New Tips And Triks For You

Did you know that the average American commutes about an hour to-and-from work every day? That's five hours a week that, if not taking public transportation, you're in a car, maybe (or maybe not) jamming out to your favorite tunes or morning radio show.

That's also five hours each week you can use for beauty tips, tricks, and routines that can help you look-or keep you looking-younger.

Here are five anti-aging-while-commuting tips and tricks to help kickstart your New Year's beauty resolutions.

Disclaimer: Try these tips at home before you're in a moving vehicle. We recommend you use your best judgement about what to do on the road. Safety first!

1. Protect your skin with a car that has built-in SPF50 windows. This (above) is my friend Danny and his new Ford C-Max hybrid car-I'm obsessed with it. Not only does it save gas (and the environment, etc.), but it's built with your health and beauty in mind-its interiors are low-VOC, which means the air you're breathing while sitting in your car is cleaner and healthier, and, wait for it, all the glass is embedded with SPF50. Yes, that's right, this car has sun protection built into it-so it helps block all UV rays coming in, which can prevent skin cancer and wrinkles!

DIY Tip: If you're not in the market for a new car, you can SPF your windows yourself with this window film, which filters out 97 percent of UV light.

2. Traffic looking bad? Whiten your teeth! A few months ago, I was having lunch with my friend Carl before he had to hop a flight back to the U.K. He was lamenting that he hadn't had time to get his teeth whitened while he was in New York, so I was like: "Why don't you get some Crest Whitestrips for your six-hour flight?" And he did-because, I mean, what better time to whiten your teeth than on a six-hour flight? For shorter trips-like your morning commute-Crest offers a one-hour express version of its Whitestrips that are just perfect for passing time in rush-hour traffic.

3. Things you can do with your hands while steering. If you work at a computer or a desk job, you'll probably spend most of your day looking at your hands. If you have time to get (or give yourself) a weekly manicure, that's amazing-but in the winter, if your hands get dry, what's a girl to do? If you've always wanted to try those moisturizing gloves you see in all the magazines, but can't bear the thought of wearing gloves while you sleep, try Bliss' Glamour Gloves-gel-lined softening-moisturizing-and-smoothing gloves infused with olive oil, grapeseed oil, and vitamin E. Best bit? They work in 20 minutes flat- and you can steer in them.

4. Plump your pucker-that is, if you're not on a conference call. If you leave the house without makeup on in the morning, sure, you can do all sorts of weird and wonderful beauty treatments in the car-face masks, intensive under eye treatments, exfoliating, you name it. In general, though, I wouldn't recommend messing around with lotions and potions while you're on the road. But I would recommend messing around with a mask in the form of a gel sheet-and these "Uplifting Beauty" collagen treatment sheets are easy-to-use patches that can help plump and smooth your lips and the lines around your mouth in 30 minutes flat.

5. Surround yourself with energizing and de-stressing aromatherapy. For most commuters, that time on the road is the only/last calm moment of the day before heading into stressful situations-into the office or home to the kids. Aromatherapy can help you both decompress after a long work week or invigorate and energize you for a big day ahead. This diffuser from the Vitamin Shoppe comes with two blends: a purifying and oxygenating oil that features anti-microbial Eucalyptus and invigorating Bergamot Orange, and an alert driver blend that includes refreshing peppermint oil and alert-ifying grapefruit.

Have you ever done beauty treatments on your commute? Tell us what you do in the car! Photos: Getty Images