Tired Mommy Makeup Tips
Let’s see, I was woken up three or four (or was it five?) times last night. And this has been happening for weeks now. I feel like a Momzilla. I probably look like some villain too. I know that if I can at least look awake, I will feel awake.
you deserve it
Even though you may spend most of your time at home (or all your time, or some of your time)—you deserve to look good. Ok, so maybe you can’t get very much beauty sleep. But you deserve a few moments in the morning when you can put yourself together and do the best with what you have. Don’t give in to thinking you don’t have the time. If it makes a difference to your day and how you perceive yourself, take a few minutes in the morning and put yourself together. Do it for your family!
This is how my morning goes: Before my husband leaves for work, I lock myself in the bathroom and take a shower. That’s step one to feeling human again. If my husband has left early, I stick the boys in the bath and take this moment to fix myself up.
As Few Steps as Possible
One Saturday morning, I convinced Gerhard to come with me and the boys to the mall. He went off shopping with the boys and I went and got some makeup. My goal was simple: few steps, easy cleanup.
Your Skin: shining again in a few seconds
My go-to for a quick skin coverall is a BB (or CC) cream—which has some sunscreen and lotion in it. BB cream protects skin from the sun and gives it even colour and a hydrated glow. I also like BB cream because I don’t have to deliberate too long on finding the right colour, there are usually just three or four options. It’s also very easy and quick to to apply, just rub it on with your fingers like any moisturizer.
Those Dark Lines…Gone
The product I like to use to hide my dark circles is highly pigmented. Yes, this means that it’s more expensive. But my experience with a highly pigmented, better quality product is that it lasts all day on my face, and lasts years in the tube. I had one from Vichy (now discontinued) that lasted me seven years. That was well worth my $20! I now use Dermablend Concealer which I highly recommend if you also have very dark circles.
I like to pick something that’s matted so it doesn’t catch the light. Also, I like to find something that is slightly lighter than my skin/BB cream.
I apply the under-eye cream directly under my eye but also to the inside of my eyes on the bridge of my nose.
brighten your eyes with a little mascara
I rarely get around to doing eye-liner, but I find mascara gives my eyes a finished look. And more importantly, eye-liner and mascara take away from any notice someone might make of my under-eye situation. Sometimes, when I’m really tired and I don’t want anything to touch my red eyes, I skip the mascara and just focus the attention on my lips.
tips on Finding the Right Lip Colour
I love sticking on a bright lipstick when I’m feeling tired. It fools people every time, including myself. It makes me look bright and lively, with a side of go-getter fun.
But how to find the right colour that will wonderfully alight the rest of your face?
In answer to this question, I spent (quite) a lot of time this summer determining the perfect lipstick colour. I started with some wonderful videos by Justine Leconte, especially this one on finding the right lip colour.
If you want to really geek-out over colour, I also used an app (recommended by Justine) to take a photo of the lip colours that I knew worked for me. This photo gives the RGB values of the colour you are looking at, and it allows you to alter the colour and compare it with other colours that you are interested in trying out. For me, this meant I could switch brands without having the headache of trying on a bunch of different colours (or of even having to go to the store!)
If you’re not up to finding the right lip colour on your own, just ask for a free consultation.
look lively: accessorize
Earrings
Earrings can be dangerous when they get close to inquiring toddler hands, but I do like how they can add that extra zing to my look and make me look (and feel) put together. The best earrings around toddlers are those that pull right out if a toddler yanks on them. Stay away from hook styles and danglies!
That oily hair
Ok, we don’t always have time to shower. In some cases I can throw on a hat. I’ve noticed though that brimmed hats can darken the shadows under my eyes if I’m particularly lacking in sleep. This winter berets are in fashion, over top of straightened or curvy hair let down. The ballerina bun is also a great go-to because you can just pat some gel to flatten the fly-aways and it looks like it’s supposed to be shiny. A personal favourite is also a tight french braid.
When you’re really in a rush
When I’m really in a rush, I like to use a hair clip to put my hair half way up. Then I throw on some really bright lipstick. That’s it!
If you’re not comfortable wearing bright lipstick but you own some, apply it to your lips but dab some of it off. You can also mix lipsticks together. I have a really dark mauve lipstick that I used to mix with a pale sparkly pink. Now I’ve gained confidence with the colour and wear the darker mauve in its full hue.
My Favourites
I actually own very little makeup! Here are the essential contents of my makeup bag. I alternate between BB Cream and Foundation, depending on how I’m feeling. The BB Cream is faster to put on but has less coverage. The undereye makeup is key for making me look awake. I have three sticks of lipstick: one neutral, and two bold colours.
What do you do for a quick fix? Comment below!
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MAC Lipstick https://amzn.to/36atBQO
Burt’s Bees Mascara https://amzn.to/37gT3n4
BB Cream by Marcelle https://amzn.to/3nVLlFq
Dermablend Concealer https://amzn.to/33jWYyh
Clinique Even Better (foundation) https://amzn.to/3laz0LG
Bite Beauty Crayon (all natural, made in Toronto!) https://amzn.to/3fGrwPt