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Fast lane to beauty

Kate Lawrie
7/ 4/2008

HOW much time do you spend pampering and preening yourself in front of the mirror? Go on now - be honest. Even a quick slick of mascara can turn into a mammoth half hour beauty make-over.

In fact, according to a recent study, women in the UK spend a massive three years preening ourselves. Ok, that's over a lifetime - with an average of 12 minutes spent applying make -up and 23 minutes styling hair every day.

It's easy to see how it soon mounts up. But, still, surely we could think of a few better ways to spend those precious hours. Like shopping!

Add that to the hours many of us beauty addicts spend in the manicurist's and hairdresser's chairs and it's a wonder we have time for anything else at all.

Most women admit to spending two hours in total to perfect their look before a night out and ultra groomed burlesque artist Dita Von Teese insists on three hours preparation before stepping out of her dressing room.

But how to cut back on that beauty regime? Luckily for us, cosmetic companies are becoming wise to our beauty needs by creating a whole new generation of super quick-drying nail polishes, hair styling products and time-saving make-up formulations, all geared towards saving those precious hours.

Now, skimping on the amount of time you spend getting ready doesn't mean skimping on glamour. Keep a supply of time saving essentials in your bag and on your dressing table and you'll be ready for anything instantly. Here are our super speedy beauty picks, so what are you waiting for?

Paul Mitchell Express Dryer, £39.99

See our model's sexy salon locks? Well, you should be able to get that sleek look in seconds (ok, maybe minutes) with this new super speedy dryer - with a high torque DC motor for a really fast drying time.

Bliss Triple Oxygen Energising Mask, £38

A spa-quality facial at home. Promises to add moisture, tone, and tension to skin in minutes and banish breakouts - without even leaving the house!

Johnson's Shower and Shave, £2.29

Save seconds in the shower with a cream that doubles as a body wash and aloe vera rich shaving lather.

Benefit Some Kinda Gorgeous Foundation, £19.50

Cream to powder foundation in a universal shade that glides on to leave skin flawless.

Bourjois 1 Second Nail Polish, £5.50

Takes one second to apply and 50 seconds to dry - a manicure in less than a minute.

BaByliss BEliss Hairdryer, £35

A unique attachment with nine ceramic plates smoothes and straightens as it dries for a salon finish in no time at all.

Garnier Skin Naturals Pure Express 3 in 1 Facial Wipes, £2.69

Cleanses, tones and matifies for squeaky clean shine free skin in an instant.

Soap & Glory Trick and Treatment under eye concealer, £8.99

No need for eye cream and concealer - this little beauty is supposed to hide dark circles and work to reduce them at the same time.

No7 Quick Thinking 4 in 1 Wipes, £6.50

Cleanses, tones, removes eye make-up and moisturises. This multi-purpose wipe contains pro vitamin B5 to soften and witch hazel and fennel to clear pores.

MAC Cleansing Tips, £9

It's all too easy to make mistakes and smudges when you're in a hurry, mop up any stray make-up with these swabs, pre-saturated in make-up remover. Great for touch ups at the end of the day too.

Clinique Pore Minimizer Oil-Blotting Sheets, £7.50

Taking your day time make-up off just to reapply it for the evening can be an unnecessary chore. Blot away excess oil with these sheets to refresh your base.