sure they wouldn’t care how awake I looked so this made me think about why I still do what I used to do when I worked in a corporate environment.

I guess my answer is that I like to like what I see in the mirror - looking more awake and refreshed makes me feel a bit more awake and refreshed after getting four hours of sleep at night. It helps me feel more pulled together and that helps me with my daily energy.

What about you? Do you wear makeup to your office or when you work from home? Do you wear makeup on weekends?

P.S. Here are some great makeup tips for quick morning routines from one of our members. I am getting the MAC Slimshine for myself.