Fuss-Free Fabulous

You have to get the kids to school, make your 9 a.m. meeting, lunch with clients, schedule a sitter and make a cameo at a charity event. If children, work and something resembling a social life have stretched your to-do list to its limit, you might want to keep reading.

Today's woman-on-the-go can't waste a minute of her day. This usually means hair, makeup and wardrobe get demoted to the bottom of her priority totem pole. Understandable, but she shouldn't have to look that way. We've talked to three local professionals who can have the busiest woman looking her best and out the door in a cinch.

Check out the no-fuss fashion pieces, super easy hairdos and speedy beauty processes we've put together.

FASHION

According to Jenna Doughton, local life stylist, busy women should build their wardrobes with the same approach she'd use packing for a short trip. "Look for things that are comfortable, easy and versatile," she says. You may even want to stick to one color palette for a real grab-and-go dressing experience.

1. The jersey dress: It's easy to care for and can take you from board meetings to cocktail parties.

2. Skinny jean: They can do casual or classy and work just as well in July as December.

3. Cardigan: In a neutral color, this piece is multifunctional with open buttons, draped over the shoulders or cinched with a belt.

4. Layered necklaces: The easiest way to look like you put real thought into your accessories.

5. Tote bag: "Look for compartments," Doughton says. They can be a real timesaver.

6. Wedge shoes: If they're rubber soled, they give you the height of pumps with the comfort of flats.

BEAUTY

First things first. Create two makeup bags. One for getting decked out, the other for your daily grind. The latter shouldn't have more than five products. When using it, you won't have to dig through purple shadow and fuschia lip liner to find your mascara. The basics will be at your fingertips.

Second, use products with the ticking clock in mind. Tinted moisturizer will quench your skin and give it a glow all at once. From there, Barbra Jo Batterman, a local makeup artist who has worked on Chelsea Handler and Heidi Klum, recommends using the deserted island analogy to determine your routine. "If you can't live without eyeliner, make it a priority," she says. It could mean doing without concealer, but think of it as give and take.

She also advises using a tinted brow gel, which will let you skip the full brow fill in process, a cream rouge to forgo a brush and a lip conditioner with color so not to worry about lip liner and drawing out of the lines.

HAIR

The easiest hairstyles will require no more than five minutes of your time (once dry). Here are the three looks we recommend for the woman on the go.

1. The pixie: It's a godsend for the super time-pressed. "A little molding wax and she's out the door," says Linda Benitez, hair stylist and marketing director at Roni Josef Salon & Spa.

2. Messy bun: This one is for long locks. Pull it into a pony, give hair a quick tease, wrap it into a circle and secure with a bobby pin. Don't count out hair accessories, such as chopsticks, here.

3. Classic bob: "Blow dry it upside down for a little kick or just touch it up with a flat iron in the morning," Benitez says. You can get several looks out of this timeless cut.