The Best Makeup Products for a Busy Mum

Today marks the start of my new Friday series, 'Mum & Style'.  I hope you find these posts useful!

 

As a busy Mum you feel that you don't have time to do anything, let alone put on makeup in the morning.  No matter how many hours there are in the day there just never seems to be enough and the lists of tasks is endless.  Mix that up with your career (if you head out to work), or if you happen to work from home (like I do), or even if you don't....there is just no time to spend fussing about with makeup.  Getting kids ready for school, making lunches, getting them out the door, kids to kinder, pre-schoolers demanding all your time, washing, cleaning, cooking....I could easily go on.  Somewhere in all that madness you just can't waste half an hour making yourself gorgeous. 

 

Unfortunately, what can happen, is that we can let ourselves go, and as a result can start to feel frumpy and even grumpy (didn't mean to make that rhyme...) because we don't look our best and find ourselves getting annoyed that we always have to come last. 

 

This has to change.  To vastly improve your mood, and show yourself some of the love that you deserve, you need to spend a little time each day on yourself, and if taking a quick ten minutes to put on some makeup is the way to do it, then run with it.

 

I personally never used to wear makeup, but it's only been in the last year that I have bothered, and it's for that reason.  I wasn't spending any time looking after myself.  As well as looking a little more fresh faced, it is nice to devote a little time to myself, even if my kids are bashing at the bathroom door while I'm doing it.  So what do I find are the best products to use to give myself a speedy spruce up?

I've never been big on foundation, it's only been recently that I have invested in some, and that is really only for when I do my outfit shoots for the blog, although I may wear it if I go out somewhere special.  The rest of the time I either just slap on my usual moisturiser, or I wear a BB cream or a tinted moisturiser.  I have been using this 'Earth Cream' by Dusty Girls, which has been great.  I also picked up this Tinted Moisturiser by Natio at the chemist a little while ago and used it for the first time today, and I must say, I really like this.  It blends in perfectly, is the exact match of my skin tone and doesn't make my skin look dry at all.  These sorts of products are great for a busy mum because you don't have to spend as much time getting them perfect.  I find they don't leave a nasty line around the jaw, and often now they have a sunscreen in them too.  This Natio one has SPF 50, which is awesome!  Today my skin looks really dewy and fresh, without looking too oily, plus it's hidden the old crow's feet a little (!) and it took me about a minute to apply.  A nice, even skin tone is really all you need.

Once again, you want something that is super quick.  If it's too much hassle you're not going to have time or even be bothered, so keep it simple.  Most days you might just want a slick of mascara and that is it when it comes to your eyes.  I have dark lashes anyway, so sometimes I don't even bother with that, but it does make a difference to the length, and different ones make my lashes look a lot thicker, which is nice.  I like my 'Dusty Girls' mascara for everyday.  It's made from natural ingredients and seriously doesn't clump.  My 'Black Argan Oil' mascara by Josie Maran I find is better for going out as it is a bit thicker.  I will bother with eyeshadow when I am going somewhere, even during the day.  I stick to my neutral 'Chocolate Bar' palette by Too Faced which has all the beige/brown shades I could ever need.  There are three shades I generally use, a soft creamy colour I put all over the lid and almost up to my brows, then a soft pinky beige on my lids, followed by a darker shade on the outside corners of my lids which I will blend in.  I find this highlights the green in my eyes and makes a huge difference to the overall look of my face.  Instead of zombie I look a lot more alive.  It doesn't take long, perhaps 3 minutes total.

Lips are super quick, so if you can't manage anything else for the day this is where you can at least pop some colour on your face in a flash.  It's also easy to do on the run as well, although I don't recommend putting it on while you're driving.  As well as being highly dangerous you can also end up with stripes across your face...which is great if you're a tiger but otherwise...not so much.  Lip stains are perfect here.  A bold lipstick can be a bit dressy, plus you need a mirror.  I like lip crayons for the days I want just that little bit of extra colour, and on really 'non-event' kind of days a simple lip balm adds a little shine and moisture. 

