I’m a sucker for a “snooze” and one, two (okay, five) alarms later, I’m rushing out the door. Thankfully, my job as a beauty editor has allowed me to pick up enough tips to master a sonic-speed routine.
Growing up, I did – and still do – experience specific insecurities. In South Asian skin, it’s common to get hereditary dark circles and no amount of eye cream will diminish them. Likewise, my skin is prone to post-inflammatory hyper-pigmentation, and stubborn dark spots take months to shift. So when I'm getting ready, I look for effective products that conceal the things I’m insecure about, but I also want to enhance my features and feel more confident.
Here’s how I manage to do both when I’m against the clock.
Skin wins
With skincare, the simpler the better. Most mornings, to avoid stripping my combination skin, I cleanse it by sweeping a reusable cotton pad soaked with micellar water over my face.
I follow this with serum and IT Cosmetics Confidence in a Cream moisturiser, and finish with La Roche-Posay Anthelios Ultra-Light Invisible Fluid SPF 50+, £19. Because one thing I’ve heard repeatedly from derms is to apply sunscreen every morning (even if it’s cloudy).
All about that base
Now for my favourite part: make-up. I’ve long been a full-coverage person, but previously these formulas have felt cakey. They also didn’t supply considered shade ranges and I know how embarrassing it can feel to walk into a room with a grey, ashy face.
Thankfully, innovations in base products, like IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream with SPF 50, £33, have given us inclusive, lightweight formulas but with full-coverage results. CC stands for “colour correcting”, meaning it reduces redness or hyper-pigmentation. I take two pumps and use the brand’s Heavenly Luxe Make Up Brush to buff it into my skin. It feels light, fresh and blends into a barely detectable finish that doesn’t crease. In fact, it’s also the secret behind IT Cosmetics’ ambassador Nadiya Hussain’s glowy skin.
I sweep any leftover formula under my eyes to neutralise grey/blue tones and make me look more awake. If needed, I then use concealer on my under eyes only (the CC cream does such a good job on hyper-pigmentation that I don’t need to spot-conceal), before setting it with translucent powder.
The eyes have it
A great time-saver is using products that multitask, such as a good bronzer. A make-up artist once told me that, like in fashion, a “monochromatic look” is an easy way to feel pulled together. So, once I’ve applied bronzer to my face, I use an eyeshadow brush to buff some onto my eyelids for a smoky eye.
I love drawing on my culture for beauty inspo, and confidence-boosting eyeliner is a big part of this. I’ve always watched Bollywood movies where women draw attention to their eyes with intensely black kohl, but I find gel liners easier to work with. I scribble along my lash lines and blend out with a pointed make-up brush. A few licks of Maybelline Sky High Mascara, £11.99, and my eyes are done. The final step is patting a cream blusher onto my temples to make my face appear more lifted.
The whole routine takes five minutes but the result looks a lot more polished. No matter how late I’m running, it always gives me a boost!
Hanna wears IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream with SPF 50 in Shade Tan. Shop IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream at Boots
