To all the light-eyed, frizzy-haired girls that get asked if you’re feeling unwell when people see you without makeup: this is for you. I SEE YOU! (That phrase actually annoys me, because, no… in reality, I don’t SEE you. And what does me saying that even do for you? Jesus sees you, and He can actually help you!) But I sure resonate with you.
In my 20’s, I worked at Starbucks in the early morning while I also worked at the spa later in the day. I had to be to Starbucks at 4:15am, so I would roll out of bed and show up as my raw, frizzy-haired, invisible-eyed self. After my shift would end, I would go home, shower and spend well over an hour getting ready before heading to the spa. There, we had a shampoo supplier who always flirted with me and talked my ear off. He happened to come to my Starbucks one day and legit did not know why the ugly girl was talking to him like she knew him! He was very rude and even embarrassed that I was talking to him as a friend! (You know I let him have it once I was back to being the pretty little spa girl!)
I have an ex-brother in law who said that the Snyder girls were the most beautiful women he’d seen, as well as the ugliest!!
I’m tempted to shame my younger self for changing my appearance so drastically with makeup. But for me, it really was creative expression. As an esthetician, I did makeup for weddings and special occasions, and it was fun to go all out on my own face every day. I just didn’t have a system to rein it in once I became a mama.
When your life is endless poopie diapers, spit up and fishing cell phones out of toilets:
Do yourself a favor. Wake up however early is necessary while your husband is still home, and take just 15 minutes to get yourself ready. It’s amazing how it can shift so much. We’ve all heard the phrase, “When you look better, you feel better. When you feel better, you do better.” There’s no way I had the same amount of time I was used to spending to get myself ready, so I never did anything besides brushing my teeth. Sometimes a quick shower, which just exacerbated the frizz, since there was clearly no time to style it. What was the effect of that? I stayed home, by myself (with my baby) for the entire day, every day. On top of the changes that take place in the body… that’s a recipe for some serious blues.
By the time I had my third baby, I was on a mission to figure this out. I came up with a uniform and slicked my hair in a bun every day. Now that my fourth baby is almost 8 years old, I’ve got a pretty locked and loaded system that I use most days. Fifteen minutes is more than enough time for me to pull myself together. I don’t feel like I’m cutting corners—I typically start getting ready for church at 8am, knowing we have to leave by 8:15! I don’t miss the full hour of getting ready at all.
Read on to see how you can streamline your daily routine and give yourself a boost of confidence that only requires a short amount of time.
Day 1:
Make “Day 1” the day that you have the most time/help. (I also take into consideration upcoming beach days, long runs, things that would ruin my hair immediately.) Go all out to your heart’s content that day. I will shave, wash my hair, and sometimes even put a mask on my hair and face. Tweeze or wax that day— do everything you need to be able to feel squeaky clean and ready to take on the week. This is often Saturday for me.
Subsequent Days:
I set 3 five-minute timers. I actually don’t need the timers anymore— I know what my time frame feels like by now, but on days when I’m feeling distracted, I still will!
First 5 Minutes: Brush Teeth, Shower and Get Dressed:
Wash your face and body and hop out! This is a seriously quick shower. 1-2 minutes max! Once out, know exactly what you’re going to wear. I have a sort of daily “work day uniform”— it’s something I feel good in, have plenty of, so it’s never something that takes any extra time in the morning. (For me, it is a white t-shirt and jeans. I always put an apron on, because I’m a mom, and I’m also me! Bibs Aprons are mandatory!) I have the freedom to change it up, obviously, but on days when I’m not feeling inspired, my 20+ year uniform stands!
Brush your teeth, moisturize and put on deodorant in this window of time. Having a clutter-free space helps make the most of your time here!
Jewelry is another thing that helps me feel put together, so I wear earrings that I can sleep in. If I have the time, I can always swap them out. But always having something in makes me feel cuter, especially if my hair is going up. We don’t think it takes much time to grab a pair of earrings and put them in, but all those little decisions and minutes add up!
