Beat the Clock Beauty

Quick Beauty Tips

We know your morning rush hour has nothing to do with traffic jams. It's all under your own roof. You're getting the kids ready for school, helping your husband match his socks, and giving everyone their to-do list for the day. This leaves you with little or no time for your own beauty regimen. So we got busy with top hairstylists and makeup artists to develop smart beauty solutions that will get you out the door looking and feeling great, at any speed.

The look is: Fresh and glowing Here's how to get it: 10 seconds: Work wonders with an all-over tinted moisturizer, which evens out your skin. Try: Stila Sheer Color Tinted Moisturizer ($30). 20 seconds: Smooth a liquid stain, like L'Oreal Pinch of Colour ($7.95), onto the apples of your cheeks and lips, blending with your fingertips. "You've got to be quick when using a product like this, because the color sets almost immediately," says Walter Obal, the makeup artist who created the looks shown here. 20 seconds: Dab some white iridescent eyeshadow, such as Fira Eyes Eyeshadow in Champagne Fizz ($5.99), below the arches of your eyebrows and apply clear mascara to lashes. Why clear instead of colored? If for some reason it lands on your lid rather than your lashes, you won't have to waste time cleaning it up.

10 seconds: Slick on a coat of clear, super-shiny lipgloss. 20 seconds: Work a quarter-sized dollop of styling cream through dry hair, whether straight or curly, to calm flyaways and seal split ends. Try: Kusco-Murphy Tart Hair ($18). 40 seconds: If your hair is short, brush from the front of your head toward the back of your head and hold hair in place with a pretty headband. If your hair is long, use a comb to make a part and pull locks into a low ponytail. Secure it with an interesting elastic like the one shown here from Collette Malouf ($13).

If You Have: 12 Minutes

The look is: Cool and confident Here's how to get it: 2 minutes: Use a sponge or your fingers to apply sheer foundation or powder to any area that needs it. "Most women require some coverage around their noses and on their chins, which can look red or splotchy," says Obal. Try: Almay Nearly Naked Touch-Pad Liquid Makeup ($8.95). 2 minutes: Use a shimmery eyeshadow in a neutral shade, like Revlon Eyeglide Shimmer Shadow in Nude ($6.50), on your eyelids, and one coat of black mascara on lashes. 2 minutes: Use a red lipliner, such as Estée Lauder Artist's Lip Pencil in Red Writer ($17.50) to define and perfect your lipline. "Do not draw lips where they don't exist or it will look fake," says Obal. 30 seconds: Fill in the outline with red lipstick, like Lancôme Juicy Rouge in Sorbet ($19.50). Blend the liner and lipstick with a lip brush.

4 minutes: Apply styling foam or gel to damp locks -- straight or curly -- and blow hair dry while scrunching with your fingers. 60 seconds: If your hair is chin-length or longer, pull back the hair from the top half of your head and secure with a barrette. If it's shorter, part it in the middle or on one side, pull back any bangs or short pieces and hold them in place with a bobby pin or two. 30 seconds: Spritz on some light hairspray to keep strands from straying. Try: Pantene Stay Smooth Hairspray, Flexible Hold ($3.99).

If You Have:20 Minutes

The look is: Simply sophisticated Here's how to get it: 2 minutes: Apply foundation or powder to any area that needs it. Counteract dark undereye circles with a concealer that is one shade lighter than your foundation. Try: Max Factor Erace in Natural ($4.75). 3 minutes: Apply eyeliner along your upper lashlines. We like Prescriptives Delux Eye Pencil in Khaki ($17.50) because it works well with all eye colors. Use a sheer, olive-colored eyeshadow, like the darkest shade in Cover Girl Eye Enhancers Sea Glass ($4.15), on the outer corners of your lower lids and blend toward your temples. Brush on two coats of mascara. 60 seconds: On cheeks, use a neutral-colored blush, and on lips, a pink-brown gloss, like Bobbi Brown Lip Gloss in Divine ($18).

2 minutes: Work a smoothing balm, like Clinique Hair Care Perfectly Straight ($14.50), through damp locks and divide hair into two-inch-wide sections. 7.5 minutes: Blow each section dry and straight using a large, round brush. "Natural bristles work best because they distribute your hair's natural oils and enhance shine," says Laura de Leon, our hairstylist for this story. 4 minutes: Divide hair into two-inch sections again and run a flat iron over each one. 30 seconds: Apply three or four spritzes of light hairspray. Another option: To enhance rather than straighten curls apply a dollop of anti-frizz styling gel to damp hair from roots to ends. Attach a diffuser to your hairdryer and blow hair dry. Take about eight half-inch thick pieces of hair from around your face and the top of your head and wrap them around a curling iron. Spritz on a shine-enhancing spray.