It’s Possible to Go Straight from the Office to a Date With 4 Easy Steps

These steps add just a few more minutes to your morning routine, and are perfect for the gal who may have hit the snooze button one too many times ;) We hear you, #SometimesLazyGirls, and we’ve got tips for you to put extra care into your date-night look.

Oh, and obvs we illustrated these steps in a ridiculously cute infographic. How cute are those heart-topped heels?

Now let’s see how Brit + Co engineer Julia Chaves gets herself date-ready in a matter of minutes, with tips and tricks from beauty editor Misty Spinney, of course.

This step has two parts. First, hydrate your skin. A few pumps of St. Ives Naturally Indulgent Coconut Milk & Orchid Extract Body Lotion should be enough for your entire body. This lotion delivers hydrating moisture and has just enough fragrance, leaving your skin touchably soft and feeling fresh – perfect as you transition from day to your night out! When you can, it is best to apply lotion to your skin directly after you shower, so that the lotion absorbs into your skin with the water. This locks the moisture in. And voila, you’ll have glowing skin and (bonus!) you’ll smell like you were just on a fancy tropical vacation. Who doesn’t love that?

Step 1. Hydrate Yourself

We also recommend keeping a smaller tube of lotion like St. Ives Skin Renewing Collagen Elastin Lotion in your purse — it’s just the thing you need to give yourself a boost of radiance later in the day.

Next, start your day with water. Drinking a glass of warm water with lemon in it each morning can deliver a ton of healthy benefits. This practice is known to clear your skin, kickstart your digestion, energize and enhance your mood and freshen your breath. Yes please!

<b>Next Level Hydration:</b>

Step 2. Day-to-Night Makeup

2. Apply Foundation: Make sure you are matching your foundation, BB Cream or tinted moisturizer with your skintone properly. You don’t want to be that girl with the strange jaw line of makeup, especially on a date. Apply your foundation using a flat foundation brush, making downward motions on your face to blend the product. If you prefer lighter coverage, check out this foundation hack.

3. Get a Glow: Grab a medium tone, slightly shimmery bronzer and apply to the hollows of your cheeks, along your temples and your hairline, and down along your jawline for an instant warm glow. Make sure you blend well for a soft natural finish. And remember — just say NO to any bronzer that looks at all orange. We love Oompa Loompas and all, but we’re not trying to look like we spent one too many minutes in the tanning bed on a romantic night out.

4. Blush + Highlight: Whenever you apply blush, the first thing to do is smile! Use a blush brush to apply a good amount of a bright pink blush to the apples of your cheeks, blending softly up toward your temples. You will notice an immediate youthful radiance that may be a little heavy at first, but will absorb into your skin as the day goes on. Then, you know that glowing reflection that bounces off certain gals’ cheeks, making them look like perfect glowing goddess with the most flawless radiant skin?! Yeah — well guess what? It’s called highlighter! Apply an illuminating highlighter directly above your cheekbones, down the center of your nose, right above your cupid’s bow and slightly above the center of your forehead in between your brows.

7. Ditch the Black Liner!: Let’s switch things up a bit for a softer more romantic look. Instead of a traditional black cat eye, go for a bronzed brown one instead. This will give you that fun punch of drama that is date-worthy but still totally appropriate to rock at the office.

8. Keep It Bronzed: Have you ever tried wearing a bronze-colored mascara?! If not, do so immediately. The shimmery tone and warmth of the mascara will look good on almost all skin tones.

9. Finishing Touches: First, set your makeup with a translucent face powder and a giant fluffy brush. Do this by tapping the powder onto your face in a stippling motion so you don’t smudge or wipe off any of your already applied makeup. Next, apply a lip stain instead of a gloss or lipstick. A stain will give your lips a pop of color without the intimidation of a traditional sticky-looking gloss or lipstick.

Radiant? Check. Subtle and soft? Double check. Date-worthy and totally kissable? Triple check!

Next up, what on earth are you going to wear? Since it’s gotta be work-friendly, we recommend a feminine outfit with a little edge. For this look, we paired a vibrant peplum top with sleek black pants that have leather siding. Top it with a leather jacket and chunky boots for added height without the discomfort of traditional heels.

Step 3. Your Outfit

Oh heyyyy girl. Once you’ve got your outfit, use accessories to add more personality to your look. Julia is rocking a layered tassel necklace (tutorial here!) and pale blue satchel bag. But honestly, that bronzed cat eye is totally stealing the show ;)

Finally, make sure you’ve got a couple essentials packed for touch-ups right before your date. Our touch up kit includes St. Ives Skin Renewing Collagen Elastin Body Lotion, mascara and lipstick so that your lips will be kissable, your hands holdable and your eyes irresistible ;)

Step 4. Pack a Touch-Up Kit

Meow — look at that bronze cat eye! When it’s time to head out on the town, give yourself a quick touch-up and you’re good to go.

What are your tips and tricks for a fresh date night look? Talk to us in the comments below.