If your idea of a morning beauty routine is a lightning-fast shower — and maybe a quick coat of lip gloss on an ambitious day — then you’re not alone. ’Cause let’s face it: Sometimes just managing to make it out the front door with your kids and keys in tow is a major triumph. But upping your game isn’t nearly as impossible as it may seem. Here, we enlisted two celeb-approved industry pros — hairstylist Jocelyn Dunnavant and makeup artist Cohl Katz — to come up with looks that anyone can pull off in five minutes or less. Ready for your moments of feeling like the Swamp Thing at school drop-off to become a thing of the past? Read on.
HAIR
The Expert: Jocelyn Dunnavant specializes in cut and color at Danka Panka Salon in Brooklyn.
OPTION 1: The Better Bun
What You’ll Need: Spin Pins by Goody
How to Do It: “These pins, which look like a double helix, make creating a cute bun effortless,” Dunnavant tells Us Weekly. “Start by pulling your hair back at the desired location for your bun, then twisting it into a rope. Wrap the rope around itself to form the bun, and tuck the end of the rope under the bun. Spin the first Spin Pin into the top of the bun, and the second up through the bottom. Done!”
OPTION 2: The Elevated Ponytail
What You’ll Need: Sea salt spray
How to Do It: “It can be a struggle to achieve a perky ponytail — as the hours wear on, they tend to sag,” Dunnavant tells Us. The fix? “A ponytail within your ponytail. You’ll be building a strong foundation that stays tight and bouncy all day long.” Using a tail comb (or your fingers), begin by selecting a section of hair at the back of your head. “Think ahead — this section will determine the location of your ponytail,” says Dunnavant. Pull the section into a tight ponytail and secure with a hair-tie. (There should be at least a couple of inches of hair still loose around all sides of it.) Gather the remaining hair around the first ponytail, covering it, and secure with a hair-tie, then spritz at the base with sea salt spray or hairspray.
![Jessica Alba](/wp-content/uploads/jessica-alba-ponytail-e8cf15af-758f-4140-b755-d94c47502769.jpg?w=1000&quality=40&strip=all)
OPTION 3: Active Air-Drying
What You’ll Need: Bobby pins
How to Do It: “The goal is to coax your hair into a style while it’s air-drying — you can do it while you’re scrambling eggs, dressing your kids, whatever,” says Dunnavant. “For example, if you have a cowlick, locate the point where it kicks over and over-direct the hair to the other side. Press the hair down onto your forehead and slide a bobby pin horizontally across the area until it’s dry. When removed, it will fall into proper position.” The same technique will work for strong-arming any strands into place. “As your hair is drying, glance in the mirror and pop in a bobby pin wherever it looks amiss, using your fingers to bend the hair into the direction you want it to go. You’re literally sculpting it.” When you’re ready to walk out the door, slide out the bobby pins and give your mane a soft shake with your fingers.
OPTION 4: Curl Wand Quickie
What You’ll Need: A curling wand (i.e., a tapered curling iron without a clamp); hairspray
How to Do It: On non-hair-washing days, curling wands are genius for banishing bedhead. “They’re perfect for working on dry, slept-on hair,” says Dunnavant. “And since you can work on large sections at a time, you can look put-together in five minutes.” Using the “opposite” hand — if you’re working on the right side of your head, you’ll hold the wand with your left hand, and vice versa — point the tapered end of the wand down toward the floor. “Grab a section of hair and wind it around the wand — away from the face — as though you were winding a ribbon around a stick,” says Dunnavant. “Hold it on the wand for a few seconds, then slide the wand out and let the hair cool in its coiled shape.” Complete the whole head, or if you’re super-pressed for time, just the front — since that’s what most people focus on anyway — then apply hairspray and loosen up the waves with your fingers. “A curl wand is the one styling tool I believe every mom should invest in,” says Dunnavant. “It works on any hair texture: For straight hair, it creates beachy waves, and for curly hair, it smooths the frizz while maintaining the shape of the curl.”
![Jennifer Garner](/wp-content/uploads/jennifer-garner-73274a30-1313-4a82-8e03-8cca8e14cb81.jpg?w=1000&quality=55&strip=all)
MAKEUP
The Expert: Cohl Katz is a longtime makeup artist currently stationed at Olivier Salon in NYC and Vincent Palumbo Salon in Westport, Connecticut.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN: CREATE A BASE OF OPERATIONS
“Gather all of the products that you’ll be using in the mornings — including brushes, cotton balls and Q-tips — together in one place, whether that’s a makeup bag or a tray,” says Katz. (Stash special-occasion goodies — like a palette of metallic eyeshadows that’s reserved for date nights — elsewhere.) “That way, you won’t be wasting any time hunting around for the stuff you need.”
STEP 1: PREP THE CANVAS
On clean skin, apply one to two dots of a brightening and moisturizing serum. “I like the ones that have vitamin C in them, because they’re very nourishing to the skin and they instantly make you look more refreshed,” says Katz. Then apply a tinted moisturizer over the entire face. “Most of us need a little help evening out our skin tone,” says Katz. “You know you have the right shade when it vanishes into your skin.”
STEP 2: CONCEALER
Dab concealer onto any trouble spots. “For undereye circles, choose one shade lighter than your skin tone,” says Katz. “For red veins and blemishes, the color should match your skin tone.” While you have the concealer out, squeeze a tiny drop onto your finger and then press it into the skin directly below the arch of your eyebrow. “It’ll have an eye-opening effect,” says Katz.
STEP 3: BLUSH AND HIGHLIGHT
While smiling, sweep blush onto the apples of the cheeks and at the temples. “My all-time favorite is Nars Orgasm — it looks good on everybody,” says Katz. Next, add a small dab of shimmer powder — you can use your finger or a small brush — to the top of each cheekbone, blending slightly, and to the center of each eyelid.
STEP 4: EYES
Create definition by using a waterproof liner on the upper lids, sweeping the thin line up ever so slightly at the ends. Apply a coat of lengthening mascara. “Lashes make a huge difference — redheads should go with brown, for anyone else it should be black,” says Katz. “Waterproof formulas are great in case you forget your umbrella.”
STEP 5: LIPS
“Go for a pinky-plummy lipstick or gloss that’s as close as possible to your own lip color, so it doesn’t matter if it’s put on perfectly,” says Katz. “You should only do a very strong color if you have the time to line the lip and make sure it’s not crooked.”
STEP 6: LOCK AND LOAD WITH POWDER
“You only need a touch of translucent powder on the T-zone to control oil,” says Katz. As for the finished effect? “You may be feeling stressed-out on the inside, but it won’t show on the outside.”