The Busy Girl's Bible

It's my belief that people either spend way too much time on their looks, or not enough time at all.

Lately makeup, for me, has gone nearly completely out the window, due to the fact I've weaned myself off daily overuse and the fact I simply don't have the time.

However, that doesn't mean I go to school looking like the hag I do look like when I get up.

I'm a busy chick, I am. School often means getting up before six and leaving before seven thirty, and sometimes I don't get back till five or six that evening. So....

Here is Every Girl's Guide to Looking Decent, Fast.

1. DON'T WASH YOUR HAIR EVERY DAY.

Overwashed hair is difficult to manage, meaning it takes longer to style than older hair. People these days wash their hair far, far, too often - unless you live in an excessively dirty, hot or humid place, or have an excessively hot or dirty job, you really should only wash your hair about once a week with shampoo and every second day with water. If you have greasy or flat hair, a good tip is to use dry shampoo morning and night. If you don't have dry shampoo, tie your hair up in a ponytail, shake a generous amount of baby powder onto your hands and dust it over your roots (the parts of your hair not in the ponytail), then brush out.

2. Resist the temptation to blowdry your hair every day.

Excessive use of heat appliances on hair can really damage it, not to mention it's seriously annoying when a person you live with wakes you up at the crack of dawn with an atomic explosion, sorry, a hairdryer. If your hair is greasy but you're short on time, dry shampoo it instead, or if you really can't avoid it being wet, towel dry as much as possible and french braid, or twist into an elegant bun - these styles are best done when wet, and still look good when your hair dries.

3. How to survive a horrific bad hair day.

If your hair is simply not working, dry shampoo it for a little volume, STEP AWAY FROM THE MIRROR, and proceed to make the messiest knot you can make with a single elastic and lots of bobby pins. Set with hairspray and you're good to go.

4. Keep it simple, stupid.

If you're running late and you simply must put some makeup on, put on a bold lipstick. This way you can skip foundation and eye makeup because all attention will be on your pout.

5. Be prepared.

Keep all your hair products and cosmetics IN ONE PLACE, preferably near your favourite mirror. Also, keep three non-iron, good to go outfits on one hanger in your wardrobe - one casual, one corporate, and one formal - for mad-rush days, complete with accessories and shoes.

6. How to fix yourself up after a good cry/mad crazy tantrum.

First of all, always always always have an eyeliner, concealer, powder, eye drops, lip product, tissues and hairbrush with you if you're wearing makeup. Blot your face with a tissue and re-rim your eyes with eyeliner, then fix up your foundation with concealer. Dust with powder and put eyedrops in your eyes, and SMILE!!!

7. What to do when the wind totally rapes your hair.

On windy days give lipgloss the slip because there's nothing more annoying or unsexy as hair stuck to sticky lips. Unless you're prepared to whip your hairbrush out every time a breeze flutters in your direction, stick to updos or half-updos on gusty days.

8. Feel confident without makeup.

Lets face it, most schoolkids don't have a lot of time in the morning on their face. The best thing to do is just wash your face and strut your stuff, but if you simply can't do that stick to three products maximum - your face, your eyes, and your lips. That's it.

9. Good trims.

Anyone can wear their hair down and proud with a good haircut and colour - your cut and colour should complement your lifestyle, face shape, skin tone and clothing choices. Investing in a good haircut means you can cut all that time wasted on endlessly blowdrying, flat-ironing, and styling.

10. Just be confident.

You know those days when your hair's a mess and you know you've got that huge red zit on your chin? Just smile.