Oh, date night. It's simultaneously the best and worst night of the week. Good food, good company (hopefully), cocktails and conversation-all lovely. But when the clock strikes 6 PM and you still haven't given a second thought to what you're going to wear, what you're going to do with your hair, or how you're going to remedy the toll the day has taken on your face makeup, it can start to get a little stressful. Since we're assuming stress doesn't go with much in your closet, we pulled together our top tips to keep your date night prep quick and easy so you can be your charming self.

Tousled Waves Made Easy

Grab some bobby pins, flip your head over and twist your tresses into a high bun. Blast it with some heat from the hair dryer for a minute or so and leave it to cool while you search your closet for your finest date night ensemble. Remove the pins, work in a few shakes of texturizing powder (we positively swear by L'Oréal Professionnel True Grip Texturizing Powder ), twist some random sections, et violá: tousled waves. Better yet, start your day with a top knot (that is, if you start to plan for your evening prior to 10 minutes before the date starts), so you can just shake it out as you sashay out the door.

Sheer Color Simplified

Date night makeup should be simple. Think feminine and unfussy. Put away the high shine red lip gloss-no one has time to reapply that, anyway. A sheer tint for the lips and cheeks is all you need. Enter: le cream blush. It's quick and easy to apply (re: no brush needed) and picking a less pigmented lip color saves you from an evening of glancing around for a mirror to make sure your lipstick has not migrated beyond your lips. Maybelline Face Studio Master Glaze and RMS Beauty Lip2Cheek are two of our favorites because they go on smoothly (even when applied in elevators and the occasional taxicab).

Eye Makeup Enhanced

False lashes and dramatic winged eyeliner are out of the question, but don't ignore the eyes all together. Skip the eyelash curler; it can create clumps if you already have mascara on and separating them will be more work than it's worth. Instead, apply a fresh coat of curling mascara like Urban Decay Supercurl Curling Mascara or Lorac Cobra Mascara for flirty, fluttery lashes. Even busy girls can find the time to get their eyes to smolder just a bit on date night. Grab a black eye pencil like or Lancôme Le Stylo Waterproof Long Lasting Eyeliner and line the upper (and lower if you feel so inclined) lash line. Smudge it out with the smudger on the opposite end and smile-you're ready for wine and witty repartee!

One last quick tip: don't forget to do a quick pass with an oil blotting sheet (or toilet seat cover if you've already arrived at the restaurant). Candlelight can be forgiving, but shine is one foe it can't overcome.

How do you prepare for a date? Tell us the one step you never skip in the comments below.

Photos: Thinkstock