Skincare tips that work fast, or at least make you look like you slept.
We’ve all had that cursed moment when your alarm’s been slapping snooze like a toxic ex, you bolt upright at 8:52 a.m., and suddenly you’re expected to look alive for a 9 a.m. lecture. Brother, no one has time for a 12-step skincare routine inspired by K-beauty YouTubers with mood lighting. What you need is damage control. A condensed chaos ritual. Something that screams “I’m put together” while your brain is still buffering.
Here’s your salvation: the 10-step skincare routine designed for the chronically late, the perpetually tired, and the ones still wearing last night’s eyeliner smudge like war paint.
1. Cold Water Splash Like You’re in a K-drama Intro
Forget cleansing balms. Forget cleansing oils. You’ve got sixty seconds before you spiral into full tardy mode. Run to the sink, cup your hands, and drench your face with water. Don’t dab. Don’t pat. Soak like your life depends on it. Think: heroine in a Ponds ad who looks stunning while staring at her reflection dramatically.
This isn’t skincare, it’s CPR for your face. Puffy eyes? Gone. Brain fog? Shaken. You’ll step out of that bathroom like you’ve been baptised in holy water from Sephora.
This face wash is my go-to for feeling refreshed.
2. Micellar Water = Your Lazy Holy Water
Listen, micellar water was invented for moments like this. You don’t have the time to double cleanse, exfoliate, and massage like you’re in a luxury facial. Swipe that cotton pad and pray it catches the eyeliner residue, the leftover glitter from last night’s party, and at least half your regrets.
Bonus? Micellar water is basically skincare’s get-out-of-jail-free card. No rinsing, no effort, just vibes. It’s the lazy girl’s absolution ritual — forgive me Father, for I have sinned, but Maybelline said it’s okay.
Here’s my favourite micellar water!
3. Hydrating Toner Mist, aka Fake Dewy Glow
Now we enter illusion territory. A toner mist is not just hydration. It’s performance art. Close your eyes, spritz dramatically, and pat like you’re a skincare influencer whose PR package just arrived.
Instantly, your face shifts from “I’ve been crying over my GPA” to “I do yoga at dawn and journal my gratitude list.” The dewy sheen tricks everyone: classmates, professors, even your warden into believing you slept before 2 a.m. You didn’t, but they don’t need to know.
Go get the glow with this toner.
4. Serum Shot, Not Tequila Shot
Pick ONE serum. You do not have the time to layer acids like a chemist. If you need glow, vitamin C. If you need hydration, hyaluronic. If you need to look like you didn’t binge-watch Bridgerton until 4 a.m., caffeine for the under-eyes. Two drops, rub it in, boom.
Serum application is not skincare at this point, it’s triage. Imagine you’re at a bar ordering a shot, but instead of tequila, it’s vitamin C; no hangover, just fake radiance.
After trying multiple different products, this vitamin C serum is my all time favourite.
5. Moisturiser = Emotional Support Blanket
Moisturiser is non-negotiable. Don’t you dare think you can skip it. This one step is the difference between looking like a thriving coquette main character or a wilted lettuce in leggings.
Slather that cream like your face is a dry paratha soaking up ghee. It’s your emotional support blanket, sealing in all the previous steps and giving you the audacity to face the day. Literally.
This moisturiser is light-weight and also the perfect base for make-up.
6. Sunscreen or Stay Inside Forever
Darling, if you’re skipping sunscreen, you might as well skip class too because what’s the point of education if you’re letting UV rays age you prematurely? Choose your fighter: gel, stick, spray — whatever won’t slow you down.
Sunscreen is the future you tapping you on the shoulder saying, “Babe, please.” SPF is hot. SPF is sexy. SPF is self-care with long-term returns. Don’t let fine lines creep in because you were “too late for class.”
I just finished my third tube of this sunscreen. While I have more recommendations, for classes or going out it is the best.
7. Tinted Moisturiser = Fake 8 Hours of Sleep
Foundation is clownery when you’ve got three minutes. Tinted moisturiser or BB cream? That’s your golden ticket. It’s the “I drink green juice and do Pilates” lie in a tube. One swipe and you look like you journal, meditate, and go to therapy (you don’t, but we’ll let the aesthetic breathe).
It’s not heavy. It’s not cakey. It’s “Oh this? I just woke up hydrated.” Fake it, don’t bake it.
You can go with this tinted sunscreen for 2-in-1 benefits. Or this tinted moisturiser is an amazing option too!
8. Eyebrows: Brush and Go
Brows frame your life… okay, maybe just your face. One quick brush upwards with a spoolie and you’re instantly human again. If you have brow gel, swipe. If not, soap works in a crisis.
Think of it as scaffolding for your whole look. The architecture of your face deserves this 30-second investment. And if someone asks why you look extra good today? Babe, it’s the brows. Always the brows.
9. Lip Balm with Vibes
This is where you upgrade from “sleep-deprived student” to “mysterious girl with soft lips.” Tinted balm is ideal: one swipe and suddenly you’re the girl who writes poetry in margins. Bonus hack? Dab the same balm on your cheeks. Boom, blush. Multi-use queen.
You didn’t sleep. You didn’t prep. But your lips are hydrated, your cheeks are flushed, and everyone’s convinced you’re thriving.
This is my favourite lip balm, and I will forever be loyal to it. It’s also a great dupe for Clinique’s famous Black Honey.
10. Not skincare but “I Woke Up Like This” Perfume Spritz
Okay, technically this isn’t skincare. But vibes are half the battle. A quick spritz of something fresh (citrus, clean musk, maybe even that Zara dupe) and you’ve sold the illusion: you are put together. You are well-rested. You are 15 minutes late, but you smell like you were early.
Perfume is the final cheat code. No one’s clocking your under-eye bags if they’re too busy thinking, “Damn, she smells good.”
And that’s it. Ten steps, five minutes, one transformed face. You may not have your attendance, your sleep schedule, or your GPA together — but at least you’ve got your glow.
For more chaotic beauty hacks, campus survival guides, and brutally honest breakdowns of student life, you know where to find me: Her Campus at MUJ. And yes, it’s me again, Niamat Dhillon at HCMUJ, applying lip balm as blush in the AB2 lift.