Motherhood: The End of Primping?
By Elizabeth Angell, Allure magazine
Kate Hudson, a second time mom-to-be, recently told Britain's OK magazine that she doesn't wear much makeup any more. "Who has got the time when you have kids? You'd rather be doing other things," she said. This is certainly in-keeping with the stereotype of the harried, multi-tasking mother (or in her case jetsetting-and-rock-star-dating mother) who always leaves the house with her hair in a ponytail and her face makeup free. As the mother of a toddler, I am the first to admit to a few less-than-glamorous grocery-store runs, but I can also attest to a few beauty benefits to motherhood. And I'm not alone:
Sometimes multitasking isn't the enemy. "My morning routines are more hectic, but I've found that letting my hair air dry for a little while before blowing it out makes it look much shinier and gives it more volume," says Allure's Public Relations Manager, Elizabeth Bliss May. "I wash my hair, feed my son breakfast, then finish with the hairdryer. Even on the weekends I build in my air dry time!"
Related: Perfect-Skin Secrets From Hollywood's Best Derms and Facialists
You might even discover new products. "I started cleansing my face with baby wipes," says Allure Fashion Director Treena Lombardo. "They really work and have saved me from going to sleep with my makeup on many a time."
You can bond with your mini-me. When Beauty Director Amy Keller Laird applied some moisturizer to her hands, she noticed her son Mack mimicking her. Now they put on Aveeno Baby Eczema Therapy Moisturizing Cream together. "He gets such joy out of getting this little dollop of cream and rubbing it in," she says. "It's incredibly sweet."
Related: 10 Easy Date-Night Hair Ideas
You'll be even more vigilant about the beauty rituals that are important to you. I loved getting my nails done before I had my son-and I still do. The place around the corner from me is open late and I go once a week after my son's bedtime. I used to go whenever I thought of it, but now it's something I build into my schedule no matter what. And when I do leave the house in a less-than-gorgeous ponytail, I just hope people are looking at my nails.
More from Allure:
Photo Credit: Getty Images
