Masking The Mombie: A Beauty Guide to Self Care

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Masking The Mombie: A Beauty Guide to Self Care | Duluth Moms Blog

Let’s Talk Beauty Products

Lately my children have been on this insanely awesome schedule of being up every few hours, only to rise for the day at the time the college kids are probably going to bed. In the mornings I’m left sporting the badge of “mombie” with little, if any time at all to transform into one of those beautiful housewives that are on my refrigerator magnets. In all honesty, most of the time I choose to play the game of “how many cups of coffee I can take down before the toddler gets up” over a beauty routine.

As a hairstylist that is staying home for the year, I remembered in the fog of sleep deprivation that a beauty routine is something I’ve always been passionate about! I’m passionate about educating women because it makes them FEEL good (and looking great is just an added bonus). It was on my last trip to pick up foundation that I realized I was completely out of touch with the latest must-have products that were only invented to make me look better, faster. As moms we don’t usually have time to linger through every aisle, sampling each cosmetic but we still deserve to LOOK like we sleep at least eight hours a night. That is why I am bringing you this guide to a few products you need to be on the look out for to start feeling fabulous.


Masking The Mombie: A Beauty Guide to Self Care | Duluth Moms BlogCleanser/Makeup Remover

It’s late. You’ve been awake almost an entire day because your kid woke you up before the sun rose, or maybe you woke up before the sun rose because you’re a boss lady of a company. Either way, you’re lucky to have any makeup still in tact; if not the rest is melted halfway down your face by now. The first thing I reach for at the end of a long day is a great cleanser or makeup remover that can take off makeup as fast as it washes away my stress but not leave my skin dry during this long winter climate.

Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser
This is my all time favorite drugstore cleanser. It gently takes even my most stubborn waterproof mascara off without a fight. The Fresh Foaming cleanser gives your face a really nice clean feeling while leaving moisture and gives you beyond your money’s worth!

Bioderma Sensibio H2O Makeup Remover
Bioderma created the most amazing remover for sensitive eyes and skin. It gently but efficiently cleanses the skin while leaving you feeling smooth and fresh. Great for women with contact lenses. In these brutal winter months it’s important to be gentle on our skin and this makeup remover is.


Moisturizer

Moisturizer. The one and only key to the fountain of youth. Besides drinking plenty of water, amazing genetics and eating healthy, moisturizer is the best way to prolong your youthful and radiant skin. Be sure to ALWAYS use SPF and remember to apply moisturizer to your neck as well.

Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream-
Sensitive Skin? Need a great winter pick-me-up? Reach for this product on your next stop to run errands. This product is fragrance free and also has a nice consistency. Travel size junkie like I am? This cream comes in the perfect size for your purse, diaper bag, fanny pack, whatever you are rocking these days.

Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Resist 24 Eye Cream– 
This night cream works wonders smoothing fine lines and filling in wrinkles. You can buy all of the concealer in the world but without a good under eye cream to smooth any visible lines, a concealer will only make you look so alive! Every time I apply this cream I can actually see my wrinkles start to fade away. This product is an absolute must have, especially if you have kids who love to deprive you of sleep like I do. This night cream is on the expensive side but it is absolutely worth every penny.

Origins Eye Doctor
Are your eyes prone to puffing? If so, Origins Eye Doctor is your beauty soulmate. Free of synthetic perfumes and dyes. It contains cucumber, rosemary, and ginseng which is an amazing combination for your senses.


Concealer

We’re just going to jump into the good stuff right away. If you haven’t tried concealer yet and your eye bags are as dark as night like mine are, you need to. It only takes a few seconds and I go from looking like Cruella De Vil to Cinderella. As you age it is especially important to make sure you get the correct type of concealer for your skin, or else you can end up adding 10 years to your look. Make sure you always apply a great moisturizer to your neck and face first to start with a great blank canvas.

Tarte Double Duty Beauty Shape Tape Contour Concealer
I don’t know about you but the first product I reach for after I’ve been up all night soothing a teething baby is the product that will make me look like I didn’t. This is the first product I grab after I put down the coffee. Goodbye bags, hello awake eyes! This product is hydrating and will soften the look of your pores and harsh lines that seem to keep growing as we age. Tarte invented this full coverage concealer to come to our rescue! This product is vegan and gluten free. Also be on the lookout for Tarte’s Maracuja Creaseless Concealer. This one is great for if you tend to get really dry under your eyes.

Benefit Erase Paste Concealer
This creamy concealer comes in three shades that fight to camouflage rough nights and brighten your eyes.

Maybelline Facestudio Master Conceal
My bank account cried happy tears when Maybelline created this low cost full coverage concealer! It has good coverage, long wear, and can be used for brightening areas of the face that need a little lift as well!


