Revamp Your Morning Routine

Photo credit: Brooke Lark/Unsplash

Once the weather starts to cool down, it seems only logical to wear yoga pants to class every single day. Getting out of bed is hard enough; forget trying to look presentable. Yet, even if you can’t resist hitting the snooze button one more time, there are still ways to look great for class in under 15 minutes.

The key is preparation. The more you can do the night before, the less you have to do in the morning. Besides, your brain is probably clearer before you go to bed than it is in the morning pre-coffee.

Instead of sneaking in that one extra episode on Netflix before bed, pack your book bag and lay out an outfit for the next day instead. If you’re like me and the thought of committing to an outfit in advance seems impossible, give yourself two choices. Just make sure you stick to one of those in the morning. Remember that outfit doesn’t just mean shirt, pants and cute sweater. It includes accessories too, like cute brown boots and a gold statement necklace.

Showering before you go to bed is the best time saver. It also means sleeping on cleaner sheets, and guaranteeing you won’t run out of time to shave in your morning rush.

The next morning, start your coffee—whether Keurig or traditional pot—before you do anything else. That way, the coffee can brew while you’re getting ready.

If wearing your hair natural isn’t your thing, and you can’t do it the night before, try pulling it up into a quick but fancy ponytail. Some ways to do this include: securing all but a small section and wrapping that section around the elastic to hide it, braiding a small section of hair near your temple before pulling it all up, using multiple elastics down the length of your ponytail and poofing them out slightly, Princess Jasmine style, or even just using a fancy ribbon or elastic to hold your up-do in place. Any of these styles will look classier than a regular ponytail or a messy bun.

You don’t need a “going-out” amount of makeup, but you don’t have to go au natural either. For the perfect combination of pretty and time-savvy, stick to the makeup basics: foundation, blush and mascara. You can also keep a lip-gloss in your backpack and apply it on the way to class for that finishing touch.

Walking into your 8 a.m. class dressed like it’s noon won’t just help you feel more confident, it will leave everyone else there wondering how on Earth you did it.