Fancy face creams and a bit of pampering have taken on new importance now I’m pregnant. It might sound shallow, but taking care of my skin and painting my nails gives me a boost that I really need at the moment.

Thing is, when you have a demanding three (and three quarter) year old, work deadlines and a million and one other things to keep on top of, it’s not always easy to prioritise a beauty routine. So I’m pleased to share this guest post crammed full with handy beauty tips for the busy mum. 

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As every mum knows, it’s impossible to give much time to your own beauty routine when you’re making sure your children are fed, watered and supplied with costumes for the numerous dress-up days schools seem to have. Of course, there’s so much more to being a mum than those few things and it’s fair to say that your own appearance can become neglected, which is why it’s important to have a few tricks up your sleeve.

A little bit of fakery to do you good

Imagine if you could look your best without having to take any time applying make-up! Actually, there are a couple of things you could do to make that a reality! First of all, you should apply a fake tan; with your smooth, well-moisturised skin it should go on very easily and will give you an instant lift, making foundation unnecessary. Secondly, you won’t need mascara if you get your eyelashes dyed. There are some great home-dyeing kits, which you can use on your eyebrows as well, leaving you with no need to reach for the eyebrow pencil in the morning!

Shower time

While you may not be able to indulge in long, hot showers – especially when there’s a queue of children for the bathroom – you should make the most of the showers you can get. A shower is the perfect time to give your skin a swift makeover by indulging in some regular exfoliation; you can do this really quickly by using an exfoliating glove or mitt, making beautifully smooth skin achievable in the same time as it would take to apply your shower gel. Not only can you clean off all the dead cells, but you can moisturise your whole body, either by using a moisturising gel or by spraying on a little body oil at the end of your shower. Perfectly clean, moisturised skin in just about the same amount of time as an ordinary shower.

Hair-cheats!

Your hair is your crowning glory, but not if it’s limp, lacklustre and dragged back in a ponytail. It’s important to keep it trimmed, as there really isn’t any other permanent answer to split ends, but beyond that, there are a few things you can do to keep it in top condition.

There are several hair treatments which come in sachets and are designed to be left on the hair for a while before being washed out; the beauty of this is that you can put the treatment on your hair before you do other things, such as making packed lunches or dressing a baby. Another friend to the busy mum is the ease with which good hairpieces are available, so you can still ‘drag it back’ into a ponytail, but with the cunning placement of a matching hairpiece at the back of your head you can look as though you’ve just stepped out of a top salon.

You’ll always put yourself last because that’s what mums do. If, however, you find yourself feeling guilty about the few minutes you snatch for primping, remind yourself that your children love you whatever you look like, but a confident, relaxed mum is better for everybody.

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If you like Pinterest, you’ll love Shopcade. Basically, it’s a place to browse for brilliant new brands, products and deals, while earning points which lead to rewards. You have followers – just like on Pinterest – and the more you use the site the more points you pick up. You can buy stuff directly through Shopcade and earn cash back while you shop, as well as just browsing and looking at pretty things.

Since stumbling across Shopcade I’ve been lucky enough to become an ambassador for them. This means I get to use it lots with the excuse that my window shopping is for “important research”.

While conducting said research I’ve come across quite a few products which I think could help me manage my early starts. Ever since becoming a mum, I’ve sported huge bags under my eyes and the tired look isn’t one that becomes me. Add work to mum duties and I’m often a bit of a bedraggled mess by lunchtime. I think these Shopcade deals could help in my quest for a spot of quick indulgence in my battle of the under-eye bags…

I also really like the look of this Clinique Chubby Stick in Mega Melon – my lips are constantly chapped and sore, so this may help:

And I reckon showering with this Chocomania Shower Cream from The Bodyshop would be quite nice way to wake up in the morning:

What are your cheats for dealing with the effects of early mornings?

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Disclosure: I received compensation for this post, as such I’m marking it as an advertorial. All views remain my own, as ever. 

The post Shopcade – helping me survive early mornings appeared first on Mother's Always Right.