Quick-fix make-up ... Melanie Morris advises on rapid repairs
There are not enough hours in the day to work, rest and play, let alone beautify. What can be done when time is at a premium? Thankfully, plenty.
EYES: When there's no time to mess around with shading, contouring, layering and highlighting, choose a cream or gloss product that can be applied with fingers. One shade, applied to the lid area, will add oomph and doesn't require precision. Lancôme's Colour Dose for eyes, MAC's Eye Paints or Stephane Marais's wonderful selection of translucent glosses work a treat. Stubby pencils by Clinique or Body Shop also transform eyes in a flash. Don't overlook brows and lashes - you'll do both in less than a minute.
FACE: With the emphasis on lips and eyes, this season it's important to focus on complexion more than contouring. If you can just do one thing, choose to even out skin tone and accentuate the positive. Nars's Eye Brightener is a double magic wand that conceals at one end and illuminates at the other. Apply and smudge the product in with fingers where needed ... and don't just confine it to the eyes; use on chin, nose and cheeks, too. For bronzed faces with a little coverage, Estée Lauder's Tinted Self-Tanner for the Face is a tinted moisturiser that also tans. Abandon powders and brushes for blush in a rush - it'll be uneven and improperly blended. Instead, use a cream such as Origin's Pinch Your Cheeks or liquid such as BeneFit's BeneTint - sparingly - and rub in to a rosy nothingness.
HAIR: If there isn't time to wash and style hair, clip it back. As Charles Worthington suggests, avoid the wet-look ponytail, it fools nobody. Instead, use pretty clips or a big false flower to distract. Or pin it up. Day-old hair stays in place better than freshly washed does.
LIPS: Forget strong colours and time-consuming pencil 'n' lipstick if you're in a rush - it's just not going to happen quickly. Naturalists can go the Vaseline-only route, but we prefer something such as Elizabeth Arden's Tinted Eight Hour Cream for Lips. For more oomph, apply pencil on freshly-balmed lips for a strong, moist, long-lasting look.
And if there's time for nothing at all: Go into a department store for a speedy make-over at a more opportune time in the day. These professionals can turn you around in 10 minutes. We strongly recommend the staff at BeneFit and Bobbi Brown counters.
TREATMENT OF THE WEEK
Facial, from €60 at Hanami, South William Street, Dublin 2, 01-6713671. New one-stop mind/beauty/soul shop in Dublin (life coaching is also on offer), Hanami uses its own organic products for all treatments and tailors each procedure to suit the client. The one-hour facial in fact lasted 15 minutes longer than billed (an unusual generosity) and included consultation about skin problems and diet – a very holistic approach.
OFFER OF THE WEEK
Nicole Kidman for Chanel ... Scarlet Johanssen for Calvin Klein ... Charlize Theron for Dior ... The hippest accessory for fragrance houses this autumn seems to be a celebrity face. Not to be left out, Tommy Hilfiger has co-opted singer Beyoncé to be the face of his new scent, True Star, and on Saturday, September 25th, Arnotts in Dublin is offering customers a chance to be photographed with a life-size cut-out of the artist, and a gift with every purchase (from CDs to complimentary products). One winner will even get to meet the True Star herself – details in-store.
PRODUCT OF THE WEEK
Stila pocketbook palette, €29 from Brown Thomas. Jeanine Lobell always manages to capture our attention with her fantastic packaging of Stila products, and this autumn she's on to a sure-fire winner as she matches great fashion colours with perfect presentation. Check out the four new palettes containing a trio of eyeshadows and one blush, housed in a mini leatherette clutch bag with buckle. Choose from berry tones, greens, taupes and auburns.