Unlike celebrities, most new mums don’t have a glam squad to help hide the tell-tale signs of sleep deprivation.
But, if there’s one thing mums can be, it’s resourceful!
Ask any mums in your circle and we guarantee they’ll have streamlined a 30-minute beauty routine into a fail-safe five-minute look that fits in with their new schedule.
Here, we asked five Aussie mums to share their secrets for pulling themselves together quickly and looking glam-on-the-go.
Beyoncé may swear by sunglasses for saving her from looking tired, but with these great hair and makeup tips, something tells us you’ll never need to rely on shades again!
1. Invest in multi-taskers
“I’ve never been a huge makeup-wearer so I have to say my daytime beauty look hasn’t changed that dramatically since becoming a mum. I only really wear Invisible Zinc Tinted Moisturiser; I guess I’ve always been really low maintenance (read: lazy!) so I save the mascara for special occasions or rare nights out. The big thing for me is that my products have to serve more than one purpose otherwise I can’t justify buying them. I don’t have time for 17 steps so if a moisturiser is tinted and has SPF in it, I’m sold. Same goes for hair products; I look for quality over quantity. I didn’t have the time or inclination to use heaps of styling products before becoming a mum and I definitely don’t have the time to use them now. I just need a nice shampoo that gives my hair some volume and then I let my hair air-dry given my son is scared of the hairdryer right now. I use Pantene Pro-V Sheer Volume Shampoo.” – Jen
2. Slick on a power pout
“A good friend told me that, whenever she’s feeling tired after a terrible night, she wears red lipstick. Even if she’s not leaving the house. It perks her up and makes her feel glamorous even if she’s actually covered in dribble, vomit and other bodily fluids! And it really works. So now, whenever I have to look put together quickly or need a pick-me-up, I rely on red lipstick. Any red will do, but the brighter the better, I say. I use the Kate Moss one by Rimmel which is stays on really well because I definitely don’t have time for touch-ups!” – Millie
3. Swear by shortcuts
“I used to spend ages on my hair, tonging it into perfect beach waves, but when I became a mum I was way too tired to tong at first and then I just couldn’t justify spending half an hour on my hair, even for a night out. There was always something more important to be doing so I googled a cheat’s way to waves and that became my go-to. Now, when I wash my hair, I apply a little bit of mousse and wrap my hair into a top knot and let it dry overnight. In the morning all you have to do is undo it and run your fingers through it. It doesn’t look as put together as tonged curls, but I kind of like that.” – Bec
4. Make it all about the eyes
“Forget my five-minute routine, I can do my makeup in 20 seconds! I’ve always been pretty good at taking care of my skin and I made sure, no matter how tired I was, that I moisturised my face at least once a day when I had kids. That – and good genes – mean I don’t have to do much in terms of base makeup, but sadly I wasn’t as blessed in the eyelash department. I have pretty short, fair lashes that make my eyes look really small and really tired so every day I give my lashes a quick curl. It sounds like effort but it takes 10 seconds all up – you can even do it while you’re feeding. Then I quickly wiggle on some brown mascara. You don’t have to be as precise with brown mascara as you do with black, I find. And it’s easier to get off at the end of the day. Confession: I have been known to use it on the odd grey hair, too. Then I pencil in my brows. Just quickly and pretty roughly. Those two things combined take me barely a minute, but they just make me feel more “done” and ready to face the day – or bump into people!” – Bianca
5. Use “baby” products on you
“My makeup mantra is simple: use what you can find. And never underestimate the power of lip balm! I always have a paw paw balm (or 10) in my handbag or the nappy bag and it’s become the hero of my beauty look. It’s great on lips obviously, but I also use it on my cuticles – because I can’t remember the last time I got a manicure – and I dot a bit on my cheekbones to give me a bit of a glowy sheen if I look tired (so most days). It also keeps my brows in check and, once I even wore it over my eyeshadow to met the girls for dinner and they all told me how cool and on-trend I was! And because it’s great for eczema and nappy rash, I know I’ll always have it by the bucketload.” – Lucy
Brought to you by Pantene
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