London - Supermodel Miranda Kerr has been boasting that it takes her only 15 minutes to make herself presentable in the mornings.
Of course it does: she’s young; she’s skinny; she’s a supermodel; she probably has one of those walk-in wardrobes where all the shoes are colour-coded and everything is meticulously arranged for ease of access.
I don’t imagine Ms Kerr ever runs out of clean pants, or has to rifle through the washing basket for a half-wearable bra. And I’m almost certain she also has a housekeeper and a nanny, whose job it will be to shovel organic chia seed porridge into her toddler’s mouth and mop up the puddles of milk while his mother dry-brushes her thighs.
Given those circumstances, I imagine even an old boiler like myself could emerge looking halfway acceptable in under 15 minutes. Two for the shower, one to clean my teeth, three to get dressed, one to brush hair, and the rest to find my keys and phone. Not being horribly stressed and having children shouting at you that they can’t find their shoes would also help.
That said, I do have a few tips. For example, I always keep some moisturiser in the kitchen. I can shove some on while I’m pouring the children’s cereal or making the tea. Keep it in the fridge - there’s nothing like a bit of genuinely cold cream to wake up tired skin.
If I’ve got an early start, I try to leave my eye make-up on overnight. I know this is awfully naughty, but if you use good quality products it’s fine.
You can also freshen up the eyelids with a sweep of neutral shadowe. Then it’s the once-over with the concealer: dot around the nose, underneath and at the corners of the eyes - and blend.
Finally, a pop of cheek and lip colour to re-animate your morning pallor. - Daily Mail