A few suggestions to go from classes or co-op to going out on the town

By Danielle Wong, News Correspondent

With the spring co-op rotation underway, many students are gearing up for a busy semester. That means a hectic schedule of early mornings, long workdays, and late-night dinners, not to mention social engagements.

All of these commitments leave little time to get ready. Applying make-up becomes a giant frenzy of scattered products and hurried attempts to look good.

Let’s face it: Students want to save time when they can. This means cutting down styling time and finding products that really get the job done.

A great regimen starts with effective skin care. The News spoke with Dr. Emmy Graber, director of the Cosmetic and Laser Center at Boston University, to gain some insight on her favorite techniques.

Keeping the average college student’s budget in mind, Dr. Graber offered some money saving tips.

“Purchase a gentle cleanser like Cetaphil liquid cleanser [$10.99 at CVS] from a local drugstore,” she said. “It can be used to wash your face, but can double as a makeup remover as well. Just apply it to skin and wipe away excess with a cloth.”

To save money, Dr. Graber recommends using the same moisturizer in the morning and at night.

“You honestly don’t need a separate cream for nighttime,” she said. “Even creams with SPFs work well. Personally, I like Aveeno Positively Radiant Facial Moisturizer with SPF 30 [$16.99 at CVS].”

To achieve a fresh face come morning, Dr. Graber recommends taking preventative measures the night before.

“In order to eliminate puffy eyes, apply Preparation H [$12.49 at CVS] to the under-eye area,” she said. “Make sure it’s the ointment formula that you’re using. Sleep with it on, it really works, it’ll prevent bags the next day.”

In terms of make-up, Graber is an advocate of multitasking products, as they save money and precious minutes.

“You can buy double-ended eye pencils instead of eyeliner and a separate eye shadow compact,” she said. “They usually come with a thicker side, which can be smudged appropriately. I am also a fan of tinted moisturizer. They are essentially three-in-one products, because they moisturize, protect with SPF, and add a hint of color to even out skin.”

Michelle Clark, a beauty specialist at MAC Cosmetics, has accumulated a lot of tricks in her time as a makeup artist.

She said that make-up stains and tints are a smart way to transition a look from daytime to nighttime because they come in compact sizes and can be used on multiple areas of the face.

“Lip and cheek stains are actually pretty sheer,” Clark said. “So you can apply a little bit of the stain and let it dry, then layer on another coat if you want more color.”

As far as transitioning a look from day to night, Clark advised readers to bring products with them in a small cosmetic case.

“Take a simple eyeliner with you,” she said. “It’s one of the quickest ways to get a smoky, sexy eye in under a minute. Rim the top and bottom of your lids. If you’re in a pinch, you can smudge it with your finger and add a couple coats of black mascara.”

Freshman physical therapy major Sarah Rubin said she keeps her hair healthy by not shampooing every time she showers.

She said this tip is a great time saver, and is especially useful for curly-haired primpers.

“Just wet your hair, put gel in it, and scrunch,” she said. “Then let it air dry, especially when you’re in a hurry.”

Rubin explained that a friend taught her how to enhance her lips in an unexpected way.

“To make lips stand out, blend white eyeliner around them,” she said. “It really makes them look bigger.”

Rachel Yates, a freshman business major, is also a fan of white eyeliner. When she’s tired, she said putting it around her eyes helps to perk up her look quickly and easily.

Like Rubin, Yates likes making her eyes stand out. She picked up a trick to prevent her shadow from looking sloppy after a long day.

“I use tape to create sharp edges when I do my eye shadow,” she said.

Rubin said that the application method used can increase the pigment of certain products.

“Apply eye shadow with your fingertips instead of a brush, because it’ll come out darker,” she said.

Other creative ideas include using oil absorbing blotting sheets on hair to remove excess shine and get rid of that greasy look that can form during the daytime, which can also make a blowout last longer. This works between showers to keep hair looking clean.

Another tip to consider is putting Vaseline on eyelids before applying eyeshadow will give shadow more staying power, so that it can last from the time you leave in the morning until the time you get home at night and make color look richer.