I admit that I’m no fashionista, but unless we are lucky enough to run a business that requires zero face-to-face contact with your customers or the world, we still need to make a baseline level of effort to be smart and professional when we are out there representing our personal and business brands. The solution: beauty tricks that save time.

People often ask me how I manage to juggle business and family life. The answer? Time hacking. Consciously looking for small ways to save precious seconds off all of the mundane but necessary tasks that all add up to extra minutes or even hours in a day. Whether beauty, style, work or home time hacking is an essential skill that any working woman should learn.

Here are a few of my favourite beauty time hacks to help you save time every day:

1. Hack your hairstyle.

On the topic of haircuts, someone recently asked me what my hair texture is. Although I doubt I have ever consciously considered this, two words immediately sprung to mind: steel wool.

My timesaving tip: Go short. I think my exact words to the hairdresser were “Go as short as you can without shaving it off or making me look like a man.” I know it sounds drastic but we are talking time hacking tips not Vanity Fair. Thankfully, I have a good stylist who doesn’t take any of my creative direction literally.

Okay, so not everyone wants a wash and wear boys cut but find a style that suits your face shape, hair texture and personality – that doesn’t require blow-drying, straightening or in my case, conditioning – so you won’t have to spend hours styling it.

If you don’t want to go short, there are loads of simple easy to style options out there, so you can look chic in an instant.

2. Use makeup cheats.

When you have a long day ahead, use really good makeup so you can go from day to night. I am one of those people who balk at the idea of spending over $100 on any type of make-up (although spending more on a Lord of the Rings collectible, seems perfectly acceptable – live and let live) however I have realized that there is definitely such thing as false economy when it comes to makeup.

A friend of mine who is very good at all this beauty stuff once recommended La Prairie Skin Caviar foundation. I picked up some samples and OMG the stuff is amazing. When I went back to buy it I nearly fell on the floor when the sales lady told me the price. I didn’t even try to preserve my dignity by stopping my jaw from visibly dropping. BUT… it easily lasts all day (even in a sweaty, tropical country heat), looks amazing on my skin, and has actually improved my skin over time. And it lasts a forever – about 9 months – which every mother knows is AGES.

Before you go for the 7-11 ‘As seen on TV’ version of make-up (which I admit I also sometimes use) think about investing in a really good foundation which will ensure you save your skin, your time and your money in the long run.

3. Stay hydrated.

I recently read an article about how a woman drank 3 liters of water a day for 4 weeks and it made her look 10 years younger.

Bearing in mind my typical hydration schedule is based on 2 cups of coffee in the morning, a glass of water with lunch, another coffee at 4pm and beer o’clock at 5pm I realized that I probably wasn’t doing right by my body (which apparently is made up of 60% water).

I switched to regular water drinking (and by the way, there’s an app for that – check out WaterLogger in the windows store/app store), and awesomely delicious specialty teas from Tea Voyage and I definitely saw a difference – to the point that my skin looked so good I didn’t even need to wear foundation every day.

Apparently using a good moisturizer is essential too – but considering I already forked out most of my kids’ college fund on the foundation, I tend to use whatever is readily available at my local convenience store.

4. Be a beauty multi-tasker.

Choose multi-purpose products such as a 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner, or a moisturizer that doubles as a sunblock. I know many beauty experts frown upon it and suggest three step routines and products for everything under the sun but a simple daily habit that actually gets done is better than an ambitious one that doesn’t (and leaves you feeling guilty about all those expensive purchases).

Simplify everything you do on a daily basis and block off longer pamper times for the weekend or times when you know you will actually be able to relax and enjoy it.

When we are constantly in a rush, with several kids in tow and a calendar that resembles a losing Tetris game these time saving products make all the difference.

And finally:

5. Love your life, love your work.

Yeah I know, this one is not exactly a beauty tip, but honestly if you are stressed over everything all the time there is no beauty treatment or product on this earth that can help you. Adopt an attitude of gratitude, don’t sweat the small stuff, stay positive, work on projects you love and surround yourself with the right people – people that lift your spirits and motivate you.

Smiling happy people who radiate with positive energy and confidence have a special something that no amount of expensive slap can compete with. In the words of Coco Channel:

“A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.”

And neither of those take any time.

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