Second Five Minutes: Hair
This one usually doesn’t even take 5 minutes! The NUMBER ONE help in this department, is a cotton-covered spiral hair tie. I can’t find my scrunchie style to link, but these are cotton covered, and it seems like they would work. They never leave a mark! I put it on the very tip-top of my head before bed, and when I take it out in the morning, it is pretty close to what it was on day one. Having longer hair is actually easier for me than when it is shorter and has to get slept on.
I have naturally curly hair that is SUPER frizzy. As much as I have embraced my natural curls over the years (especially in insanely humid places like Okinawa and Maryland!) it is so. much. easier to just blow dry it and straighten it once a week. It takes significantly less time overall if I do that. I do VERY little to it the rest of the week. I might use the blow dryer to help shape it if there are wonky pieces (usually a culprit on days 6-7) and use a curling iron to freshen up the top layer.
The closer I get to day 7, I will start incorporating dry shampoo or hats.
Third Five Minutes: Makeup Routine
This one would be ideal for me at 6 minutes. I borrow a minute from my hair segment because that second coat of mascara always gets me! Two things not necessarily related to makeup application make this the fastest way to get it done:
- Hone down your supplies. Your ONE favorite color of lipstick. The ONE eyeshadow palette that you feel best in. Everything that is my actual favorites, I put in my every day basket. The rest go in a special occasion bag that I pull out when I’m wanting to do a little extra. [PS: In regard to your favorite color of lipstick, here’s how to find your best match! When I matched my color, without him knowing anything about it, Charlie (my completely NON interested in any of my girly habits of a husband) commented on what a flattering color it is. This works!!]
- Put it in a makeup organizer so that you don’t have to dig. The second you want your eyeshadow brush, you can spot it and grab it. Fishing around for what you need is a big time-waster. Once you have what you need, use it in all of the places you will be using it. Don’t put down and pick up the same item twice. Find multiple uses for what you have. I like to put the bronzer in the “3’s” on the outskirts of my face (forehead, under cheek bone, under jaw), down the sides of my nose, and as eyeshadow. I use an angle brush for applying brow-shadow and blending my eyeliner (if I’m taking time for that—that one’s not always a priority!). It might take a few tries to get yourself down to 5 minutes, if you’re a recovering beauty-to-the-max girl like me!
Even “cute” makeup organizers are unattractive to me and nothing I want sitting out, so I put mine inside a pretty basket. There’s no room for that in my bathroom, so it’s setting on my dresser in my room.
Streamline your “getting ready time” and feel so much more prepared to face the day.
If you haven’t read my post on establishing a morning routine, check it out. The best thing you can do for the people you will be serving throughout your day is to feel your best first thing. That post is an entire different set of habit-encouragement that will help the most reluctant morning person!
I am not a fan of the “me time” culture, and by no means am I wanting to contribute to any of that nonsense. Maybe moms really were pouring out every single last drop of themselves for their kids, so we’ve over corrected and landed in the ditch on the other side with so much inward, self-obsessed focus? Whatever it is, we are not a part of it, are we? We are not giving ourselves 15 minutes to be martyrs, “I only get 15 minutes!” nor are we indulging in the mentality that “I am worth it! I deserve ___.”
We are mothers. Homemakers. We love those for whom we have the honor of caring, and it is our joy to make ourselves ready for what the day may hold. If I have taken a little time in the morning to make me feel presentable, I’m 98% more likely to say “yes” to going to the library or be nice to the solicitor at my door. Our eyes are not on ourselves as we’re taking this time in the morning. We are ever-fixed on the One who made us in His image, seeking to reflect Him, scattering His love in all that comes our way.
Try to get ready for the day in only 15 minutes!
Tag me on instagram if you do, and comment below to share any extra tricks you have up your sleeve! Thank you for being here today!
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