 

A good cleanser that you can use in the shower will be the easiest way to get your makeup off at the end of the day, and it will make it much quicker.  If you're anything like me you are the last to have a shower and fall exhausted into bed, so this type of light, simple makeup makes it easy at the other end too. 













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My Weekly Favourites

Another busy week with lots of lovely favourite things!

Attending a blogger event through Nuffnang to hear about the travels and adventures of a group of bloggers who got to experience a fabulous trip to Dubai.  It was at the Doc Martin's bar in Collins Quarter in the 'Paris' end of Collins Street in the city of Melbourne.

Eating fancy food...

Mmmmmmmm!!  And then there was the specially created cocktail with a Dubai inspired flavour!

It was called 'The Burj' and it was a mix of Vermouth, Chamomile, Orange Blossom and Apricot liqueur, especially created by Doc Martin's head bartender, Zeb.  It was an experience!  The first sip highlighted one flavour, which was then followed by a burst of orange blossom and chamomile, followed by something else.  It was quite unusual but definitely delicious!

On a completely unrelated note...I finally got the fenders back for my saddle.  They had to be considerably shortened because I am so vertically challenged.  Anyway now I can AT LAST use my new saddle that I got for Christmas.  It's from Toowoomba Saddlery. 

I got this Neck and Decolletage Cream by Natio, which is an Australian brand that I really like, and is available from my local chemist.  It's reasonably priced and uses lots of natural ingredients.  This cream has Plant Peptides, Argan, Moringa Butter, Fennel, Frankincense and Myrrh...and as well as feeling a bit like one of The Three Wise Men with the whole Frankincense thing, it smells gorgeous.  I decided to invest in this cream because the old décolletage gets a bit neglected and it is one of the first places that you can start to show your age.  That and the back of your hands (which in my case seems to be happening...probably all that time working on farms.)  Natio, I discovered recently, is also pronounced 'Nay-T-O'.  I don't know what I was saying before but it was definitely wrong.

 

This other item, which everyone would no doubt recognise, is my all time favourite Brazil Nut Body Butter from The Body Shop.  I actually used to sell The Body Shop products through The Body Shop at Home party plan and I learnt some really weird facts.  Probably the weirdest was that the original store was actually located right next door to a funeral parlour.  A funeral parlour next to 'The Body Shop'.  How confusing.

This favourite is a representation of my 11 year old son's first classical ballet class which he had this week....and did very well at I might add.  This is my daughter waiting outside during the class...something I am going to have to get used to with my 2 other small children.  Next time I will take more toys to occupy them.  I will also get some photos of my son... but for the moment here is a little video.



And a teensy bit more...



What were your favourites for the week?

















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October Favourites

Ok, so where did that month go?  It happens every year.  Sudden it's the start of November, we have The Melbourne Cup and the next thing it's Christmas.  Really?  I don't even want to think about it.

This month I did a fair bit of Op shopping for my OOTD shoots, which I'm having a fabulous time doing, and gradually this space seems to be more about fashion, but I did pick up a couple of new things.  Here is a small handful of things I am loving this month.

How awesome is Washi Tape!  I have a few rolls of it lying around, left over from my card making days, but these two gorgeous selections I found on a UK website called Fox and Star.  The burgundy one with the flowers is a brand called Maste and the birds are Mt ex.  I am planning on decorating bits of furniture, using it when wrapping presents (probably using it on plain brown paper), and perhaps using it to stick random things everywhere.  It's great that you can remove it and reuse it, if you're careful.





I've been using this lip balm by Glamourflage for a little while now, ever since I got it as a bonus in a gift pack, (see my post on it here)  It is part of a collection of gorgeously named beauty products, each with it's own femme fatale on the label with her own personality and individual story.  This is Daisy and she's a cherry lip balm and is absolutely delicious. 