Foundation & Powder 

Where do I even begin? I am all for going as au naturel as I possibly can, especially in the summer months when my skin feels dewy and my breakouts are limited. For fancy occasions or even a girls night out I like to feel my best! Foundation gives me flawless coverage that combats my patchy red skin and sun spots and gives me a boost of confidence. It even helps me hide a few of the wrinkles my kids have gifted me.

Urban Decay All Nighter Liquid Foundation (full coverage) –
This full coverage foundation is great for special occasions and days you want to make sure that you have a long lasting flawless complexion. It’s waterproof with a matte finish. This product contains high amounts of pigment so a tiny bit goes a long way. I usually only need about two pumps to get a full face worth of coverage.
Helpful Hint: This product is great for oily skin or for summer when our climate has more moisture. This product does oxidize so when matching your shade at your local beauty retailer, make sure you check again after a few minutes of applying to confirm it’s your correct shade. Always patch test to jawline to confirm skin color match!

Make Up Forever Super Loose Matte Powder in Translucent
This loose powder is absolutely phenomenal for controlling oily skin in your T-zone and making sure your foundation is set in place and will last all day. Top any foundation you already wear with this translucent powder to secure a long lasting finish (because as moms we don’t have time to touch up our makeup 3x throughout the day unless we’re waiting in the car to pick up our kids, right?).

L’Oreal Paris Infalliable Total Cover Full Coverage Foundation-
Every once in a while L’Oreal Paris comes out with a product that impresses me and this is one of them! This foundation has great full coverage and is a small portion of the cost of my favorite high end foundations. If you have very dry skin and have a hard time finding a full coverage cream that doesn’t leave you chalky feeling, try this one! Bravo, L’Oreal!

NYC Smooth Skin Loose Face Powder in Translucent
At under $10 this setting powder is the best dupe to brands like Laura Mercier or Make Up Forever. This powder has at least 8 hours of wear with no creasing and is a super fine texture so you won’t get the look of build up.


Brows

You will probably never meet another mom that believes a good set of brows are first priority as much as I do. I’m serious, my only request to my doula was that she make sure my brows were on point before I pushed my son out (seriously, no medication involved and that was still priority!). I didn’t care what my hair looked like or how much clothing I was wearing by the time he came earth side but those brows had to be fierce! My favorite feature on a person is their eyes. They really are a window to a persons soul. The best thing you can do to complement a beautiful set of eyes is to take care of those brows. Even if you have little to no eyebrow hair you can still LOOK like you do. The bold natural eyebrow is in right now so if you have light and fine hair like I do you will need a good brow product to make this happen.

Anastasia brow products
Whether you reach for the brow gel, brow wiz (if you prefer a pencil like application), the dipbrow (with angle brush), or the powder; all of Anastasia’s brow products are a top recommendation. The Dipbrow is a personal favorite of mine. One container can easily last an entire year and is super affordable. This product is ideal if you are looking for waterproof or smudge proof wear.

Sigma beauty brow (brow powder duo)
This powder is perfect for filling in and creating a beautiful natural brow shape. At half the price of some competitors, same amount of pigment and long lasting wear, Sigma’s brow powder duo is a MUST have!
Helpful Hint: If you are debating between the light and the dark duo’s get the medium! The medium is a nice neutral tone.

NYX Tame & Frame Tinted Brow Pomade
At under $8 this product takes the cake for best drugstore brow pomade! The deep brown runs more of a medium brown color but the shades come in nice neutral colors. I recommend using an angled brush for applying when it comes to using brow pomades.


Mascara

Other than a good brow product, mascara will always be my go to. It makes your eyes pop instantly no matter what quality brand it is. If you are reading this blog post, shaking your head because you don’t understand any of these terms because you are fearlessly au naturel – this is for you! Mascara is a great essential to start with.

Clinique High Impact Mascara
A mascara that is highly pigmented and used mostly for lengthening and volume. The price is right. Great wear and easy to remove.

Sorme Extreme Volumizing Mascara
This mascara is my personal favorite. Great price. Long wear. It is a little harder to remove because it comes in waterproof. It takes one dip to fully transform one eye which in my opinion is very impressive! This product can be ordered by your local hairstylist.

L’Oréal Paris Voluminous Original Carbon Black
If you’re looking for a drugstore mascara that has the magic this is it! I love the brush and long wand with this product. If you’re looking for waterproof this product is just that with long lasting wear. This mascara gives high end brands a run for their money. It gives great length without adding clumps. Only one dip needed and each eye is set!


Dry Shampoo

I am about ready to start a support group for Dry Shampoo addicts. Every mother knows the struggle. I often have to choose between things I want to do, or sleep; and I am here to tell you those will always trump washing my hair. Dry shampoo was invented and all of my time management problems floated away. If you are like me and can think of a handful of things you would rather do than wash your hair, dry shampoo is your soulmate.

