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Speedy Ways to Look Fresher, Faster

Shortcuts to getting ready quicker

Lois Joy Johnson,

Updated July 30, 2026

AARP

Updated July 30, 2026

beauty products arranged around an analog clock

(From top left) In a hurry? Grab one of these products to freshen up in a flash. Valentino Born in Roma Golden Coconut Hair & Body Mist; Weleda Skin Food Repair Serum Stick; Revlon Glimmer Brightening Concealer; Kosas Impressionist Multistick Cream Blush Stick + Lip Color in Intuition.

AARP (Getty Images; Target, 2; Kohl’s; 2)

Key takeaways

Quick, simple routines can help you look more refreshed when time is tight.
Multitasking products streamline beauty steps and save effort.
Small changes to skin, hair and color can make an immediate impact.

"I look sooo tired!”

“There’s no time to take a shower or wash my hair!”

“My skin always acts up when I’m stressed.”

“How can I do my makeup in three minutes?!”

“Never mind. I’ll just wear sunglasses to brunch.”

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Women say there’s something about our nonstop online lives, jam-packed schedules and overloaded days that practically invites “uh-oh” beauty moments. Looking fresh isn’t easy when you’re running late, overslept, forgot the event was tonight, and have no time to start over. How do I know? As a beauty and style editor and personal shopper for women over 50, I’m the one they speed-dial and text for solutions. Here’s your own no-fail backup plan.

Weleda Skin Food Repair Serum Stick.

Target

1. Swipe on a dewy glow

You know the phrase “fake it till you make it”? It’s perfect advice. Fortunately, forward-thinking beauty brands anticipated a solution for the dry, lined, tired skin of a person in a rush. Portable hydrating sticks, enriched with line-plumping, radiance-boosting ingredients you’ll recognize, are the game changers here. They glide on with no greasy or sticky residue and can supplement, or even replace, your usual moisturizer. Good choices include the Weleda Skin Food Repair Serum Stick ($18, target.com), with ceramides and hyaluronic acid; the RoC Hydration + Serum Stick ($31, walgreens.com), with hyaluronic acid and peptides; the Jones Road Hippie Stick ($36, jonesroadbeauty.com), with sunflower, coconut oil and shea butter; and the Hanni The Fatty Fatty Acid Moisture Stick ($30, sephora.com), a fragrance-free option packed with omega fatty acids, cocoa butter, avocado oil and sunflower seed oil. All can be applied under or over makeup, used all over (the way you would any moisturizer), or spot-applied where needed: say, under the eyes, or on dry or flaky spots. Stash one in your everyday bag or tote for instant do-overs or touch-ups.

lancome foundation and concealer stick and loreal balm foundation

(From left) Lancôme Teint Idole Shape Stick Blurring Multi-Use Stick; L’Oréal Paris True Match Hyaluron Tinted Balm Foundation.

AARP (Kohl’s, Target)

2. Fast-track your skin to flawless

Many women dash out of the house makeup-free with nothing but moisturizer and a sunscreen that’s at least SPF 30. That’s a super start. But how about those brown spots, broken capillaries and the ashy, sallow, dull, ruddy or drab skin tone you’re doing a good job of protecting? More women are saying they don’t have the time or patience to deal with liquid foundation and the time-consuming arsenal of brushes and sponges. My advice? Switch to hydrating face makeup sticks and balms, such as the L’Oréal Paris True Match Hyaluron Tinted Balm Foundation ($15, target.com), which comes in a compact with a spongy applicator and mirror; the Maybelline New York Multi-Use Face Stick With Cranberry Seed Oil ($13, walgreens.com); or the Lancôme Teint Idole Shape Stick Blurring Multi-Use Stick ($46, kohls.com). All of them tint, blur, camouflage and clean your skin up pronto. Super blendable and dosed with hyaluronic acid to plump lines, and botanical oils and fatty acids to moisturize, they add a dewy, second-skin effect. Speed-blended all over or spot-applied where needed (usually the T-zone), they won’t look cakey or dry but will transform your complexion in minutes.

A word of caution: Many of these “swifties” were made to multitask as contouring makeup. Just say no. While shades darker than your base skin tone can chisel in the look of cheekbones and a firmer jawline, they can read as “dirty” on mature faces due to looser skin, discolorations and texture concerns.

Most Popular

beauty products for eyes, including under eye patches and brightening concealers

(From left) Peter Thomas Roth Potent-C Power Brightening Hydra-Gel Eye Patches; Summer Fridays Jet Lag Eye Patches; Revlon Glimmer Brightening Concealer; Huda Beauty #FauxFilter Brightening Under Eye Corrector in Peach.

AARP (Target, 2; Kohl’s, 2)

3. Brighten eyes with masks and color corrector

Even the most perfectly applied cat-eye liner won’t mask tired eyes. Fatigue, stress, allergies and a preference for salty snacks all show up in the eyes as puffiness and circles. But there’s a two-step strategy that improves it all in a flash. Treat your eyes to 10 minutes of caffeine-infused under-eye patches. Caffeine is a vasoconstrictor that temporarily narrows blood vessels and promotes fluid drainage. The benefits last for a day or an evening.

Step one: Try the Good Molecules Caffeine Energizing Hydrogel Eye Patches ($18 for 30 pairs, ulta.com); Summer Fridays Jet Lag Eye Patches ($24 for 6 pairs, kohls.com); Peter Thomas Roth Potent-C Power Brightening Hydra-Gel Eye Patches ($39 for 30 pairs, target.com); or Pixi DetoxifEye Caffeine & Cucumber Depuffing Eye Patches ($6 for 3 pairs, walgreens.com), on bare skin or right over makeup. You can even slip them on while driving, getting dressed or checking your messages. When time’s up, simply remove, toss the patches and gently pat any excess serum into the skin.