I don't normally wear nail polish.  It's impossible with kids.  If you manage to find fifteen minutes of uninterrupted time to put it on it's a miracle, and it's even more miraculous if you can find an added twenty minutes of uninterrupted time to wait until your polish dries properly.  But despite that I do like to paint my toe nails when the weather starts to warm up.  How hideous are feet?  Somehow a little bit of colour on your toes seems to make sandals look so much better.  Anyway, at the moment my toes are this gorgeous red, which is a darker, more 'blue' red shade (rather than an 'orange' red) and this gold looks really nice on too.  So nice in fact that I have even been wearing it on my fingers!  Yes, I risked the kiddy-smudge and have been putting it on my finger nails.  What a concept!  These two colours I picked up at my local chemist where they stock Natio, which is an Australian brand of natural skin care and cosmetics.  It is really affordable and they have some lovely things.  This red is called 'Mystic' and the gold is 'Aura'.

My final favourite for the month is my beloved 'Cowgirl' magazine that comes to me every second month all the way from the USA.  I actually need to renew my subscription but this is a great magazine, with lots of fashion, beauty, décor, homes, horses and inspiring women, with plenty of cowboy boots thrown in for good measure.  I just wish it came out every month!

 

What have been your favourite things for October?









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Shades of Blue

It was a bit of a 'Friday Finds' day today, and I was kind of drawn to the colour blue.  It's so relaxing.  I am enjoying an element of peace today because all of my boys are out of the house; husband off shearing, eldest son at school, the next off at kinder and my youngest boy at day care.  So it's just me and my girl at home.  It was peaceful...until she climbed into her dolly cot and it broke and she got stuck.  Boo!

 

Anyway, these are the pretties I have to share today...





 

Ok, this lip balm is seriously the most gorgeous thing I have ever come across.  I have a thing for vanilla.  It's my all time favourite scent.  This would have to be the best vanilla scented anything I have ever had the pleasure of breathing in.  These Lip Macaron balms by Mor come in a variety of 'flavours', but this little lovely is French Vanilla.  It smells exactly like vanilla ice cream...the good stuff.  Or a little like cake batter.  It's divine.  It's really nice on too, and I like how balms are easy just to chuck on anywhere without the aid of a mirror. 

 

The little cupcake is actually not edible, much to my four year olds despair, but is a bath bomb I picked up for a few dollars in the next town.  It's from Bomb Cosmetics which is in the UK.  With four kids I'm a 'quick shower before bed' kinda gal, but this might be the excuse I need to have a good long soak in the tub!

I'm a sucker for notebooks.  Actually any kind of stationery makes me happy, but this particular notebook came with stickers!  The birds on the front of this one are little Australian Blue Wrens.  The male is the pretty blue one (of course...show off!), and the little brown bird is the female.  They are actually pinging about everywhere at the moment with the onset of Spring.  I say 'ping' because they flit and hop about like nobodies business.  This notebook has a lovely soft fabric cover, with white stitching down the spine, and is made from recycled board and paper.  It comes from The Linen Press which is happily a Carbon Neutral company. 

This nail polish by Natio is the prettiest shade of pale blue.  It's called 'Air'.  I'm always impressed with the names companies come up with for all their different colours.  It's an art form in itself!  My fingernails don't normally see any polish, due to handling kids, sheep and horses, but I like to bling up my toes during the warmer weather when I dust off the sandals.

This moisturiser was a new discovery for me, and handy because I'd just run out of my usual one.  For a change I thought I'd give this a go.  I hadn't heard of Milk & Co but they have a whole range of products.  As the name suggests this moisturiser is nice and light, but once rubbed on it feels a little thicker, which I like because I feel my slightly older skin needs a bit more moisture than it once did.  It has a light floral scent too, which is nice for a change.  Only thing, it doesn't have a sunscreen in it, which I do like in a moisturiser as it cuts out a step in my morning beauty routine. 

 

I hope you enjoy these few Friday finds!



















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