Fashion, beauty and the art of being ready without letting getting ready take over your life.
Let's start with something I don't think we talk about enough:
Vanity isn't the villain.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to look good.
I love fashion. I love the feeling of putting together the right outfit. I appreciate beautiful makeup, fragrance, hair and all of the little details that can make you feel polished and, frankly, more like yourself.
But I also have a life to live.
There is work. Sleep. Food. Exercise. Friends. Family. Studying. Errands. Preparation. And, occasionally, just sitting down for five minutes without having to accomplish anything.
So I've developed a personal rule:
I want to be ready and out the door within about an hour.
Not an hour for makeup.
An hour for everything.
Shower. Hair. Makeup. Getting dressed. Eating something. Preparing snacks and drinks. Finding my shoes. Checking the mirror. Grabbing my bag.
And leaving the house feeling prepared—not rushed.
Makeup Isn't New—and Neither Is Men's Makeup
Before we decide that makeup, elaborate grooming or heels are somehow modern inventions, it is worth looking backward.
Cosmetics have been part of human beauty practices for thousands of years. In ancient Egypt, both men and women used cosmetics, including eye makeup. These practices could have decorative, practical, cultural and spiritual purposes. Natural History Museum of Utah
Centuries later, makeup was still not exclusively associated with women. The Smithsonian notes that in eighteenth-century America, both men and women among the upper classes wore makeup. Social attitudes changed dramatically afterward, and visible cosmetics increasingly became associated with femininity. Smithsonian Institution
And then there are heels.
Today, we tend to think of high heels as women's fashion. Historically, however, men wore heels for practical reasons, status and fashion. High-heeled footwear was used by Persian cavalry, and heels entered Western men's fashion around the beginning of the seventeenth century. Men continued wearing them as symbols of power and prestige for generations. Bata Shoe Museum via Google Arts & Culture
At the court of Louis XIV, red heels became particularly associated with status and privilege. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has surviving examples of eighteenth-century men's shoes featuring red heels influenced by French court fashion. The Metropolitan Museum of Art
A Very Short History of Fashion
Ancient Egypt
Men and women use cosmetics, including eye makeup.
10th century
Persian cavalry use heeled footwear to help keep their feet in stirrups.
17th century Europe
Heels become fashionable among European men, representing status, refinement and power.
Louis XIV's France
Red heels become a distinctive symbol of court privilege.
18th century America
Both upper-class men and women wear makeup before social attitudes increasingly change around visible cosmetics.
Today
Makeup, fashion, fragrance and grooming are increasingly used as forms of personal expression across genders and communities.
Fashion changes.
What we consider masculine or feminine changes.
What we consider professional changes.
And what we consider "too much" changes, too.
Fashion has always evolved with culture. But one thing hasn't changed: getting dressed takes time. The question is how much of our time it deserves.
My Five-Minute Makeup Rule
I recently attended makeup workshops hosted by major beauty brands, including MAC and Lancôme.
I went in interested in learning, but I had one very practical concern:
Time.
I explained that if my everyday makeup takes more than five minutes, there is a very good chance I simply won't do it.
The makeup artists I spoke with gave me answers ranging from roughly 20 to 45 minutes when I asked how long they might spend creating a look.
For a makeup artist, that makes perfect sense.
For someone trying to get to work, class, a workout, an appointment or a meeting on time?
That's another story.
My five-minute rule is personal—not a universal beauty standard. If you love spending 30 minutes on your makeup and have the time, enjoy it.
But if your beauty routine regularly means sacrificing sleep, breakfast, exercise, preparation, studying or work, it might be worth asking whether the routine is still working for you.
The One-Hour Countdown
For me, an hour is a useful boundary.
That hour includes:
- Shower
- Hair
- Five-minute makeup
- Getting dressed
- Eating something
- Preparing snacks and drinks
- Shoes and accessories
- Packing my bag
- Fragrance
- Final mirror check
The secret isn't necessarily becoming faster.
It's preparation.
Your morning really starts the night before.
Make Your Closet Work for You
Laundry deserves a place on the schedule.
Not just "do laundry when you run out of underwear."
