In an ideal world, we'd have everything we need to create a fully intentional beauty look every day: time, all the right makeup and tools, perfect lighting ... more time. It's fun to dream, right?

Instead, we're always scrambling to look great on the go. To help you beat the clock, here are some products and techniques for when you're in the car, on the bus, in your work bathroom or any of the many places you wind up powdering your nose in a pinch.

1. Trade Brushes for Fingers2. Tubed Concealer3. Double-Duty Foundation4. Superwoman Lip Color

We love brushes, but it's time to get comfortable with a tool makeup artists have used for years. Use your fingers in almost all the steps below. Just remember to wipe them down with a cleansing wipe prior to touching your face and remember which finger is covered in dark eye color and which carries pink lipstick.

5. Light Eye Pencil6. Eyeliner/Eye Shadow Hybrid7. The Right Palette

Dot this on spots and under eyes straight from the container, then smudge in with your finger. Try Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Spot Concealer + Treatment or NYX Concealer Stick.

On-the-go beauty is about products that carry their own weight and more. Tinted moisturizer, like Lancôme Paris Bienfait Teinté Beauty Balm, is both moisturizing and complexion-covering, and YSL Perfect Touch has a brush imbedded in the bottle. A powder foundation, like NYX Cosmetics Stay Matte But Not Flat Powder Foundation, gives you that mirror you need and an applicator. Sold.

On lips, choose something sheer enough to apply with no mirror (no one will notice if your aim isn't perfect!). Layer color on your bottom lip, then rub lips together to distribute to the top. We love Giorgio Armani Rouge D'Armani Sheer Lipstick and L'Oréal Paris Colour Riche Glossy Balm.

Pick a relatively neutral peach, pink or red that serves as both lip and cheek color. Blend it over lips with your finger, then rub the rest into the apples of cheeks. Voilà! Your blush now seamlessly works with your lips.

Find a white or cream eye pencil that can highlight eyebrows, be an eye shadow base and highlight cheeks, like L'Oréal Paris Double Extend Eye Illuminator Eyeliner, which includes both white and a deeper color to use as eyeliner.

Find a long-wearing, thick eye shadow stick that can work on the lid or along the top and bottom lash lines. Pick a deep neutral other than black, like NYX Cosmetics Jumbo Eye Pencil in Slate or French Fries.

Palettes were tailor-made for these situations. Pick one with colors you'll use. Urban Decay Naked on the Run has mascara (rare find!), plus an eye shadow that can fill out brows.

Ready to go? Great - we'll join you.

What's your favorite on-the-go beauty product? Tell us in the comments below.

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