Life as a mother, a wife and, let’s face it, an adult woman in general is full of turbulence. It’s beautiful and gross at the same time. And man, oh man, when is the chaos ever worse than in the morning, when you’re trying to get more than one human out the door looking civilized and smelling clean? (That struggle is real, girlfriend. Read more about mine here). Obviously, we don’t want to make that frenzied morning whirlwind even more chaotic.
But girl, do we ever.
Good news, though: we can nip that right in the bud today. First things first: recognize that you are a powerful being. (And yes, I’m talking to you. And me). Certainly we can figure out how to harness our power effectively enough to combat hot-mess-syndrome, yes? (You better be nodding your beautiful head!). Of course we can. As it turns out, taming the morning whirlwind and giving yourself a head start on having a good day starts with the little things.
Having fallen on my face a few—ahem—a bazillion times trying to get off the Hot Mess Express, I’ve picked up some hacks on how to do this. Here’s what I’ve learned:
Tip #1: Plan tomorrow’s outfit the night before.
Nothing robs you of your power faster than not knowing what to wear and wasting precious minutes trying on outfit after outfit when you could be doing something more productive, like, I don’t know, eating breakfast? That kind of furious outfit changing also often leads to a downward spiral into the land of “I have nothing to wear,” which is one stop before “Nothing looks good on me.” Both places are to be avoided! So when I say plan your outfit, I mean plan it to the last detail, including your accessories. I even lay out my gym clothes the night before, right down to my socks.
If you have a particularly hectic work week, consider planning your entire week’s outfits on Sunday night, before the mayhem of the week begins. This strategy is particularly effective when you first create a rotating uniform of sorts. The “uniform” should be comprised of several pieces that you know look great on you. Old faithfuls, I call them. At the office where I lawyer twice a week, Mondays and Fridays are business casual but Tuesday through Thursday we’re allowed to wear anything appropriate for being in public, including jeans and sneakers. So my Monday “uniform” consists of four dresses that I feel great in. If I want to get creative and wear something off-uniform on a Monday I certainly will. But if I have no idea what to wear I fall back on the uniform. Easy. Also, not time sucking. Score!
Alternatively, you could outsource the whole thing and have your outfits (complete with accessories) shipped right to your door. Talk about hassle free. Heck yeah!
Tip # 2: Slay the Hair and Makeup Beast.
This is where the rubber meets the road. Unless you’re bald and allowed to wear ginormous sunglasses to work, the hair and makeup syndrome is a real B-word. When I was practicing commercial litigation for Big Law and working 70 hours a week, I remember attending a women’s networking event at which the keynote speaker was the global leader of one of the largest, banks on the planet. She spoke about the honest and real struggle our gender endures to look professional every day. She coined it, “The Hair and Makeup Handicap.” She snorted at the thought of daring to show up at her office without her hair and makeup done. “People would gasp and ask if I was ill,” she said. It’s funny because it’s true.
I left that event feeling refreshed by her raw honesty. Her cleverness at having identified the insidious nature of something seemingly so innocuous inspired me. Since then, I’ve reflected on the hours painstakingly spent on hair and makeup by womankind every day. I’ve tested a few tricks on myself along the way and have learned how to get ready in half the time it used to take me, and mind you, I have wavy hair that must either be deliberately curled or straightened but cannot be left to its own devices.
Number one on my new best friend list: this wet-to-straight flat iron. It will literally take your hair from wet to dry and straight in one step. I find that it works best if your hair has been air drying for about 15 to 20 minutes which, of course, is the perfect time to be putting on that outfit that you already picked out and doing your makeup.
As a former sales director for the largest skincare and cosmetics company in the direct sales industry worldwide, I’ve learned a thing or two about makeup. Most importantly, I’ve learned that you can get ‘er done with as few as four products and in 10 minutes or less. And although I’d never advocate driving while putting on your face, I will say that my routine is so simple you could do it at a stoplight in your car. All you need is foundation, an eyebrow pen (or brow-colored eye shadow and an angled brush), mascara and a tinted lip balm. For my money, I love Sugar Rose. It’s buttery smooth, super hydrating, and adds just enough color to make you look energized. Plus a mirror isn’t needed to apply it, which means I can slather it on as I’m walking into my destination.
Eyebrows matter the most! If you have time for nothing else, fill in your eyebrows. Extra points if you can slap on some mascara. At the very least, you’ll look like you tried. You’ll also look awake, which is generally a good thing.
Does all of this stuff really matter?
Oh yes, my friend. In addition to being a form of self-care, there’s another, deeper reason that all of this “vanity” stuff is important. It’s yet one more way for you to step into your greatness. Be proud of how you were created. Could you go out looking like you just rolled out of bed, pants with zippers be damned? Sure, you could. Will you feel powerful? Probably not. And that likely means you won’t act powerful, either.
Don’t shrink away from the beautiful woman you are. Be unapologetic about wanting to take care of yourself. Living as your highest and best self means not trading away your beauty and strength just because you’re a mom or a wife now. It’s ok to feel pretty. It’s ok to feel powerful. Your kiddos are watching everything you do. Show them that the greatest thing they can ever do is love themselves by demonstrating that you love yourself.
Who knew that choosing your outfit the night before and adding four cosmetics to your routine could be the first step to creating your ideal life? Sound hokey? I dare you to try it.
Go on with your cute self. And while you’re at it, let me know how it goes.
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