'I spend an hour on Instagram': 6 women share exactly what their morning routine looks like.

The perfect morning routine is quite an elusive dream.

It’s something many of us try to perfect, attempting early wake-ups and rigorous exercise, but often gives way to hitting the snooze button and dousing your hair in dry-shampoo when there is no time to shower.

Still, every woman’s morning routine looks a little different, and there’s no exact “right” way to do it.

Here, six very different women with very different lives share with Mamamia exactly what their typical morning routines look like, messiness and all.

Kate, 29, Stay-At-Home-Mum

I set my alarm very optimistically for 7am but my toddler Henry usually makes his way into my bed just before 6am and we doze together for a bit before he starts wriggling around enough for me to know he’s ready for breakfast.

My husband is in the army and at the moment he’s away on deployment so it’s just the two of us. We have breakfast together (most of Henry’s goes on the floor but we manage to get some in his tummy). He’s loving anything with banana at the moment and I like granola with yogurt and just plain instant coffee.

Then if we’re going out for the morning to do groceries or a music class I’ll lock Henry in the bathroom with me so I know he can’t get to anything else in the house and give him my phone for just a little bit of screen time. Then I do as much as I can in a short amount of time which is a moisturiser, a little bit of foundation and a swipe of mascara. It takes us a while to get out the door since packing to take a toddler out for even a few hours is like packing for a weekend away but we manage.

Laura, 32, Writer and Editor 

My alarm goes off at 7.20am, which is a risky game because I need to be out the door of my apartment by 8.10am.

The first thing I do is check my work email to make sure there are no disasters waiting for me to weigh in on and then I have a quick scroll through Instagram and Twitter just so I can mentally prepare myself for the day ahead.

Once I have struggled out of bed I shower and then start getting ready for the day. Part of my job involves going to a lot of events or filming interviews so I usually have to slather on a bit of makeup and curl my hair so I don’t feel like an unprofessional swamp creature, then I rush out the door.

Once I get to the office, I like to hide out at a table near the sunlight with my laptop and plan out my day while I savour a cup of coffee. I’ve recently started having Almond Breeze’s Unsweetened Vanilla Flavour almond milk in my coffee every morning because it tastes great and feels super light compared to my usual dairy.

A colleague of mine makes banana choc smoothies with Almond Breeze too… and I’m just a little low-key jealous.

Sam, 26, Primary School Teacher

My alarm goes off at 6am and I jump out of bed straight away because if I even think about snoozing then I'll never crawl out from underneath my blankets.

I have my work-out clothes laid out on a chair at the end of my bed so that I can pull them straight on in the mornings and dash out the door. I run for about 30 minutes - there's a nice lap around the river near my house - before making my way home to the shower.

I'm never super hungry after my run but I always make myself a smoothie before I head to work because I know I won't be able to eat until lunchtime (my classroom is hectic and I sometimes get a little jealous of people who work in offices and can walk out in the morning to get a coffee and a danish) but at least I have something in my stomach.

While I am drinking my smoothie I take a few minutes to sit on my couch and do an intensive Instagram scroll, and thank goodness for podcasts to keep me company on my run.

At my school all the teachers actually have uniform tops to wear, which I love because I never have to think about what to wear each day , I usually just add a comfy pair of pants and knee-length shorts in summer, then I am all set.

Jessica, 25, Content Producer

I normally wake up at around 6.30am in the morning and if I’m honest I snooze my alarm until 7am. I then spend around 15 minutes checking Twitter and scroll through a few news websites to get myself across the day.

After that, it’s time to get ready for the day and I’ll do a quick morning skincare routine (cleanse, tone, serum, moisturiser, and sunscreen). If I feel like it, or have something on in the day, I’ll pop some makeup on, but otherwise, I’m very happy to go makeup-free.

After that I’ll get dressed and head out the door. In my ideal world, I would be better with not snoozing my alarm so I have enough time to make brekkie, but for now, I’ll just have some fruit or toast at work, or pick up some avo toast at my local cafe.

Isabella, 21, Full-Time University Student

I have one very early morning class each week that I have to be out the door by 8am for but on other days I struggle to wake up by 10am.

My favourite thing to do is flick the TV in my room on (I always have a comfort show ready to go like Parks and Rec) and I love to spend an hour having a good scroll through Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and then back to Instagram again.

I'm not a big breakfast person but I like to have lots of little snacks, so I might have a muesli bar, some strawberries or toast a bagel that I cover with peanut butter before I start getting ready for the day.

I shower right before I go to bed so I don't shower in the morning (I've been told that's weird... is it?) so I wash my face, add moisturiser, primer and then foundation and some concealer under my eyes. My sister tints my eyelashes for me so no need for mascara! I wear a lot of lip gloss during the day so I slather that on before I grab my car keys and laptop and head out.

Anna-Grace, 30, PR Executive

I usually wake up around 7.30am and the first thing I do is drink a big glass of warm water with lemon; I have been doing this since I was 15 and I promise you it sets your body up so well for the day.

Then I have a pretty extensive skincare routine that I do every morning, I wash my skin with warm water, pat it dry and then do a small facial massage to wake my skin up. I smooth in serum, moisturiser, eye cream and then primer, I then let that settle for about 15 minutes while I do my hair and get dressed and then I add some foundation, mascara and a cream blush to keep my cheeks looking fresh.

I'm a dress girl because it's so easy just to pull it on and then your outfit is done! I drive to work (always listening to a podcast) and luckily our office provides fruit, cereal and even muffins on a good day. So I eat breakfast while diving into my inbox for the day.

What does your morning routine look like? Is there a 'right' way to get started?