The primping process for a night out can take some women as long as two hours.

Credit: Andrew popik

A typical man’s routine: Shower. Clothes.

A typical woman’s routine: Shower. Hair. Makeup. Clothes.

While men can roll out of bed and go, women follow procedures foreign to men, like foundation and accessorizing. Wondering why women take hours to get ready, I spent two hours of my night uncovering the mystery of women and primpin’.

Jessica Wright, a slim-figured 5-foot-6-inch mother of one, said her routine has gotten a lot shorter since having a child several years ago.

“I don’t have time to get done up like I used to,” Wright said. “I used to spend more time getting ready than I do now.”

5:15 p.m. — Wright, a 30-year-old former Kent State student, gets into the shower in preparation for going out for an evening. She loofas with Victoria Secret body wash and rinses her hair, not that I was looking. Nudge, nudge.

5:28 — Wright gets out of the shower and towel dries her hair before eventually combing and blow-drying it.

5:41 — She puts on a white Express short sleeve shirt and gray Express Editor pants.

5:51 — She curls her hair in front of the television.

6:12 — She moves to the bathroom to apply makeup in front of the mirror. First, she washes her face and applies toner and then lotion and moisturizer. She applies foundation and concealer. I discover concealer is for masking under-eye circles. She brushes a light reddish-brown blush onto her cheeks.

After that, she moves within inches of the mirror and carefully applies a light brown eye shadow. Then she slowly glides eyeliner onto the edge of her eyelid. Finally, she strokes mascara along her eyelashes.

6:28 — Wright goes into her closet and digs through about 20 pairs of shoes for a black pair of Steve Maddens.

6:35 — She changes her gray Express pants for a black pair of tight-fitting Ann Taylor pants.

“Even if I lay my clothes out ahead of time, I always change them,” she said.

6:41 — Wright spritzes her hair with a light-weight hairspray.

6:46 — She goes back to her closet to pick out a coat. She tries on a light brown waistcoat and then a gray waistcoat, but settles on the light brown coat.

6:54 — Wright goes back to the bathroom and smoothes her hair out again with her hands before spraying on one of her perfumes, Sexy by Max Azria.

7 — She puts in studded earrings and a thin silver necklace with a cross on it.

“I’m really not consistent with my routine,” she said. “I don’t usually take this much time to get ready when I’m just going out on a regular day.”

7:05 — After nearly two hours, Wright takes a final glimpse into a full-length mirror and heads for the door and a night out on the town in Kent.

Contact features reporter Alex Hayes at [email protected].