Remember the days when you got to lounge in the bath with a nice mask on? Cucumber slices cooling tired, puffy eyes? Nice long showers with an aromatic body scrub to ease away the tensions of the day? Well, turn around and wave those days goodbye – you've got a baby now.
Don't get me wrong, having kids was the best thing I have ever done in my life, but life as I knew it came to a grinding and screeching halt the moment my wife's waters broke! And now you may be going back to work. Imagine the fun of trying to make yourself presentable when you have an infant begging for one last feed. And knowing full well that if you do it, you will most likely have baby sick down the front of your last clean work blouse? What you are looking for is fast and simple. Rather like your partner…but more efficient! So when does a shortcut become too short to still be effective? Here are some really great products that do several jobs at once. Great for hectic mornings, as well as nights where you are lucky to get your clothes off before sleep overcomes you.
Cleansing
Wipes – When they first came out on the market, most were quite drying, but now they are a really fantastic quick-clean option. Some will even do waterproof eye make-up (which may be useful when you have to leave the baby with someone else for the first time and head off to work!). But you will have to play around to find out which one is the best for you. Start cheap and move up until you get one that you are comfortable with. They are great both morning and evening when you are short of time and need to get the job done. Cleansing wipes are also a handy thing to keep by the bed with a bottle of moisturiser. It is amazing what you can get done while you are feeding the baby when you set you mind to it.
Cleansing waters - These look like a toner and can be found in mass market and luxury brands. They will quickly remove face and eye make-up without the need for water, and again, you can do them day and/or night, in the bathroom, in the living room, in bed…
Cleansing balms – The most effective of the cleansing time-savers, as they will cleanse, tone, remove eye make-up, and exfoliate. They take a little more time (one or two minutes), but you can rest assured you have done an extremely thorough job. All work the same way, but you will find many different prices. You apply a small amount of solid oil to your face, quickly massage, press a hot, wet flannel to your face for a few seconds, and then scrub the lot off. Many brands would consider this a shortcut, but it still works. Products in this group are Boots Time Delay Massage Cleanser, Eve Lom, Amanda Lacey, Temple Spa In The Beginning, Clinique Take The Day Off Balm, Organic Pharmacy Carrot Cleansing Balm - the list goes on and on. With many of these, you may even feel you don't need to moisturise at night… so there's another time-saver, especially when you're knackered!
Exfoliator – There is a singular product done by Clarins called One Step Exfoliator. It's a morning cleanser that gets used in the shower or at the basin and will save you loads of time. It is a quick foaming face wash that also gently exfoliates and does not require a toner. A quick wash and then out of the shower, moisturise, eye cream, and go…
Moisturising
The main thing here is to use one, preferably with a sunscreen. With pregnancy and hormonal changes, you will be very prone to uneven pigmentation. This needs to be prevented and avoided, unless you have a lot of extra time to spend with a concealer in the morning, which you don't. I would look for something nice and light that you can wear both day and evening. Otherwise, get one with an SPF that you can wear in the day, and keep your night product by the bed with your cleansing water/wipes to allow you to flop into bed, have a quick cleanse and moisturise, and drop off to sleep, until you get woken for the first feed!
Eye cream
Please remember that this is not a place to take a shortcut. Your face cream does not go around your eyes. Doing so will make your eyes puffy and lack of sleep will already be making a pretty decent job out of that! Look for an eyecream that mainly deals with darkness and puffiness. Some of the best are Osmotics Eye Surgery, Clinique All About Eyes, Talika Eye Detox, and Natura Bissé Stimul Eye Gel. The least expensive is £20 and the most expensive is the Eye Surgery at £45. But it's worth spending money here, as your eyes will be your giveaway. Spend an extra bit of time and money and make sure that this job is one that doesn't get overlooked.
So there you should have something that is easily achievable in two or three minutes – tops, I swear. Don't forget that you need to have a little bit of time for yourself, even if it is only these couple of minutes twice a day. And congratulations… I would love another baby, so if you get bored and frustrated, you can forward your details onto me at the usual address!
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