Step two: Apply a high-speed corrector-concealer with a peachy or pink undertone, such as the Revlon Glimmer Brightening Concealer ($10, target.com); the Huda Beauty #FauxFilter Brightening Under Eye Color Corrector ($15, kohls.com); or the Jane Iredale Skintuition Brightening Under Eye Concealer With Active Peptide Complex ($36, ulta.com), to neutralize discolorations. Choose a shade that matches your skin tone and circles. There are no rules, but here’s a general guide: If you have a warm skin tone and discolorations with a bluish or purple tint, choose a warm, peachy shade. Have a cool skin tone and under-eye discolorations that sometimes appear grimy or dusty brown? Try a brightening, pink-based corrector.

These upgraded correctors contain hydrating formulas and are subtler in color than the old correctors. They blend seamlessly into the skin and don’t require a top layer of skin-tone concealer. Note that correctors that look bright online or even in the package are sheer upon application, much like certain blushes and lipsticks.

cream blush products, including two blush sticks and one compact

(From left) Bare Minerals Gen Nude Dew in One Cheek & Lip Stick in Just Peachy; Kosas Impressionist Multistick Cream Blush Stick + Lip Color in Intuition; Clinique Daily Calm Lip and Cheek Color in Tender Heart.

AARP (Macy’s, 2; Kohl’s)

4. A nice, healthy look with cheek or lip color

Blush, bronzer and lip color add life and energy to the face faster and better than eye makeup. They’re the best when you need a fresher look. Again, it’s the updated formulas, formats and subtle colors that work so well.

Don’t aim for finished makeup, the kind where you sit at a magnifying mirror with a total makeup kit. All you want, and actually need, is enough color to brighten and uplift your face. Dual lip-cheek formulas, such as the Bare Minerals Gen Nude Dew in One Cheek & Lip Stick ($23, macys.com); the Clinique Daily Calm Lip and Cheek Color in Tender Heart ($30, macys.com); and the Kosas Impressionist Multistick Cream Blush Stick + Lip Color ($34, kohls.com), require no tools other than your fingertips (not even for the lip liner!) and deliver a flattering flush of hydrating, buildable color. Don’t be concerned about the small handful of shades — they suit a wide range of skin tones, and contain enough moisture to transform dry, sensitive skin and chapped lips. If you already own a stick or cream blush or bronzer, let it double as lip color.

three hair products to promote shine and control frizz

(From left) Kitsch Frizz-Control Shine Hair Serum; Moroccanoil Intense Smoothing Frizz-Control Hair Serum; L’Oréal Paris Elvive Glycolic Gloss High Shine Leave-In Serum.

AARP (Target, Kohl’s, CVS)

5. Revive fried hair, stat

I won’t lie: Truly making over hair that’s dry, damaged or looking frazzled or frizzed takes time, effort and a consistent long-term plan. However, you can quickly rebrand hair-in-need just enough to fool the eye and look pulled together. Two solutions fix all in under five minutes.

To revive hair damaged from color, chemicals or hot tools — or if you have a serious case of bedhead — get your hands on a shine-accelerating spray, such as the Garnier Fructis Style Brilliantine Shine Glossing Spray With Argan Oil ($6, walgreens.com); the Color Wow Extra Mist-ical Shine ($29, ulta.com); or the Amika Top Gloss Shine Spray ($29, sephora.com). All are part of the next generation of hair sprays designed to be misted on dry, finished hair. Only this time around, they add transforming gloss and gleam instead of hold. Is it permanent? No, but it will keep you and your hair looking polished long enough to matter. Be sure to hold the spray 10 to 12 inches from your hair, and aim for a light mist.

6. Reboot with a hair or body scent

This may be the fastest look-changer of all. Fragrance is a shortcut to a look-good, feel-good day. The best choices now are not powerhouse eaux de toilette or trendy perfumes, but lighter mists for hair and body, and designed to freshen rather than seize attention. Blended with a lower alcohol content, they are non-drying to skin and hair. You could apply them to the traditional pulse points, but a soft, allover mist, even over clothing or just on the ends of your hair, will leave a gentle trail of scent and trigger a sense of well-being.

Try just-for-hair formulas that hydrate and add shine, like the L’Oréal Paris EverPure Hair Fragrance-Citrus Spritz ($15, target.com), a sophisticated citrus, neroli and cedarwood scent that isn’t too lemony; the Herbal Essences Rose Perfume Fragrance Hair Spray ($10, walmart.com), a rose, lily and apple scent; or the Jo Malone London English Pear & Freesia Hair Mist ($55, macys.com), formulated with argan oil to add shine — all safe for color-treated hair.

Or opt for a body-hair hybrid mist with a getaway scent, such as the Amika: Aura Hair & Body Mist With Vanilla and Pink Grapefruit ($28, sephora.com); the Valentino Born in Roma Golden Coconut Hair & Body Mist ($49, kohls.com), which smells like a fancy tropical vacay; or the Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa 39 Hair & Body Perfume Mist ($26, kohls.com), with hints of coconut cream, toasted praline and warm vanilla.

The key takeaways were created with the assistance of generative AI. An AARP editor reviewed and refined the content for accuracy and clarity.

Lois Joy Johnson is a beauty and style editor who focuses on women 50 and older. She was the beauty and style editor at Ladies’ Home Journal and a founding editor of More magazine. She has written three books: The Makeup Wakeup, The Wardrobe Wakeup and The Woman's Wakeup.

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