Hey, Mamas! Remember just a few months ago when we all got out to have our hair or nails done? Moms were cruising around in fake eyelashes. Makeup tutorials were a “thing” because people actually saw each other in real life. Now, if you’re like me, most days you roll out of bed, put your hair in a messy bun and that sums up your beauty routine. I’d never claim to be a high maintenance type of girl, but even I like to look like a real human now and then — pandemic or not!
Here are a few of my tips for looking (mostly) put together for the essential workers still keeping America running — THANK YOU — or those on video chats for work each day. Any of these items should be available online, which is probably the safest route to purchase beauty items right now.
Hair
Dry shampoo: I’m hoping this is no revelation to any of you Moms out there. I think this has become every Moms Ride or Die. Amiright? If somehow I AM reaching a Mom who hasn’t tried it, TRY IT. You don’t need a $30 bottle. Try the store brands, sale brands, whatever. But I promise you that you will NOT regret the $3-10.
Fake hair: Did you know that for about $6-8, you can buy an elastic hairband that has curled, fake hair on it? I have seen several different brands at beauty supply stores or even just Walmart, Target and Amazon. This is a magical piece of artillery in a Mom’s arsenal of beauty tricks. When you’re in a hurry, but still need to look nice, throw your hair up in a tight bun and wrap this perfectly curled piece of hair overtop. It looks like you have spent a lot of time on your hair and really it took fewer than five minutes. Just be sure you buy one that is a very good match for your hair and no one will know. You can pull this off each day and throw it in the washer if you are an essential worker.
Dye: Just don’t DIY. Wait on your stylist, lol! I even know some stylists who will put together little root touch-up kits and porch deliver them for you! Check with yours.
Skin
Makeup: This is a tricky one. I wear makeup sometimes, but not all the time. I will go all out for date night, but for everyday use, I stick with a nice foundation, an easy to use eyeliner, and mascara. The biggest key here is to find an eyeliner that won’t melt under pressure. No Mom needs more dark circles under her eyes. I have found that even a cheap eyeliner that is waterproof will hold up to pretty much all of my excursions — no raccoon eyes for me. I use a makeup remover cloth each evening, and it handles the eyeliner just fine.
Drink water: Straight up the cheapest, easiest beauty hack is to drink water! It hydrates your entire body. It helps your skin, your eyes, and your brain! I use a large stainless steel insulated travel cup to carry ice water around the house. Drinking an amount of water that you can see will help if you have trouble getting your recommended daily intake.
Nails
Baby feet: If you just look at all the products out there for feet, you will see that if you have hard, dry heels, you aren’t alone. I have found the absolute quickest, easiest, cheapest way to fix them. It’s drywall sandpaper/screen, which is sold at hardware stores in a 3-pack for $6-9 and looks like a thick black screen out of a window. This stuff works like magic on dry heels! No shower pumice or overnight balm will give you results like this stuff. Use it to sand away the dry heels and then just slap your favorite lotion on and you’re set. One pack of sanding screen will last you a long, long time too. The minute your heels start to dry out and aren’t soft, give them a quick sanding and you’ll keep beautiful baby feet with no problem.
Nail polish strips: I have a garden and a farm, so keeping a perfect manicure is no easy feat. I really don’t have time to constantly repaint my nails, but also don’t want to have chipped or ugly nails all the time either. Enter nail polish strips. These suckers are so cool. They are 100% nail polish that is already dried and in a nail-shaped strip. Stick these on like a sticker and you’ll have a manicure or pedicure that will easily last a full week, usually longer. I currently love the Color Street brand, which is a home-based business, so maybe you have a Mom friend you can support by ordering online or porch delivery!
Nail polish remover: I’m impatient when it comes to a lot of things, so taking off nail polish is no exception. My absolute favorite nail polish removal tool is a plastic container that has remover and plastic bristles in it. It scrubs even the glitteriest polish right off. The container is about $3, then I buy pure acetone from the dollar store and refill my container whenever it gets low.
Jewelry
Bare necessities: No matter your taste in jewelry, it’s nice to have a necklace and a pair of earrings that you feel good in. It can be a $3 necklace from that last precious Target trip or your last anniversary gift. But have these readily available for last minute addition to an outfit. You’d be surprised what a necklace and pair of earrings can do for something as simple as a black t-shirt.
That’s it. You now know all my quick and easy beauty secrets. Do you have some hacks of your own you’d like to share? I’d love to hear them!
