Motherhood Mondays - Mummy Beauty Essentials

Hi my lovelies!

First of all I would like to point out the blog name and appearance; I've decided to go for a full revamp including a name change; I've been contemplating doing it for over 2 years now and have finally taken the plunge!

I realise that everyone is used to my "frootibeauty" name (tbh so am I), but I felt it's time I clarified things/matured as a lot of clients (and even friends) still call me "frooti" when my name is actually Safiyah - shock horror lol.

Anyway, I thought I'd update the mummy section of my blog too seeing as it's been a while and I've frankly been so busy mummy-ing I've barely had time to log all the huge milestones here on the blog (which is why I love the Lifecake app so much, read about it here).

This post is going to be a beauty related mummy post; products I find myself using on a daily basis - my essentials that might not necessarily be yours but hey, it's worth checking out if I constantly reach for these ;)

Thought I'd stick to face products only for this particular post as I clearly use enough on my face these days for it to be a long enough post!

Here's the break down:

1. Eye Drops

When you have a boisterous toddler, your day time revolves around them. So night time is the time I get to myself where I can sit and watch TV uninterrupted, read or heck even blog!

On the occasions I'm up late, the next morning my eyes don't thank me so I treat them to some eye drops which keeps the dreaded red eyed rabbit look at bay.

I like to use the Rohto Lycee drops; not gonna lie, the pink cutesy packaging was the main selling point for me but the fact they work AND can be used with contacts - win. Only problem is they're from Japan so hard to get hold of (eBay is my friend here).

If you're not into experimenting with products overseas you can of course buy any red eye reducing eye drops from your chemist, I'm currently using Eyedew Dazzling eye drops (available at Boots and Superdrug). My eyes have been described as "shiny" of late so I imagine they work.

2. Eye Creams

Again,  late nights, staring at screens and dehydrated skin (especially in Winter) can wreak havoc on your eyes so I'm always looking for an eye cream to help with my zombie-like dark circles.

My current routine includes using the Kiehls Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado at night as it's quite rich and I feel like make up would slip off if I applied any on top. I do love how rich it is though, it actually hydrates my under eye area and I wake up feeling less dehydrated under my eyes (yes that's a thing). Available at John Lewis and House Of Fraser.

My daytime eye cream is the Vichy Idealia Eye Contour Idealizer; it's not slippery and has a slight pearly effect so good for wearing alone (if you don't have bad circles) or of course it can be worn under concealer. Available at Boots and Escentual (currently on offer on both sites).

3. Skin Reviving Primer

When I saw that the Too Faced Hangover X Primer* helps replenish "tired, depleted and overworked skin" I thought it sounded more like a primer for mummies around the world so I thought I'd give it a go.

I like that it's Silicone Free, smells nice and infused with Coconut Water, Probiotics and skin reviving Electrolytes. Admittedly, as a Nutrition graduate these are ingredients probably better consumed rather than sitting on the face, but seeing as I've tried to like Coconut Water for its health properties (and failed), this is the next best thing. Available at Debenhams.

4. Eye Openers

And when I say eye openers, I mean just these two pieces of make up can make a huge difference to how awake you look.

Number 1 - a nude eye pencil. My favourite and most affordable has to be Rimmel's Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Liner in 005 Nude. You can of course opt for a white eye pencil but I feel white is too bright for my warmer complexion and this actually works wonders for helping me look awake. Available at Boots, Superdrug and probably your local chemist too.

Second eye opening product - a good mascara. My running favourite for a couple years has been the Maybelline Falsies Volum Express Mascara. Every now and then my eyes water (with laughter, gusts of wind blown in my face or being winded by a toddler) so to avoid it running down my face I prefer to choose waterproof where I can. Available again at Boots and Superdrug.

5. Cover Ups

On days you don't have time for a full face of make up, concealer and mascara is the bare minimum for me to make me look more human-like and less evil zombie.

Since I've discovered NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, I wonder how I ever lived without it and now understand why it has HG status. The concealer is heavy duty without feeling heavy, actually brightens any dark circles and definitely covers them. I wish I could win a lifetime supply of this concealer because it isn't cheap but thankfully my Pro Discount is my saviour. I can use either shade Ginger or Custard depending on if I'm tanned or not but mostly use Ginger. Available at John Lewis and House of Fraser.

A cheaper concealer that's great for every day is the Maybelline Eraser Eye Concealer in Nude as it's the yellowest "drugstore" concealer I've found that actually helps me look semi decent. Available at Boots and Superdrug.

6. Brightening Powder

The Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder is a recent purchase and addition to my daily "essentials" as I've been waiting for it to be in stock for over a year at John Lewis and when I got the email notification had to jump and buy before it sold out (sorry that's already happened but I did tweet about it!)

I find I have to use a powder under my eyes as my concealer will definitely crease; I do love my Ben Nye powders for this purpose but find it dulls down my under eye area and isn't as light as this Laura Mercier one.

(Hardly ever) available at John Lewis.

7. GLOW

Though I'm not fully over the contouring trend, I have to say on a daily basis strobing/highlighting is my secret to looking more awake, particularly when I apply highlighter to the inner corners of my eyes - instant awake effect.

I'm in love with my Mary Lou Manizer by theBalm; yet again another product I was late to the party for but now understand the hype. (Surprisingly) available at Superdrug and Debenhams too.

8. Neutral Lips

Finally, I like to add a touch of neutral colour to my lips so it's not OTT (I must be getting old).

I prefer matte/non transferrable lip products as they tend to last longer and is more practical when you're a mum of a toddler who needs to be showered with hugs and kisses.
In order to use matte products I first use my trustee EOS Balm (available at Boots).

I reach mostly for the new L'oreal Matte Max Lip Pens I reviewed here (001 Silencio pictured).

I'm also in love with the NYX Liquid Suede Cream Lipstick in 04 - Soft Spoken; if I was American I would say this lip colour is everythingggggg. It really is.

Only available at Boots (so far).

So for an "essentials" post this was pretty long, hope I didn't bore you too much but you also get an insight into my personal favourites/recommendations, and I can solemnly swear they're my every day products and some have even been repurchased because they're that good.

Hopefully you've enjoyed this post and found it helpful in some way.

What are your every day essentials/recommendations? I'd love to know!

Safiyah xo