Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Beauty tips for busy moms

Yesterday I found myself having to get ready for the day in a hurry, and I ended up employing almost all of the timesaving tricks I've managed to find in the past few years of motherhood.

HAIR:
  • Dry shampoo. My favorite brand is Dove, as I find the Suave brand makes my hair kind of tangly. With dry shampoo, I can wash my hair every-other-day and, in a pinch, even go two days without washing.
  • Curling wand. I picked up a travel-sized curling wand last summer and it is a helpful styling tool. The curls last really well. It gives my hair some body and texture to style into an updo on day-old hair. I have very thick hair so it takes me about 20-30 minutes to curl my hair, so I don't do this all the time.
  • Straightening iron. Pregnancy has left my hair sort of wavy, sort of straight, so if I just let it air dry with no styling it looks pretty awful. This is what I try to do on days I don't have time to curl it. I can straighten my hair in about 10 minutes or so, and then that will last into the next day.
  • Good quality bobby pins. I learned the hard way that it's better to just plunk down a little extra money for a product that works. I've been buying my bobby pins at the drugstore for years. I finally bought some more expensive ones at Sally Beauty Supply and the difference was immediately noticeable. It saves me time when I don't have to struggle to get my updos to stay in place.
  • Good quality haircut. A good haircut also makes hairstyling easier and faster.
MAKEUP:
  • Simplify. I've always been an all-or-nothing kind of gal when it comes to makeup, but I am learning to just do what counts when I'm in a hurry. For me, that is under-eye concealer, eyeliner and mascara, and some natural-colored lipstick. It definitely makes me look more lively and awake than nothing at all.
I could write about clothes, too, but dressing as a mom is a topic complete unto itself. :) What are your timesaving beauty tips?

8 comments:

  1. Oh, great post!!! My personal favorite is vintage-style hair accessories. I'm lucky enough to have curly hair, so I don't need to do much to make it presentable, but it helps enormously to clip it back with barrettes. I've hot-glued several pair with bows and fake flowers. If I don't feel like barrettes, I'll do a colorful scarf. It's a great morale boost to have dressed-up hair!

    I don't do lipstick often enough. I have bright reds on hand, but you've reminded me that I need to buy a more natural shade for those days when I don't want to call the world's attention to my mouth. What lipstick do you use?

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    1. Oh, that's a good one! Just yesterday I pulled out a hair scarf/headband I had made years ago from some cotton scraps and hadn't worn in ages. I didn't have time to straighten or curl my hair so I just teased the back a little and it had a cute '60s vibe (I hope!). ;-)
      My favorite natural-colored lipstick is Lancome's "Vintage Rose." I think it's been discontinued, but my friend Cheri alerted me to the fact that it can still be purchased on eBay (at a better price, I might add).

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  2. These are great! My pregnancies have left me with half wavy half straight hair, too! Ugh!

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    1. Haha, so glad to hear I'm not the only one! Oh well, there have been some beauty benefits to pregnancy (completely clearing up my skin, for one) so I won't complain. ;-)

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  3. Hi Laura!

    That travel curling wand looks great - I have been trying to track down a battery powered curling iron for my upcoming trip to England so I don't have to have it plugged in all the time. Does this one work on batteries?

    Thank you!
    Katrina

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    1. Hi Katrina, no, unfortunately this one does have a plug. Good luck with your search! I'm so excited for your upcoming trip. :)

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  4. Thanks!
    I'm only 17 years old and even though I'm not a busy mom, I found these tips really helpful!
    Thanks once again!

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  5. These tips are great for college students, too. I appreciate them as I can easily "let my appearance go" all to often. Sometimes I'll remember to put in some cuter/elegant earrings than just plain diamond studs, or wear a scarf that goes well with my outfit.

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