I love beauty and I love looking after myself. As a former beauty therapist, I think it’s just ingrained in me. I don’t feel I ‘have’ to wear make-up or wax or even curl my hair. But, I do it because I love it. It makes me feel good. But, when my babies came that all changed. As a new mum, I found it increasingly difficult to stick with the same beauty regime I once previously had. Instead, I found simple beauty hacks for a busy new mum. 

I’m big on cleansing, yes, I’m a double cleanser! I suffered from some pregnancy acne and double cleansing was my life saver. But when my little one arrived, double cleansing went out the window. After wearing makeup or BB cream, I would use a micellar water to get rid of the grit, and on the other days, I’d only use wipes. A rinse with cold water and a pat dry and I didn’t feel too guilty about my newly neglected skin. Make-up wipes are awful for skin but not as bad as sleeping with your makeup on. Needs must.

Getting ready with a baby in your arms is near impossible so instead of applying moisturiser and foundation, I used a BB cream that hydrated my skin and gave it some coverage. And instead of a lipstick, blush, eyeshadow combo, I used a pale pink lip and applied it my lips and my cheeks. It brightened up my dull skin and saved me loads of time. But I never skipped mascara. When you’re looking bleary-eyed, it opens up your eyes by giving them definition.

If I don’t blow-dry my hair it gets frizzy and can just look wild! So the times when I didn’t want to wear it up, I would let it dry naturally and I would straighten it when it was dry, instead of spending an hour (which I didn’t have) blow-drying my hair. So easy!

Personally, I don’t like my hair up. But, as a new mum, I don’t have the time to wash, dry and straighten or curl their hair every day. Learning to love my hair up was a game changer in saving time and effort. I went from washing my hair every second day (what a luxury) to once a week. I also took a strong liking to dry shampoo. After spraying it onto your roots, the trick is to massage it in. In my experience, the best time is at night. That way the colour of the product dissipates and you get bonus volume and wake up with fresh lovely smelling hair!

Smooth, hair-free skin makes me feel well-groomed. In fact, it’s actually an important part of my self-care routine. I feel empowered when I am hairless and when I feel empowered I feel good. What new mum doesn’t want to feel good? But what new mum has time for daily shaving. I wax every 5 weeks. Saves a lot of effort and it saves me time I don’t have!

In the earlier months after my babies were born, my skin was looking extremely dehydrated due to sleep deprivation. At night, (when I remembered) instead of applying night-cream, I would apply a mask.  And when I wanted a little boost during the day but didn’t have the time or energy to apply makeup, I used a BB cream. It’s a moisturiser, foundation and sunscreen in one. 

Brows have been on trend for several years now and it's not stopping anytime soon. Brows as most of us have learned shape your face and can completely transform your face when they are done. Have them tinted. This way they will be done for weeks and you won’t have to even think of touching them! To keep your brows from looking unruly in between tints, use lip balm to keep them in place.