Beauty Advice For Busy Mums

SIMPLE, INEXPENSIVE BEAUTY TIPS FOR BUSY MOMS

While I am no beauty blogger, I am a woman who likes to look good. As a busy working mom of two, beauty treatments usually take a backseat to the housework, school lunches, sports lessons and after school activities. By the time I have a spare ten minutes to myself, I am usually far too tired to be bothered doing anything to improve my looks. It’s usually a “tomorrow job” however tomorrow doesn’t always come. 

As a single woman in my twenties, I regularly had my hair cut and coloured, my nails done, I self tanned/tanned on the beach, had a skin regime and regularly attended the gym. As a working mom in my thirties, time is a lot more scarce and most of these beauty treatments are a luxury I struggle to find the time to do. As a new mom, walking out of the house sporting bags under my eyes and smelling like baby vomit was not an uncommon occurrence. Now my kids have grown a little, I am actually capable of giving myself a little more time. Time is still precious however, so I need quick and easy options that aren’t going to break the bank. 

Like lots of women I have tried and tested a whole bunch of beauty products over time. Some are good, some not so but I couldn’t help but compile a list of simple, easy and inexpensive products that will have you looking and feeling a million bucks in no time. 

SELF TANNING

I will readily admit I am pasty as they come, like not pure redhead pasty but not far from it. My skin does tan quite easily, so as a single woman I spent time sunbaking at the beach. Living close to the beach meant I could walk down to the beautiful golden sand and sit for hours reading a book and relaxing. Well as most of us moms would know, going to the beach with kids is an exhausting (and definitely not so relaxing) mission.

So, not only is this not an option for me anymore, but I also have skin that pops out freckles like weeds in a freshly watered garden bed. I have so many freckles now my kids could use them to play “join the dots.” So being far more sun and skin conscious, I choose fake tanning to get a nice golden colour. Believe me, I have tried many many many products and have always found they leave you looking more like an Oompah Loompa from Willy Wonka. Not a good look at all and attending a salon for a quick spray tan while my two kids run around like monkeys from the jungle is also not an option.

I eventually gave a local product Byron Bay Bronze a try and WOW! It would have to be the simplest self-tanner I have ever used. Literally just wipe it on all over, leave it for an hour up to 8 hours and rinse in the shower. I usually put it on just before bed and rinse in the morning (disclaimer with this though, it will stain lighter colours so beware).

Alternatively, I have put it on, gone back to my normal nighttime duties for a few hours then rinsed off before bed, this just gives a slightly lighter result. But, brilliant doesn’t go far enough in describing this product. No Oompah Loompa look at all and does not streak. The colour is so subtle and so natural I have been asked multiple times if I had been to the beach because I looked so brown.

Best of all the product is all natural AND Australian made! I purchased it on a special where I got 2 bottles for $99. Several months later I’m still using the same bottles, although I do not tan every week as mentioned above sometimes I just can’t be stuffed!

Get it here: https://byronbaybronze.com.au or Follow them on Instagram @byronbaybronze

TEETH WHITENING

I have always been a big tea drinker. Over time, I have noticed my teeth becoming more and more stained. I have been wanting to get to the dentist to get a whitening treatment done but again time and money have prevented me. On top of this, hubby went a while back to get a whitening treatment done on his teeth (caveat here his teeth were a lot worse than mine so he went first!) And honestly, I didn’t think the results were all that spectacular. For the $600 price tag, I decided it wasn’t worth it. But, scrolling through my Instagram feed I came across an ad for Carbon Coco –

I had seen the ad a few times and thought the product was another one of those teeth whitening gimmicks that never work (yes I have tried almost all of the in-home products with little to no success). So, one day I was curious and started researching it. The reviews were really really good. So, okay I said, worth a shot. I ordered a full kit for about $90 and it arrived shortly after. I followed the regime as described. The tooth polish (basically a tub full of black carbon powder) is what you use first. While it leaves your mouth looking like the coal pit of a steam engine, the taste is perfectly fine.

I had seen the ad a few times and thought the product was another one of those teeth whitening gimmicks that never work (yes I have tried almost all of the in-home products with little to no success). So, one day I was curious and started researching it. The reviews were really really good. So, okay I said, worth a shot. I ordered a full kit for about $90 and it arrived shortly after. I followed the regime as described. The tooth polish (basically a tub full of black carbon powder) is what you use first. While it leaves your mouth looking like the coal pit of a steam engine, the taste is perfectly fine.

The next step is the “organic oil pulling” If I’m honest, I didn’t like this part that much and I found the taste and texture very off putting. But, I persisted. I used the bamboo toothbrush, tongue cleaner and carbon toothpaste and after a week or so, my teeth felt incredibly clean. I noticed a gradual improvement in the colour of my teeth and while your teeth don’t end up looking like the celebrity extreme white grin that can be seen from space, they will lighten a few shades and your mouth will feel extremely fresh without breaking the budget. And again, it’s all natural products! Bonus!

