Post Maternity Beauty Essentials

Post Maternity Beauty Essentials

When I'm pregnant aside from a little skin break out in the first and sometimes second trimester, I really do seem to experience a little of that pregnancy glow.  My hair is really thick, shiny and soft and very little if any falls out, and my finger nails are so strong and grow really fast - it's great.  However as soon as that baby arrives this is where it stops, and my free natural beauty treatments disappear and it completely goes the other way.  My hands are so dry, I look like I've aged one hundred years, my finger nails break just by looking at them and my hair well I just seem to lose clumps of it in the shower and every time I brush it. This combined with very little sleep and a small person demanding most of your time leaves you with very little time to rectify this.  Having been pregnant a few times now, I have learnt a few sneaky tricks and mastered my list of products so I thought I would share this with you.  So here is my list of post maternity beauty essentials...

1. For those tired eyes nothing beats YSL Touche Eclat £25

aside from maybe some Rayban Wayfarers £135.

 
2. For dull skin I used to favour Clarins Beauy Flash Balm, but having since tried a magazine freebie of Elemis Pro-Radiance Illuminating Flash Balm £37 I am now hooked.  This stuff is amazing and smells absolutely gorgeous.  It's a little more expensive than the Clarins, but I think it's worth it.  I love this stuff and quite frankly could bathe in it!

3. For dry hands, when hand cream just isn't doing the job or I keep forgetting to put it on I actually resort to using a face mask.  Sounds odd but I'm sure I read about it somewhere, I just can't remember where (surely I can blame the baby brain?).  I've been using Clarins Hydra Quench Cream Mask £34 and it really does do an amazing job.  I also recently made use of a gift voucher for my local beauty salon and treated myself to a deluxe manicure with those heated gloves a-maz-ing, loved it and felt like a million dollars afterwards.

 4. For cracked or sore nipples (oh the joys of breastfeeding) I would strongly recommend Lansinoh Lanolin Nipple Cream aka "The Purple Cream".  This stuff is an actual lifesaver in those early weeks, trust me if you are planning to breastfeed you need to purchase this before the baby arrives and use the stuff religiously unless you want to unleash a whole new world of pain to add to the many other pains that may or may not have been inflicted on you during and after childbirth.

5. A good lip balm, this is a bit of a personal preference so I would suggest you go with what you know and like.  I always have many on the go, stashed away in various places so they are always to hand.  I have recently discovered the French brands and would recommend the offerings from Caudalie, La Roche-Posay and Avene. 

6. For frizz free hair I have recently discovered (thanks Santa) the Living Proof range.  The Living Proof No Frizz Humidity Shield £12 is an absolute lifesaver in a world where there is little time to wash your hair let alone dry and straighten a frizzy barnet like mine (those of you who have seen the "It's the humidity" Monica moment on Friends will know what I mean - this is me on a good day).  This stuff is absolutely brilliant, love it.  You still need to wash and dry your hair (I have never been a fan of dry shampoo), but a quick spray of this keeps it smooth and shiny for days.

7. Finally for quick on the go make up, I have two new favourite products which are so easy to use and can make a world of difference.  

Firstly the Nars Velvet Shadow Stick £21.  This is so so easy and quick to apply.  I previously shied away from cream eyeshadow as it tended to crease and look a mess in a very short space of time (and I have never been someone who has the time or inclination to reapply make up all day long), but this is a revelation.  It lasts all day and without creasing, love this stuff.  I started off with this in Oaxaca (although I was also tempted by Hollywoodland), both of which are fail safe colours for most people.  But I am pleased to say I have extended my collection and Santa may have also brought me this set, which I also love (Santa was very good to me this year it appears - I must have been good!). 

 
Secondly the Nars Velvet Matt Lip Pencil £20 in Red Square, this is such a classic and my go to red lip, again so easy to apply (as long as those lips are mositurised - see above), it goes on like a dream and looks fabulous.

So that's it my round up of post maternity beauty essentials, after all it is extremely important to look gorgeous for the (little) man in your life!

 

Thank you for reading, I would love to hear your comments x