Home beauty tricks
Remember a time when you had hours to spend in the bathroom? Your beauty routine may have changed since becoming a mum, but beauty expert Cherie Mobberley has plenty of simple ideas to help you look good and feel even better.
Spending precious time on your own hair and skincare can feel like such an indulgence. However, beauty needn’t take hours everyday. Instead, gradually incorporating small simple steps back into your regular beauty regime at home can go a long way to help you maintain a sense of identity and self-confidence. When we feel better about ourselves, we feel better about nearly everything else – so put your best foot forward this summer and you may be surprised by how much difference a little bit of polish can make.
Summer lips
As the weather warms up, we need to start paying more attention to our lips. Lip balms are great for both coating the lips to provide protection and also keeping them hydrated. Karen Murrell has a yummy moisture stick which contains evening primrose and avocado oil, carnauba wax and cinnamon. As an added bonus it can also be used to tame unruly eyebrows, so it's a summer essential to keep in your handbag.
Karen Murrell Moisture Stick, $29.95, karenmurrell.com.
A scent of your own
There is some research that suggests newborns don’t like perfumed scent, but once your baby is around six months old, there is no reason why a quick spritz of fragrance can’t be applied to your wrist or the back of your neck for a quick pick-me-up. Perhaps keep it away from your chest area for a little longer though.
Two of our favourite scents for summer: Chloe EDT –an iconic fresh scent with an infusion of roses and now lighter than ever. Chloe EDT, 30ml, $89 from Smith and Caughey's.Eternity NOW – a bright and addictive floral scent with top notes of juicy nectarine and lychee.
Calvin Klein Eternity NOW, 100ml, $89 from Smith and Caughey's
Bathing ritual
There is nothing quite like a good soak in the tub for both physical and mental relaxation. Adding bath milk to your bathing ritual will help to soothe away the day’s stresses and strains.
Lavender is well known for its relaxing properties and aiding sleep. A fragrant soak before bed in the evening will help promote a peaceful night’s sleep by calming the nervous system, while also helping to treat skin conditions aggravated by stress.
We love Weleda Lavender Bath Milk –also fabulous to soak tired feet in while catching up on your favourite television programme.
Weleda Lavender Bath Milk $29.90 for 200ml, weleda.co.nz.
Nailed it!
Applying a coat of nail colour can require at least 30 minutes of uninterrupted ‘mum time’. However, it’s worth it –that half hour can reward you with a few days worth of satisfaction, helping you feel put together.
Now, thanks to Sally Hansen, you can get the look of a gel manicure at home. Just apply two thin coats of Miracle Gel colour to clean nails, then apply one coat of Miracle Gel Top coat and natural light does the rest.
Available in five fresh shades for summer. RRP$16.99 –$19.99 from Farmers and pharmacies.
Masque it
Applying a face mask is a simple step in your skincare regime which can easily be overlooked –but I promise that once you’ve slathered a mask on, your skin feels so delicious afterwards that you will wonder why you hadn’t done it sooner.
Trilogy Mineral Radiance mask, $35.90 from trilogyproducts.com, is a creamy clay mask which works to deeply cleanse the skin, leaving your complexion revitalised and energised.
Alternatively, if you need a bit of a lift, try Manuka Doctor’s ApiRefine Illusionist Rapid Lift face mask, $59.95 from manukadr.co.nz. This product is like a face lift in a jar – perfect to get tired skin looking ready for the party season, or to simply just face the day. It works within ten minutes of application to leave your skin feeling as though you have just had a holiday.
Cleanse & condition
With the right hair care products and a little attention, a quick wash and blow-dry at home can have you feeling almost as good as if you had just stepped out of a salon. A restorative cleanser that is gentle enough to be used daily is an important consideration when selecting your hair care. Washing your hair too frequently with harsh chemicals can result in natural oils being stripped from your hair.
Natural Instinct is one of Australia’s original natural hair care brands, with a selection of products available. Priced from $16.99, mynaturalhealth.co.nz.
Working double-time
Products that promise and deliver ‘two-in-one’ actions are a real win in my book. Gradual tanners sit in this category.
Gradual tanners contain a subtle self-tan that builds up slowly, depending on how often you apply the product. As an added bonus, they also hydrate your skin –so you can skip your daily moisturiser on your gradual tanning days. Dove Summer Glow is a body lotion that couples active moisturisers with just a subtle hint of self-tanner to hydrate and build a gentle natural tan.
Another gem that works twice as hard is the new St Ives oatmeal scrub and mask. Its dual-purpose formula can be used as a nourishing mask or as a smoothing scrub. The scrub uses 100% natural exfoliants, is sulfate- and oil-free, and hypoallergenic.
Dove Summer Glow, RRP$9.49,and St Ives oatmeal scrub and mask, RRP$9.99, both from Countdown supermarkets.
Lengthy lashes
For some of us, long eyelashes are the stuff of dreams and Disney heroines –but not anymore! Flash eyelash serum has been developed to enhance the length and curl of natural lashes. Apply like a liquid eyeliner each evening before bed and expect to see results in two to four weeks.
Flash eyelash serum, RRP$69 from pharmacies.
Follow more of Cherie's beauty advice at aquaandgold.co.nz
Remember a time when you had hours to spend in the bathroom? Your beauty routine may have changed since becoming a mum, but beauty expert Cherie Mobberley has plenty of simple ideas to help you look good and feel even better.
Spending precious time on your own hair and skincare can feel like such an indulgence. However, beauty needn’t take hours everyday. Instead, gradually incorporating small simple steps back into your regular beauty regime at home can go a long way to help you maintain a sense of identity and self-confidence. When we feel better about ourselves, we feel better about nearly everything else – so put your best foot forward this summer and you may be surprised by how much difference a little bit of polish can make.
AS FEATURED IN ISSUE 32 OF OHbaby! MAGAZINE. CHECK OUT OTHER ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE BELOW