Australian Mommies find it here: https://carboncoco.com or Follow them on Instagram: @carboncocoau

FEMININE HYGENE

ModiBodi period underwear – okay bare with me on this one. At first when I saw these I thought no way can those things work. But after seeing ad after ad (marketing really works it seems) I decided to do some research. The reviews were exceptional so after a fair bit of debating, I decided it can’t hurt to give them a try. I purchased two pairs and was genuinely nervous to try them so decided I try them at home and overnight, just in case.

Well, to my absolute surprise they are fantastic! They are super comfortable, no smell and they really don’t feel the same as wearing sanitary pads. Note here I am not a tampon wearer, they just aren’t for me but find I’m always uncomfortable in sanitary pads. Well, ModiBodi changed that and I am sold. And what’s better is they are great for the environment AND Australian made, win-win for everyone. 

Get yours here: https://www.modibodi.com or follow them on Instagram: @modibodiaustralia

DEODORANT

I have tried so many different deodorants, spray ons, roll-ons, creams… I am a stress sweater, meaning I sweat quite heavily when busy or under pressure. So, by the end of the day, this can cause my underarms to smell like a hairy man’s armpit after a cardio workout. Yuck, not at all nice. I have tried the professional strength Rexona and the like, guaranteed to keep you fresh. Not only have I found them to not work, I also develop skin rashes due to having quite sensitive and therefore easily irritated skin. So, when I saw an advertisement for No Pong deodorant, I was intrigued.

So basically  No Pong Deodorant is made from all-natural ingredients (again yay!) and is a mixture of baking soda, coconut oil, beeswax and a couple of other non-nasty ingredients. It comes in a tin and you apply it like a lotion or a cream to your armpit. It seemed far too simple to work, but to my surprise it totally does! Even after a heavy cardio workout on a humid day, my armpits remain super fresh and it is nice and gentle on my easily irritated skin.

It comes in two varieties – original, which contains the bi-carb or baking soda blend and a bicarb free version for those sensitive to bicarb based deodorants and fragrances. Best of all, it is ridiculously cheap. The bicarb version is $5.95 and the bicarb free version is $6.95!! I haven’t looked back since using it and highly recommend you give it a try!

Get yours here: https://www.nopong.com or follow them on Instagram: @nopong.deodorant

EYELASH ENHANCER

FEG eyelash enhancer – Again I went into this with such a scepticism that I’m surprised I even continued using it., but I persisted. I thought I may as well. As I’ve got older I’ve noticed my eyelashes getting lighter and lighter. Once jet black, the tips started fading and becoming so fair it looked like in places I had no lashes. I honestly don’t have the time nor the patience to be applying mascara every day so I gave this stuff a try. Again, research showed that people loved the product.

After about 2 – 4 weeks of using it, I noticed my lashes becoming healthier and a lot darker. I have been using it for over a month now and the results really speak for themselves, my lashes are jet-black again, longer, fuller and generally healthier. What’s best is that all you do is line the top row of lashes at night before bed and that’s it, it takes no more than 5 seconds for good results. 

Get it here: http://www.skinsentials.com.au/feg-eyelash-enhancer-serum

HOLLYWOOD LASHES

Do you have short or nearly non-existent lashes? Or are you just wanting a product that makes your lashes look like those on the Hollywood starlets? I was seeing ads everywhere for “4D Silk Fibre Mascara” so I decided to try it. I was quite sceptical at first but after using it a few times and figuring out not to lather it on the way they do on the ads, I discovered I actually really quite liked it. It does make your lashes look a lot longer, not quite like the ad but that’s probably because I don’t like layering it too much or else I look like a clumpy clown (I have quite long lashes naturally).

This product you can get in multiple places, including Wish and eBay. Shop around for the best deal and the most reputable seller.

CLEAN, SIMPLE, BEAUTIFUL MAKE UP

If you haven’t tried the make-up brand Nude By Nature you are seriously missing out. I changed from using Clinque, which I was finding too heavy for my skin to Nude By Nature after a friend recommended it. Once I changed, I haven’t looked back.

I use the matte liquid foundation, which is super light but gives you a beautiful finish without looking like you have applied your foundation with a paint trawler. It stays all day and doesn’t come off even after sweating or exercising.

To give a beautiful airbrushed finish, I use the loose powder over the top. Again, it is light and doesn’t feel like you’re wearing anything at all. I finish off with the mineral veil powder to set my make up and enhance the overall finish.

I have also used their brushes and concealer and can confidently recommend them all.

Want to try it yourself? You can get it here: Nude By Nature

REVITALISING YOUR HAIR

While I have made a conscious decision to make time to go and get my hair done as often as I can, I still push it to the absolute limit, to the point I look in the mirror and think damn girl go and get your hair done you look like a manky lion…

I have blonde foils in my hair and yes blonde is a lot of work to maintain. I find my beautiful white foils over time get that brassy look which I absolutely hate. I would love to have enough time to slide off to the hairdresser at this point and get a nice tone and blow dry done but let’s be honest, that ain’t happening with two kids that easily.

So recently I decided I would just purchase a packet silver toner from the supermarket and use that to tie me over. Well, the results did surprise me. I regained my beautiful white blonde hair again for a $5 packet of toner, which took all up 45 minutes to apply, wait and rinse. Not a bad hair hack for busy moms to keep themselves looking and feeling their best.