Batiste Dry Shampoo
This affordable dry shampoo has been referred to me by many friends that don’t like to break the bank but like a good quality product that does the job. This is important when you go through a can every 2 weeks like I do.

Not Your Mother’s Dry Shampoo
Also along the lines of an affordable dry shampoo. Removes excess oil from hair while adding a soft matte finish. Con: generally lower end dry shampoos contain higher amounts of chemicals or alcohol. I personally have not tried this dry shampoo because I generally like to stick to vegan brands but I have many friends who do and swear by it.

Oribe Gold Lust Dry Shampoo
If I had a nickel for every time a friend recommended this dry shampoo to me, I’d be a millionaire. I would also spend all of it on this product because it is pricey but well worth the money. It contains translucent powder to absorb the oils in your scalp. Contains lavender and chamomile (yum) to help soothe itchy, dry scalp. This product may be available to you by your local hairstylist depending on what area you live in.

Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo
The first time I heard about this product it started with, “I’m on day 10 of not washing my hair” and I was instantly sold. I mean, that is severely impressive. This dry shampoo is the best dry shampoo I have personally ever tried. It absorbs the oils after I work out, or skip a day of shampoo and it gives my hair nice volume as well. I have fine hair so it is incredibly hard to find a product that does the job without weighing me down. This product can be special ordered by your local hairstylist.

Helpful Hint: If you’re not following the directions when it comes to dry shampoos, they don’t work. Most dry shampoos require you to spray at least six inches away from the hair, wait for at least 30 seconds for the product to activate, and then massage with your fingertips.


Miscellaneous Skin Care & Beauty Products 

FUNOC Silicone Makeup Washing Brush Mat
You ladies might as well head right on over to Amazon and purchase this apple shaped cosmetic cleaner mat because I promise you your life will change once you do. Routinely cleaning your makeup brushes (yes, even the beauty blenders) is so important. This mat comes with a few different sections making it easier and faster to better clean every brush you own! Bonus: this product is UNDER $5!

BlenderCleanser Solid
Every amazing makeup cleansing mat needs a good brush cleanser to be paired with. The tiniest bit of the BlenderCleanser solid and it takes all of the build up quickly out of your makeup brushes and sponges. It has a nice fresh and subtle scent to it.

Color Wheel Tinted Toothpaste
As a hairstylist I’m always amazed what fellow stylists can come up with. This is one of my favorite ideas yet. If you’re like me and on your fourth cup of coffee by 10am every morning, teeth start to get the effects after a while. This toothpaste was invented to almost instantly tone your teeth to that beautiful pearly white we are all aiming to achieve. A little color theory, mint, essential oils, and a swipe of the finger and you are on your way to an extra beautiful smile.

Joico InstaTint Spray In Hair Color
Okay, this is actually a win-win for your kid AND you! Have you seen the pastel or high fashion hair colors trending around on Pinterest? Maybe you have pinned a few although you know you might never have the guts (or the commitment) to rock it? Joico has now brought us a brilliant spray that gives us options of colors such as Orchid, Periwinkle, Fiery Coral, Titanium, and Sapphire to rock. These are just to name a few. Simply spray the color lightly in 8-10″ away from your hair (I recommend wearing an old shirt or towel because there is slight color residue that sticks after you spray) to apply. To remove these bold colors, simply wash your hair. Really, it’s that simple! I used these for my daughter’s 3rd birthday and she pretty much put any birthday I ever had to shame on the cool scale.
Helpful Hint: The farther you spray from the hair the lighter the color will generally be. I like to pick up pieces and spray one piece at a time to create a softer application. The lighter the hair is, the better the color will also show up. This product can be ordered by your local hairstylist.

These are just a sliver of my must-have beauty products (stay tuned for Part 2!) to get started on a beauty routine to keep me looking fresh. What are some of your MUST HAVE products you’d rave about to your friends?

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Sarah Pohl
Meet Sarah Anne; She is an endorphin chasing adventurer. Believer in the power of positivity. Raised down South, but she grew wise up North. Happily married to a beautiful soul. Currently on a mission to do adventures vs. collecting things. You will catch her and the family (yes,even the toddler!) strapped to a snowboard on Spirit Mountain. She's convinced sunshine, a good cup of coffee and exercise can cure anything. If obtained unlimited expendable cash, she would use it for traveling and wandering through thrift stores. You will most often find her exploring places around this beautiful city with her two littles, Ara (2) and Orion (5 months) in tow. Passionate hairstylist turned stay at home mom for the present. You will mostly find her family outdoors no matter what season it is, chasing both sunrises in their backyard and sunsets throughout the city. You can catch almost all of their adventures through her Instagram.