Perfect your Mummy make-up

Mums Tips

Fashion & Beauty

Published on Tuesday, 13 August 2013 09:04

Last Updated on 29 January 2015

Rosha Nutt

0 Comments

Note to self: Do not place make-up bag directly above toilet!

 

…On the plus
side it’s been a great excuse to refresh the contents, I was living on borrowed
time as much of my make-up was hanging round from my pre-mummy life anyway.

 

Where do I start though? My requirements are so different now to 3 years ago. Lipstick is really a thing of the past and what happened whilst I was pregnant, there seems to be an array of new BB creams, CC creams, radiant bases – what are they?

 So to help me make my way in this new landscape, I enlisted make-up artist and friend, Kathy Walmsley, to give me a refresh with a new daytime look:

 

Becoming a Mummy

The shift from work and social makeup over to mummy daytime makeup is quite subtle at first, as you barely have time for ANY makeup those first few weeks!

Once you finally have that morning nap sorted and time to put your face on, the first thing (if you’re anything like me) will be tackling tired skin and dark circles from those night feeds and long days.

Investing in some good quality eye cream, serum, moisturiser and night cream is money well spent, especially as you will rarely find time for a monthly facial. A really good pair of tweezers is helpful too, as I was an absolute eye brow threading and waxing addict but didn’t make it to the salon as often as I would have liked, so went back to tweezing my own. A good eyebrow gives the face lovely proportions and is time well spent.

My favourite tweezers are my Vitry ones which come in lovely colours and shapes. The one I find best is slightly curved and angled so as to make it easier to reach the shorter regrowth.

Once upon a time I used to use shimmer bricks as my highlighter and lipsticks pretty frequently as part of my look, along with dangling earrings, jingling bracelets and swinging long necklaces. I soon discovered that a shimmering, lipstick covered baby pulling on my earrings and threatening to strangle me or herself with my necklace was not really what I going for! I soon discovered that tinted lip balms and practical clean looking skin was the goal.

 

We are lucky ladies in many ways with a huge selection of lotions and potions at varying costs, all offering the world. Most of us lack the time to sift through the propaganda of each brand and will tend to stick to what we know. I find an investment in foundation and concealer, plus an eye-cream are purchases that stand you in good stead.

 

Quality is key

I like to use good quality makeup brands for myself and my clients and frequently find myself recommending only a handful of brands from the huge sea of them out there.

We all have different budgets but I am a firm believer that a few good quality pieces that last are of more use than lots of cheap bits and bobs that don’t quite suit.

That is not to say that there aren’t bargains to be had. Once the few key pieces of your makeup kit are firmly in place you can easily pop in a cheap blusher here, a reasonable eye shadow there. The important part of any yummy mummy’s makeup bag is foundation, concealer and a great mascara as that is your core bag done.

My current foundation is a new (-ish) one by Chanel called Perfection Lumiere. I find it to be effective and in small quantities. It has a buttery feeling on application making it perfect to put it on with your fingertips. You can be very sparing as a little goes a long way and the coverage is excellent.

Another good brand to consider is Shu Uemera as their skin range is truly fantastic as is the skin care line they offer.

A concealer I would recommend is Dior’s Skinflash pen which contains some light reflecting properties. It is very easy to apply. It doesn’t contain a huge amount of pigment and the result of that is that coverage is medium to light but the reflecting effect is very good when it comes to lines or dark circles under the eyes. I often apply it over the top of Benefit Erase Paste which could conceal absolutely any blemish, bag or spot.

 

ABC’s of the new creams

As Rosha says, there is a huge new trend of BB and CC creams on the market. These are alternatives to tinted moisturisers and offer more coverage, skin care, spf and corrective properties than TM’s.

Tinted moisturiser does just what it says on the ‘tin’. It is literally a moisturiser with colour. It offers no real coverage but can even out an already good skin. This is a good option for those with a nice tan or those with youthful, even skin but is not helpful for those of us who need any coverage. I find they often give a radiance if applied over foundation as they commonly contain a light reflecting product that gives skin a glow.

 

The two tinted moisturisers I use most regularly are Laura Mercier and Stila’s ‘Sheer Colour’. Both provide minimal coverage but have a lovely finish depending on skin tone. If you like to achieve a glow then go for the Stila. For a more matte and ‘perfect’ look then the Laura Mercier is great. You could also consider Chantecaille.

Their skin range is pricey but extremely high quality, and I often recommend it to brides but for the active mum on the go, their tinted moisturiser has such a high quality, beautiful finish that it will be worth the spend if that brand suits you best.

 

BB stands for Beauty Balm/Blemish Balm.

They are usually marketed as gentle on the skin and will have some kind of spf factor and moisturiser in them. They will also contain nutrients and anti oxidants to nourish skin as the idea of using it rather than traditional makeup is to actually improve the condition of your skin as you wear it.

 

A good BB cream will perfect your skin tone by evening out your complexion. It will have enough coverage to conceal blemishes and imperfections but is not a foundation. The thing I like about mine is that it can build coverage and also be used under foundation if needs be.

 

My personal favourite is Kiehl’s BB cream that not only protects your skin with a high SPF content, but also smooths and evens the complexion while nourishing your skin and moisturising it. This product is clever because it also contains some CC cream properties, as has very decent coverage for blemishes and dark circles as it contains quite a yellow/orange pigment. It is available in 3 shades to suit your skin tone best.

 

CC creams are Colour Correcting.

This is an idea used for a long time in professional makeup for tv, film or camera. When a skin has red areas or dark patches a yellow or greenish colour is used to
reduce/remove the redness. These CC creams have included this idea in their product, and are marketed specifically to ‘colour correct’ these problem areas while evening out skin tone and giving a natural finish.

 

Olay’s Regenerist CC cream is a good one and is very popular. It is really more of an anti-aging serum with spf and a bit of pigment than a true CC product but it is a very effective all round product for looking after the skin while concealing flaws and giving a healthy glow.

I am always a fan of any product that successfully doubles up and does two or three jobs at once.

When I use my Olay I don’t have to apply serum or foundation so that is two stages of my regimen in one quick step.

 

Speaking of time saving clever products you may want to look at Stila’s Convertible Colours. These really are one of my all time favourite products and I think I own every shade! It comes in a little round pallet and is a cream eyeshadow, blusher and a lip tint all in one. The finish on it is spectacular, no creases, no sliding around. Just a gorgeous sheen and can be applied evenly with your fingers while on the go.

 

Radiance/Illuminators and highlighters are cosmetics that contain light reflecting properties. They bounce light off your cheek bones and can give skin that gorgeous glow. Very useful for under eyes – this is the philosophy behind many eye concealer pens, as they contain a light reflector.

 

Benefit do a few highlighters but my favourites are High Beam and Sun Beam as they are liquids and last a long time. Sun Beam is a gold/bronze base and will suit a summery look or a warmer skin tone. High Beam is a pink/white shimmer and is effective on most complexions if used sparingly! They don’t rub off and can be applied anywhere, any time. Apply to your cheekbones upwards towards your temples to accent the bone.

 

So to sum up, fear not, the maze of overly made up makeup girls at counters in brightly lit department stores desperately trying to sell you fluorescent eye shadow and bright neon lipsticks need not phase you. You are armed with the information you know a CC from a BB, a tinted moisturiser from a foundation. You merely need to look effortlessly glowing with health and nothing more. You are a yummy mummy.

Photo credits: Idhren via photopin cc & auni.bombeenee via photopin cc