Being a girl who loves her beauty products, I understandably like to spend time doing my make up each morning, and any chance I get to add a new product in to my regime is a momentous occasion that definitely deserves an extra few experimental minutes in the mirror. Unfortunately having a baby mostly makes this ‘hobby’ less possible; note the word ‘less’ rather than impossible (we beauty obsessed beings always find a way). Being a Mama means less time for me and more time for my beautiful boy, and I’m more than OK with that, but I still want to feel like ‘me’ and that wouldn’t be the case if I didn’t have my war paint on when leaving the house.

I have recently decided to switch up my daily routine slightly in order to speed things along but still achieve the desired look for daytime wear. Special occasions of course deserve some extra care and attention, but just make sure you have someone on hand to take on baby duties – Dex has a habit of trying to cut short my beauty time by vying for my attention as soon as I am sat poised, brush in hand…the little rascal.

I am including skincare in to my beauty regime as let’s face it, it’s all working towards the same end goal. A standard skincare regime for me pre-Dex consists of a 3-step Clinique routine (plus eye makeup remover) with the trusted ‘face wipe’ thrown in for good measure – they’re not perfect but they’re bloody handy.

Below are my top five products for achieving your daytime look in rapid time:

1. La Roche-Posay Micellar Water, £12

Micellar water is the new kid on the skincare block and all the major brands are now promoting their own version thanks to its hypo-allergenic properties and its claim to being a one step answer to skincare. I went for the dermatologists brand of choice with the classic French skincare label, and am so far loving how my skin feels after application. This product works by applying with cotton wool and leaving on the face (no need for rinsing off in the sink AKA no soggy elbows/sleeves), and delicately eliminates impurities thanks to its thermal spring water. Although my skin feels refreshed and clean after use, I do still feel the need to use eye make-up remover as my mascara can be quite tough to remove with just the micellar, and when in the shower I still give my face a ‘proper wash’ with my Clinique cleanser.

2. Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré, £20

This product is known to industry insiders as beauty’s best kept secret, and an amazing limited edition gold version was seen in the kits of make-up artists across this month’s Fashion Weeks. Again favoured by dermatologists for decades, it is a rich and creamy moisturising lotion that is cited as being three products in one: a primer, moisturiser and make-up remover. For me this has been a real game-changer, and I’m seriously in love! I tend to use the product both day and night on most days, however the morning is my preferred time as I put it on just before applying my make-up so that it can prime my skin as well as nourish it. Once applied my skin feels plumped and super soft with a real fresh-faced glow. I find that with this product my make-up application is so much easier and looks better as a result – so much so that I am currently for-going my usual separate primer application (another great time saver).

3. Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan Mousse Dark, £7.99

Something you absolutely must know about me is that I have an unhealthy fake tan addiction. I know it’s not very classy to go for that year-round bronzed look, but the truth is I just feel so much more confident with a tan, and I believe in doing whatever makes you feel like the best version of yourself. Since Dexter came along, although I wasn’t prepared to give up my tan altogether, I did want to make it as baby-friendly as possible so that he didn’t suffer in any way, hence switching from my usual St.Tropez Dark Mousse, to a cheaper 1 hour alternative by Marissa Carter (I tend to leave on for around 3 for a deeper tan). As I am breastfeeding, a full night being covered in smelly brown stuff just isn’t practical, as although Dex is now well in to a fairly tight sleep routine (approx 7pm-6am), we all know too well that they do like to catch us out sometimes and check we’re still rocking our top mum-game by waking up unexpectedly and wanting a feed. By using this product I can fit it in and get it all over with in just a few hours either day or night and still feed Dexter with a nice clean boob and no unwanted brown stains on any part of his clothes or body – result!

4. Beauty Blender sponge, £16

This item has been a firm favourite in my make-up bag for quite some time, but it did take a brief hiatus when I changed foundations (something which I like to do every now and again just to make sure I’m using the best one for me), as it doesn’t work well with all base types. I am currently back to using my trusty Estée Lauder Double Wear for a fuller coverage and the beauty blender applies this foundation beautifully in super quick time with no embarrassing tide marks in sight. It replaces your usual brush or fingers; all you need to do is fully wet your blender with water and squeeze away any extra residue so that it is just damp, and then sponge on the product. The use of water stops the foundation getting lost in the sponge and wasting all your gorgeous product. I wouldn’t advise use with water or gel based foundations such as Chanel Vitalumière Aqua or MAC Studio Sculpt as it doesn’t sit right on the skin this way.

5. L’Oréal Paris Super Liner Smokissime in ‘Brown Smoke’, £7.99

Who doesn’t love a smoky eye? Even a subtle smudge for daytime is a great way to frame your eyes, but it all looks a little complicated, right? Wrong. This product from L’Oréal takes away the hefty palette and complicated artistry and replaces it with a one stroke smoky eye in an instant. It has a precision tip to line your eye initially, which filters in to a rounded foam piece which is great for smudging the product as much or as little as you like. I went for the brown version rather than the black as I was looking for a softer smoky look, again great for daytime too.

If any of you other yummy mummies out there have any quick-fix beauty tips, please do share?!

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