After I had Shepherd, I had a lot of days where I just didn't get ready. I was tired, struggling with pumping and healing from surgery. There were lots of sleepless nights and lots of yoga pants. Showers were scheduled when grandparents and siblings would stop by. Sometimes (I won't lie) there were a few days that passed before I had a moment to actually shower.
There is nothing wrong with this. I think all women need to cocoon themselves with their new babies for bonding. When you are just lounging around doing skin to skin, you aren't getting dirty. As long as you are brushing your teeth and washing your face you are pretty much golden.
One thing I didn't want to do after I had kids was stop getting ready altogether. We've all seen it time and time again. New moms stop dressing up, stop putting on make-up, stop curling their hair. Obviously, I'm not going to judge you if you decide to put your efforts elsewhere. That is your prerogative and there is nothing wrong with choosing to spend your "free" time watching a guilty pleasure show or hitting the gym rather than puttin' on your face, especially when you just wash it all off at the end of the night.
Personally, I would feel better when I was more put together. Even now, if I wake up late or just don't feel good and I skip make up for the day, I feel blah all day long. When I take the time just to put a little effort into my face I feel fresher and ready to tackle life. I don't know why, but I do!
I'm writing this for the woman that wants a low maintenance, easy routine where they don't have a vanity full of thousands of products, they can get ready fast and feel good (and possibly a little bit more human) like I am/was. I slid 'was' in there because I work outside of the home, so I have to put more effort into my appearance and it helps me feel all business-y at work (I hate getting caught in a surprise meeting when I have no make-up on!) but even still, I try to pick and choose what my make-up necessities are and balance my efforts so that I don't spend a ton time on my face every morning. Although honestly, I am spending more time than ever before because I am into make-up so it's actually fun to do.
When I first had Shepherd, I would use a light foundation or tinted moisturizer, concealer under the eyes and on any blemishes, some blush for some glow, and mascara. If I was feeling really ambitious, I would put a little light eye shadow in the corner of my eyes to look more awake. Top with a baby-friendly chapstick (cause of all those kisses, of course!) and I'd be set.
That was the bare essentials. It would always make me feel a thousand times better and I liked the idea of Bryan coming home to a fresh faced lady, instead of a torn up one. :)
I know many of you may not be into make-up. Maybe you just have your few staples and they are from the drugstore and they get you by. I happen to love drugstore make-up and there are tons of good products that I use from there. However, if I was going to tell you to invest in one product that would last a long time, be ridiculously versatile, is high quality and would suit anyone? It would be the Lorac Pro palette.
I mentioned this in the haul a while ago, and I have seriously put it to the test. This palette is $42. It contains eight matte shades and eight shimmer shades, ranging in neutrals with a few pops of color thrown in for good measure.
I tried my hardest to get good pictures with the actual colors but ya'll know that I'm not a super awesome photographer. The light colors got a little blown out. Here is the picture from the Lorac Cosmetics website:
You can see from the pictures above that I've used pretty much every color in the palette. You can tell from the marks in the shadows where my brush has dipped in. What is great about this palette is that you can easily choose to just put one color over the entire lid for a little pick me up and stop there. Or, you can put a matte shade in your crease just to define your eyes and call it good. You can mix shimmer and matte colors. If you are going out for a date night you can put together an easy smokey eye. This palette complements any eye color and there are hundreds of variations of looks, as simple or complex as you'd like. The colors blend really well with minimal work. I seriously love it.
If you just wanted an old faithful palette to have for everyday use without a ton of fuss this is literally the perfect palette.
I wish I had had this when I was a new mom. It would have been a no-brainer. If you are still choking on the $42 price, remember this is high-end make-up. You'll notice the difference from your drugstore stuff when you try it out and you get 16 shadows. That breaks down to $2.62 a pan. Totally affordable. Also, if you wait patiently and sign up for Ulta mailers, you can purchase the palette with one of the coveted 20% coupons that come around every so often - just make sure it doesn't exclude prestige brands.
Along the same rule of thumb with clothes, there are key pieces in the cosmetic world that are worth the splurge, especially if you don't buy products all the time. I think a versatile eye-shadow palette, foundation that matches you in the summer and in the winter and concealer that does the same is worth the higher prices to get colors that show up (ie. are pigmented) and colors that match your skin. It's also worth it to buy brands that aren't full of insane chemicals!
There are a ton of high-end brands and it can be overwhelming. If you are a new mom and want to get yourself a little something to make you feel a little more sparkly on an average day or you are a husband and want to gift your honey with something she wouldn't purchase for herself, give this palette a go. I truly believe you won't regret it!
When I first had Shepherd, I would use a light foundation or tinted moisturizer, concealer under the eyes and on any blemishes, some blush for some glow, and mascara. If I was feeling really ambitious, I would put a little light eye shadow in the corner of my eyes to look more awake. Top with a baby-friendly chapstick (cause of all those kisses, of course!) and I'd be set.
That was the bare essentials. It would always make me feel a thousand times better and I liked the idea of Bryan coming home to a fresh faced lady, instead of a torn up one. :)
I know many of you may not be into make-up. Maybe you just have your few staples and they are from the drugstore and they get you by. I happen to love drugstore make-up and there are tons of good products that I use from there. However, if I was going to tell you to invest in one product that would last a long time, be ridiculously versatile, is high quality and would suit anyone? It would be the Lorac Pro palette.
I tried my hardest to get good pictures with the actual colors but ya'll know that I'm not a super awesome photographer. The light colors got a little blown out. Here is the picture from the Lorac Cosmetics website:
If you were going to splurge and buy one "high end" make up item, I think this should be it. And I'm not being paid to say that. I also didn't get anything free. I paid for this palette and I would buy it again. And again.
You can see from the pictures above that I've used pretty much every color in the palette. You can tell from the marks in the shadows where my brush has dipped in. What is great about this palette is that you can easily choose to just put one color over the entire lid for a little pick me up and stop there. Or, you can put a matte shade in your crease just to define your eyes and call it good. You can mix shimmer and matte colors. If you are going out for a date night you can put together an easy smokey eye. This palette complements any eye color and there are hundreds of variations of looks, as simple or complex as you'd like. The colors blend really well with minimal work. I seriously love it.
If you just wanted an old faithful palette to have for everyday use without a ton of fuss this is literally the perfect palette.
I wish I had had this when I was a new mom. It would have been a no-brainer. If you are still choking on the $42 price, remember this is high-end make-up. You'll notice the difference from your drugstore stuff when you try it out and you get 16 shadows. That breaks down to $2.62 a pan. Totally affordable. Also, if you wait patiently and sign up for Ulta mailers, you can purchase the palette with one of the coveted 20% coupons that come around every so often - just make sure it doesn't exclude prestige brands.
Along the same rule of thumb with clothes, there are key pieces in the cosmetic world that are worth the splurge, especially if you don't buy products all the time. I think a versatile eye-shadow palette, foundation that matches you in the summer and in the winter and concealer that does the same is worth the higher prices to get colors that show up (ie. are pigmented) and colors that match your skin. It's also worth it to buy brands that aren't full of insane chemicals!
There are a ton of high-end brands and it can be overwhelming. If you are a new mom and want to get yourself a little something to make you feel a little more sparkly on an average day or you are a husband and want to gift your honey with something she wouldn't purchase for herself, give this palette a go. I truly believe you won't regret it!
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