So we have given you some insight into the items that we found to be essential in helping make life at home as new parents that little bit easier in our minis Picks | Newborn Essentials post. Now we think it is time to give us mums a bit of attention. We put our heads together and have decided the these are the face and body beauty items that made getting up, getting dressed, feeling human and ready to step out into the world possible (and still do if we’re honest!). Welcome to our New Mum Beauty Essentials…
BODY ESSENTIALS…
- For a beautiful all over gradual tan, the Clarins Radiance-Plus Golden Glow Booster for Body can be added to your body cream, body oil or a serum. You don’t get the classic biscuit smell, and no risk of streaks either. Simply add more or less drops for the depth of colour you want to achieve. A failsafe and easy way to add some colour. This is the body version which is a new launch for this Summer. It is available for £22.85 from Escentual, which is quite a bit less than the recommended retail price of £26.00 at other stores.
- A product we could NOT live without, and if you get nothing else, make sure you buy this… is nipple cream. Lansinoh HPA Lanolin Cream was our saviour. We both had tubes of the stuff all over our houses. And don’t worry, if you have lots left after you’ve stopped feeding, it is a great substitute for lip balm or hand cream.
- When in contact with water the L’Occitane en Provence Almond Shower Oil transforms into a lavish, softening foam. It is enriched with almond oil so you do have to like smell. It leaves your skin lovely and soft and means you have no need to moisturise dry skin after the shower. It is also great to use when shaving instead of a cream or foam. £18.00 for 250ml (and you can save when you buy the refill pack at £26.00 for 500ml).
- You will probably know by now what fans of the brand Green People we are. They make a 89% organic roll-on Natural Scent Free Deodorant which is a great product to use if you are conscious of using any scents around your baby or alternatively if you are suffering from any skin sensitivity after giving birth.
- We can’t tell you how many times you wash your hands when you have a baby. It seems never ending. The most nourishing and importantly for babies, unscented hand cream we found was the classic Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Concentrated Hand Cream.
- The Gillette Venus and Olay Razor is perfect for that 30-second shower. With no need to use a separate shaving cream, this takes as much fuss out of shaving as possible. And if you do still like to use some kind of shaving cream, then why not use it with the L’Occitane Oil above – it is fab for shaving.
- This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray is a permanent fixture on our bedside tables. It’s not a magic fix for sleep, but it does help you relax and makes you concentrate on switching off. You simply spray the aromatherapy blend onto your pillowcase. It can often be a struggle to get back to sleep after middle of the night feeds, and so the spray can help you switch off and unwind.
FACE ESSENTIALS…
- Much better than using a make-up removing face wipe, Micellar Water is soap free, alcohol free, colourant free and paraben free and when used with a cotton wool pad, cleans the face of impurities and removes make-up really easily. La Roche-Posay and Bioderma Sensibio H2O are our favourites and we would really recommend them.
- We tell you more about the Clarins Radiance-Plus Golden Glow above. This is the face version and is just as good. With no need to risk streaks and smelling like a biscuit, a few drops of this mixed with your usual moisturiser or face oil and you’re done.
- If you are someone who likes to wear make-up regularly and hate the idea of visitors seeing you with a bare face, then a CC cream could be the answer to your worries. It is so quick and easy to use with no need for brushes or the application of a separate moisturiser first. You’ll be ready to answer the door in minutes. One that we would recommend which is a favourite is the Chanel CC Cream. Chanel states that it offers five actions in one simple step – it corrects, moisturises, soothes, protects and perfects. And we would have to agree. It contains SPF 50 so you know that your sensitive new mum skin is being protected. Georgie is a big fan and wrote a full review here. At £44.00 it is definitely on the pricey side, but if you think of it as your moisturiser, your SPF and your coverage, then maybe… just maybe you could justify it.
- This is Katie’s absolute favourite mascara. As a self-confessed beauty junkie she has tried every high-end mascara available, and Maybelline The Rocket Waterproof Mascara has beaten them all. Let’s face it ladies, once we have had children, the tears (of joy and often despair) appear, hence we would recommend waterproof mascara. Maybelline The Rocket is £7.99 but always on 3for2, so we’d stock up).
Do any of these items make it into your new mum beauty essentials list and do you have any other product recommendations that you couldn’t live without in the beginning?
