A few days ago I was having a conversation with a friend of mine about “doing it all” – as in having kids, scheduling and driving to their activities, organizing and maintaining a home, trying to stay active and fit, and in our cases, also running businesses at the same time. She asked me how I manage to fit everything in, and I replied, “badly” – and we had a laugh.
The funny thing is, people tell you that as your little ones start to head off to school, you will have all this extra time available – like all of the sudden time will magically fall from the sky and you’ll finally have those few hours you need to tackle all the piles of life you’ve been neglecting or doing in a half-arsed manner since your children were born. I’ve decided these people are the same ones that told me that going from one child to two was easy…and I call these people liars! Since my oldest has started school, there is absolutely no more hours or minutes just floating around waiting for me to snatch them up. In fact, I am probably busier than I have been in my whole life. On the bright side, we can add taxi driver to the list of skills on my résumé.
My friend and I then started talking about getting ourselves ready for the day in the morning, and I told her about my small army of beauty product time savers that I use – tools that I try to fit in between packing lunch, giving the dog his thyroid medicine, keeping my toddler entertained, and answering client emails.
Here are some of my favorites:
- JAPONESQUE Color Collection Eye Shadow Crease Brush.
I was informed by a makeup artist that if you have little time and are going to bother with eye shadow at all – skip everything but the crease shadow. What? I know. But it seems to work – especially for those of us with hooded or Asian eyelids. Skip the base, highlight, and just get’er done with the crease. Love this Japonesque brush – soft and no tugging.
- Batiste Dry Shampoo.
Some days there just isn’t time to wash your hair – enter dry shampoo. Batiste makes a great dry shampoo in a range of scents. Spray, massage in, brush and you’re done.
- JAPONESQUE HD High-Impact Eyelash Curler.
I did not inherit thick nor long eyelashes, and they are stick-straight and hard to curl. Lucky me! For those of you with lash shortcomings, give this Japonesque curler a go. It curls more in the middle than on the sides, and has a much stronger crimp than other models I’ve tried (and I’ve tried a lot!), so with a little mascara (see #5 below) I feel like I have defied nature.
- Benefit Cosmetics Eye Bright Pencil.
Um yeah, if you have kids, you need this! I first saw this product used by Carmindy on the show “What Not to Wear”. It is a thick pencil with a light pink eyeliner-like product inside. You apply Eye Bright under your eyes where your dark circles are. Smudge it in. Where did those circles go? Ah-mazing.
- Maybelline New York Volume' Express The Rocket Waterproof Mascara.
This stuff is the bomb if you have sad little tiny lashes like me. This is the only mascara I have EVER used that actually makes your lashes look thicker, without going all clumpy and gross. The trick with this one is to put it on lightly in one sweep and then leave it. There is no need to build it up or add extra coats – one sweep will do.
- The Wet Brush.
Probably my favorite hair-related purchase ever other than my straightening iron. With daughters, there is a lot of hair combing going on, and one of mine hates it and is forever whining/crying about it. I read about the Wet Brush in a magazine and finally decided to buy one to try. What a godsend – and it saves me time because there are no more fights or crying in the morning over hair brushing in our home.
- BOOTS No7 Pamper Dry Oil Body Spray.
Boots is a UK brand we can finally now buy here in North America. This dry oil is great for after the shower and has a fresh clean scent. I use it as a moisturizer that doubles as a slightly perfumed body spray. The spray is not greasy and absorbs quickly, so you can put your clothes on and go.
- L'Oreal Paris Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream.
BB cream is nice because it isn’t as thick or as heavy as foundation, but it still provides nice light coverage for everyday. You can smooth this one on with your fingers and it blends very well – no foundation brushes or sponges needed – just put it on like moisturizer. I love an easy and quick product to even your skin out in the morning! (Just a note here – if you have light skin like me, and are on the lighter/porcelain side, but the "Fair" option, as it is actually lighter than their "Light" cream.)
What are your favorite time-saving beauty products?
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