If you had 5 minutes to get ready, what would be your primary focus?

Let’s start with a big hello from our brand new column. Every month our readers would express their opinions to a unique question so that like-minded others
can go ‘I totally agree – the story of my life’. Because, hey, we all have common battles, right? In this issue, we’re talking about time management. Come to think of it, time has its own sense of irony; it claims to be infinite, but there is never enough when you need it the most. Between juggling last minute invites, presentations with
three hours of shut-eye, and sleeping patterns of a 5-year old (good times), looking like you’ve stepped out to conquer the world can be a daunting task.
So we asked 7 charming ladies a challenging question: If you had 5 minutes to get ready, what would be your primary focus? As interesting as it would be to actually watch them in action, let’s settle for what they have to say.

Amber – Beauty Therapist
My first priority would be my outfit. I’d pick something that I know would work for the occasion and something that I would feel confident in because I believe that your outfit portrays your taste and personality. It can also be something that you’re remembered by without you having to say a word. If I still had a few minutes to spare, I would add some colour to my eyebrows, some mascara to highlight and frame my eyes, and a dash of gloss to give me a natural and fresh look.
Binooda – Fashion Blogger
Given only 5 minutes to get ready, I would focus on finding ironed clothes to wear and make sure my hair is not defying gravity. All the makeup couldn’t save your grace if you don’t have your basics right. We all know how shoddy wrinkled clothes and messy hair makes one look; unless you are one of those Instagram models who #wokeuplikethis.

Becky – Entertainment Organiser
First of all, a clean set of clothes and shoes. Since I possibly cannot step out without them, those would be a priority. Moving on from the obvious, I would target my eyebrows and eyelashes. I’m a natural blonde, so I need to have some contrast to not look washed out. I’ve had days when I’ve run into acquaintances without any makeup, and they’ve either walked past me without the slightest degree of recognition or thought I was sick and angry. I’ve learnt it the hard way that eyebrow pencil and mascara are both absolutely essential to me.

Ivana – Martial Arts Trainer
I would focus on finding the right pair of shoes. As a trainer, I lean more towards comfort, flexibility and robustness - something that an uncomfortable pair of shoes will be such a hindrance to. I’m not much of a makeup person, so I save a lot of time there. Even if I had to wear something a little fancy, my first concern would be what shoes to match it with. Shoes really say a lot about a lady. For example, if I’m wearing the fanciest dress and my heels don’t fit right, it’ll ruin the entire elegance of the dress if I’m caught hobbling around with an aching sole.

Ray – Entrepreneur, Owner of Ray’s Bagels
If I had only five minutes to get ready, I’d focus on making sure the outfit I have is ironed and doesn’t clash. I cannot live with myself if I’m wearing more than one patterned piece. Makeup is an after thought usually, but a simple BB cream and mascara has never let me down.

Mira – Photographer
I’ll dedicate these 5 minutes solely to my hair. I love to have my hair tidy, neat and shining. I’m not into elaborate hairstyles and neither do I experiment with trending up-dos. But if you’ve ever met me to find my hair looking less than perfect, it probably means I’m having a really rough day. They say ‘good hair days make you feel like you can conquer the world’, so I’ve decided to make that a daily habit.

Sneha – May Queen 2018, 1st runner up
Since 5 minutes are never good enough for a woman to get dressed, I would rather opt for something unchallenging to wear from my wardrobe and divert all my concentration on looking beaming, stunning and fresh by wearing a bright coloured lipstick and drawing the perfect eyebrows. I believe lips and brows are game-changing features, and when done right, it gives me the confidence to conquer the world. Accentuating these features can really do wonders to enhance the overall appearance of a woman. Remember, the painting of Monalisa?

Antara Bose is a model turned fashion and beauty consultant. A popular blogger, anchor, and voice over artist, she maintains a deep connection with the local fashion industry and is passionate about discovering and celebrating aspiring talent as well as promoting animal rights. For fashion updates with a side of humour and sarcasm follow Antara on instagram
@antarabose and on Facebook: Antara Bose.