By Mary Patterson Broome

Here are the six life stages of doing your hair and make-up…

Getting ready to go out means something different to every woman. For some, it’s a holy experience; for others, it feels like an obligation.

Most of us have gone through various phases of primping over the years and by now have probably struck just the right balance between caring too much and not caring at all. Let’s take a look back at how we’ve evolved since our early days of discovering cosmetics, hot tools, and, well, our face…

1. Experimentation

This is the cute, late high school (or maybe early for some) phase when you first start dabbling with lip gloss and maybe a little blush. There may or may not be some regrettable blue eye shadow happening during this time. You don’t even know how to put it on evenly, much less choose the best seasonal palette for your colouring.

2. Dedication

You are kind of in the swing of things by this point and every detail has to be perfect. If you don’t get that hair flip just the way you want it, your day is ruined. Eyeliner is making its way into the rotation and you all of a sudden have no problem waking up an extra hour early before school so you can get some quality mirror time. Looking back at pictures now (mad props to #TBT), you see a disaster.

3. Collaboration

This phase is also known as pre-gaming and usually involves a minimum of five other ladies and some wine. Ah, varsity years. This was when Getting Ready was an event in and of itself. Justin Bieber is blaring, flat irons are being passed (as such, backs of heads are finally being straightened right), and the merits of primer and eyelash curling are debated. You spend significantly more time primping (and drinking wine) than you do attending the actual event, if you actually make it there.

4. Maturation

Welcome to the real world. You’re expected to look presentable for work, and you always bump it up a notch for interviews or important occasions. But otherwise, you try to keep the weekdays relatively low-maintenance. On weekends you still bring your A-game – especially for dates or nights out on the town with friends. No one’s busting out the glitter stick anymore, but you always make sure to have your basic needs covered with your make-up and hair brands of choice.

5. Inattention

Maybe you’ll dry your hair? Sometimes there just isn’t enough time before work. You might have even become that woman who sometimes does her make-up in the car. And if you’ve got a child or two: Forget it.

6. Self-Actualisation

By now, you know how to decipher what’s worth an extra few minutes in the bathroom and what’s not. When the occasion calls for it, you’re dressed to the nines. If it’s weekend errands, you know to give your skin a much-needed breather. You’re even starting to try and only use products with environmentally safe ingredients and no synthetic toxins! Pre-teen you would probably be baffled.

Avoiding make-up because of your skin condition? Here’s how to apply makeup  if you’ve got acne, plus Alicia Keys shut down Adam Levine’s makeup policing in the best way.