My Beauty Routine (or Lack Thereof)

My beauty routine is pretty nonexistent these days. My phone alarm goes off around 5:15 a.m. and depending if Charlotte slept through the night or not (most often she does) I still manage to have circles for days. My routine right now is all about being quick and easy and doing the bare minimum to look decent. (High standards here, I know.)

Moisturizing at night is a must do item for me. Forget about balancing the checkbook or doing laundry. At 9:45 p.m. each night it's moisture time! If I happen to forget to moisturize my skin ends up feeling so tight and dry that by midnight I'm reaching for the bottle like a drunk reaches for a glass of water. Right now I'm alternating two different moisturizers at night -- ANEW VITALE night cream by Avon, and Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel.



The Clinique one is nice because it absorbs super quickly into the skin. If I feel like I need a little bit more moisture, I'll add the Avon cream on top especially around my eyes and mouth. The Avon night cream is nice and thick, yet it absorbs well too. I despise moisturizers that just sit on top of the skin and make you feel greasy, so believe me when I say these are combination-skin approved.

Moisturizing Mistake
The most common moisturizing mistake is to forget your neck. I heard recently of a video shoot where Fergie (yes the singer) refused to be photographed a certain way because of wrinkles in her neck (apparently she's super self conscious about them). The neck is an area that is seen just as much as the face, so I always put a little extra on and rub liberally into the neck and upper chest.

Lip Service
I am all about the bright lip lately. It could be because it perks you up almost instantly, or because I'm stuck in the 80s like the mom from "The Goldbergs." Truthfully a bright lip usually means I have to wear less eye makeup and sometimes that is a real treat.

LIP TIP - The brighter the lip, the less intense the rest of your makeup should be! Keep eyes simple with a thin line of black eye liner, some mascara (I'm wearing Diorshow here) and a sweep of a bronzey eye color. Another lip product I really enjoy is Revlon's Just Bitten. They feel great going on and have lasting power.


wearing Nars "Michiyo"

Your Hair is Your Best Accessory
I once read somewhere that your hair is your best (or worst) accessory. Even when I go to bed with wet hair I usually do try to do something with it in the morning. My favorite hair product has to be leave in conditioner. No, not all leave in conditioners are made equal! Trust me, I've tried most of them. My all-time tried and true product is Biolage's Daily Leave-In Tonic By Matrix. It smells amazing and leaves hair silky soft. Plus you can get it at Amazon or JCPenny's for only $26 for a giant bottle that will last you 2 years! Don't be fooled by imitators on that one. And don't waste your time with "prep spray" or "heat spray" or all that stuff you don't need that will only end up making your hair feel like wax!

That's it for now, more beauty tips and mom stories coming up soon!

Stay beautiful!

Amanda

5 Minute Makeup

Let's face it - many of us don't have a lot of time to do our makeup these days. Whether we're running late for work, trying to take care of a baby, or jetting to an outing, five minutes is all you probably have to do a quick makeup job. I'm here to show you how to create a pretty look in just 5 minutes!

How to do the 5 minute face:

First, start with freshly washed skin. Before drying your hair, apply face lotion. I use ProActiv's Green Tea lotion (does not contain Benzoyl Peroxide or Salicylic Acid - products to avoid when pregnant/nursing). Let that soak into skin while drying your hair. Once hair is dry, apply a primer - trust me, this is the trick that will keep your makeup on your face all night long. Skipping it is quite detrimental! Any primer will do, I use Victoria's Secret or Smashbox (just make sure it's an oil-free version). If you want to skip the face lotion step - use a hydrating primer. Next, mix in your hands two-thirds tinted moisturizer - I use Stila's Sheer Color Tinted Moisturizer Oil-Free in Light ($34 at Sephora.com) - (or use foundation if you need more coverage) with one-third of Victoria's Secret PRO Radiant Face Illuminator ($15 at victoriassecret.com.) Let the primer set for 30 seconds.

image courtesy of Sephora.com

image courtesy of VS Beauty

Mixing these two products together creates a flawless, glowing complexion. Dust your entire face with powder to set, including your eyelids. Finish your face with blush on the apples of your cheeks - I love Nars' Orgasm blush even though it's a bit pricey, it's the prettiest blush I've used to date. In the summer I use the blush/bronzer duo ($29 for the blush, or $41 for the duo).

image courtesy of Sephora.com

For a quick eye - always, always, always do your brows - they highlight your entire face more than anything! I like Clinique's brow pencil in soft blonde. Remember to blend and don't go too far beyond your natural brow shape. For eye shadow, I use a quick shimmer shadow - Clinique's Strawberry Fudge duo. Next, apply black eye liner on top and bottom (for daytime I use brown or grey on the bottom, or nothing). I like Urban Decay's pencil liners the best.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero - image courtesy of Sephora.com

Finish with a coat of mascara, and a pinky lip gloss. As for mascara, just buy what works for your eyes. I've wasted so much money on mascara over the years it's insane. Right now I'm using L'Oreal's Voluminous, but even that is a little chunky for me. If you have a mascara that you just LOVE, please share it in the comments below!

And that's it for the 5 minute face. If you have an extra 60 seconds you can always add a highlighter to your brow bone and the upper cheeks (I like Benefit's High Beam - $26) and another coat of mascara, but this is a look that will set you right for the entire evening.

image courtesy of Sephora.com

Are there any makeup tips or tricks that you've learned to create a fast look?