Actually plan for it.
Make sure the clothes you rely on for work, meetings, classes and events are clean, wearable and ready to go. Know what needs steaming. Know what needs dry cleaning. Know which shoes work with which outfits.
Because there is nothing quite like opening your closet five minutes before you need to leave and discovering:
Low-rise dress pants.
A cropped business jacket.
Three completely unrelated colors.
And absolutely nothing resembling the outfit you had in your head.
Clothing doesn't have to be expensive to look intentional.
It just needs to work together.
And yes, underwear matters.
Socks. Underwear. Bras. Base layers.
These things can make or break an outfit. The most beautiful dress in the world isn't going to feel polished if you're spending the entire meeting adjusting something that should have been sorted out at home.
Your foundation isn't only skincare.
Sometimes it's literally what you're wearing underneath everything else.
Create a Small Getting-Ready Station
Most of us don't have a glamorous dressing room.
That's okay.
You don't need one.
A small, functional area can make a huge difference. Keep your everyday makeup together. Have your hair tools where you can reach them. If you share a bathroom or bedroom, a portable organizer can create a designated setup that can be moved when necessary.
Good lighting helps.
A mirror helps.
And if you have room for one, a full-length mirror is incredibly useful.
Not because you need to obsess over your appearance.
Because a ten-second head-to-toe check can prevent an entire day of second-guessing.
Does the jacket sit correctly?
Are the pants the right length?
Do the shoes work?
Does the outfit actually look like the outfit you thought you were putting together?
Check it once.
Then go.
Fragrance: Less Can Be More
The same philosophy applies to perfume and body spray.
You should smell good.
But ideally, people shouldn't smell you before they see you.
Fragrance is personal, and everyone has different preferences. But in shared environments—offices, classrooms, restaurants, public transportation and meetings—being mindful of how far a fragrance travels is simply good etiquette.
And basic hygiene doesn't need to be complicated.
Shower.
Wash your clothes.
Brush your teeth.
Take care of the basics.
Sometimes the most sophisticated routine is simply:
clean, prepared and intentional.
Looking Good Is Only Part of the Job
We're often told to "dress for success," but success isn't a lipstick shade, a suit, a pair of heels or perfectly styled hair.
Your appearance is one part of how you present yourself.
Your preparation is another.
Your attitude matters.
Your reliability matters.
Your work ethic matters.
Your ability to show up on time matters.
And all of those things require time.
You have to make room for food preparation.
Sleep.
Movement.
Work.
School or professional development.
Friends and family.
And yourself.
Yes—you can make room for fashion and beauty, too.
Beauty Should Fit Into Your Life
I don't think caring about fashion makes someone shallow.
I don't think wearing makeup means you're insecure.
And makeup doesn't inherently say anything about someone's sexuality.
Sometimes makeup is art.
Sometimes it is fashion.
Sometimes it is professional presentation.
Sometimes it's simply fun.
And sometimes it's five minutes in the morning that makes you feel a little more like yourself.
That's enough.
The goal isn't to eliminate beauty from our routines.
The goal is to make beauty fit into our lives, instead of allowing our lives to revolve around getting ready.
So perhaps the real question isn't:
"How long should it take to get ready?"
Maybe it is:
"How much of my day am I willing to give to getting ready—and does that amount support the life I'm trying to build?"
For me, the answer is about an hour.
Five minutes of that might be makeup.
The rest is preparation, hygiene, clothing, food, organization and a little bit of confidence.
And if I can walk out the door feeling clean, comfortable, polished and ready for whatever the day brings?
That's Très Chic enough for me.
Build Your Getting-Ready Lineup
A polished outfit often comes down to a few reliable pieces. Tap a photo to view each style:
 Converse Chuck Taylor 70 High |
 Timberland Tillston Heeled Boots |
 Converse Chuck 70 De Luxe Heel High |
 Kenneth Cole Reeva Platform Sandal |
 DV by Dolce Vita Pink Platform Sandal |
Choose one anchor piece, then build the rest around it. The goal is not more decisions. It is a closet that helps you get out the door feeling like yourself.