Fast + effective beauty treatments for busy and tired mums
20:30
Long pampering skincare routines and careful make-up applications became a thing of the past when I became a mum. When you have a baby to look after, spending time with him or her naturally takes priority over superficial things and beauty routines become a lot more minimalistic. It’s still important to look after yourself and to pamper yourself if that’s something you enjoy and there are some things that I’ve found make a big difference to the way my skin looks that I can still manage to fit in around looking after my toddler, being pregnant and tired, looking after the house and working from home.
My Skincare Tips & Essential Products
- Use Eye Cream – I’ve always loved using good quality eye creams as wrinkles around your eyes can age you so much. We can all fit in dabbing a little bit of eye cream on at night before going to bed and see the difference it makes. My absolute favourite eye cream is All About Eyes by Clinique but it’s really expensive at £26.50 so I very rarely buy it. L'Oréal and Olay make great alternatives that are more purse friendly.
- The Power of Serums – Using a serum can make a big difference to the quality of your skin and the few seconds it takes to apply it are so worth it. There are even some night creams with serum built in that don’t require any extra time. I’m dreaming of trying Estée Lauder’s Advanced Night Repair serum but that’s way out of my budget. I might treat myself to it when I turn 30 in a couple of years. One of my favourites is a serum and cream duo - Garnier’s UltraLift Swirl 2 in 1 Serum + Cream. It makes my skin so silky and is very affordable around £12 and often on offer in Boots.
- Daily SPF – Another thing that keeps skin looking young is using a cream with SPF every day, all year round. My favourite is the Super City Block SPF 40 from Clinique. The tube lasts ages and the formula is tinted but sheer and adds a beautiful glow to your skin. This replaces a tinted moisturiser and I find that I never need to wear foundation when I use this because it improves the look of my skin so much. It’s like a BB cream but better and it’s been on the market for much longer.
- Quick Cleanse – If you wear make-up, you need to take it off before going to bed. It can feel like such a huge task at night when you are exhausted and just want to sleep but clean skin is good skin. If you can’t be bothered to do a full cleanse, use a good quality facial wipe like B. Pure Sensitive Micellar Cleansing Wipes (currently only £1 per packet) or a liquid cleanser on cotton wool pads.
- Overnight Repair – Some products work magic overnight without much effort like overnight moisturising facial masks that you don’t even have to wash off (like The Body Shop’s Drops Of Youth Bouncy Sleeping Mask). Applying a thick cream to your hands and feet and popping on cotton gloves and socks before going to bed is a great way to pamper your hands and feet while you sleep. I love Skin Food by Weleda – it’s good for everything!
My Make-Up Tips & Essential Products
Most days, I go without make-up as I think it’s good for my skin and I also think it’s important to be comfortable with your bare face. But on some days when sleep has been particularly bad or if I’m going out to do something exciting, I will apply a little bit of minimal make-up.
- Base – The first multitasking trick is to use the Super City Block SPF 40 from Clinique mentioned above as it protects my skin from the sun but also evens my skin tone and adds a healthy glow. I’ve been using this product for so many years and I love it. It’s not very tinted at all so you don’t need to worry about blending it like a foundation. Just put it on like a moisturiser. The sheer colour goes with most skin tones too, even really fair ones.
- Conceal – Some days, the under eye area requires some help and then I reach for my favourite concealer which is Viva la Diva’s 3 in 1 Cover Concealer. Other brands make trio concealers similar to this one too. A concealer with several shades will allow you to blend them to match your skin colour perfectly which hides dark circles much better.
- Blush & Highlight – A little bit of colour to your cheeks and some simple highlighting will make you look healthy and more awake. No7’s Pop & Glow Duo Blush & Shimmer is a product that does both and is really quick and easy to use without any need for brushes.
- Tinted Lip Balms – Lipstick is time consuming to apply and you have to keep checking it and reapplying it throughout the day but a tinted lip balm will add a bit of colour without all the hassle. The Body Shop’s Born Lippy stick lip balms are great!
- Quick Nails – I used to paint my nails in fun colours all the time but when you have a baby you need your hands available at all times and can often not find the time needed for nail polish to dry properly. The only way I can have my nails painted is by using quick dry nail polish. Rimmel London 60 Seconds Super Shine Nail Polish dries in a minute and some shades only need one coat. If you go for a nude shade, chips will not be as noticeable either.
About the Author:
My name is Petra, I’m a mum in my late twenties and, among other things, I run a product review blog for parents called A Mum Reviews. I cover anything that might interest mums and mums-to-be including pregnancy, parenting, food, skincare, beauty and much more. I’m Swedish but live in Sheffield with my English husband. Our first daughter was born in 2014 and our next baby is due in May 2016.
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