Looking Good On Time

Have you ever pulled up at morning drop off and received a chipper wave from that mom? The one who is radiating morning sunshine in a cute dress and slingbacks, hair coifed, and makeup perfected?  What is with that lady, anyway?  Let's face it, since having kids, time for our beauty routines has been chopped up significantly.  We don't always get to shower when we want to and we sometimes go to bed with our makeup on.  A quickie makeup job and a ponytail can work wonders to lift your spirits in the morning as you bounce out of the door with the tots!

Start with a moisturizer that contains sunscreen: Mario Badescu has a heap of great moisturizers for every skin type.  Moisture Magnet ($22 at Pout on Devine Street) contains SPF 15 and makes dry skin seem transformed.  Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturizer SPF 15 ($18.50 for 2.5oz) is also lauded as one of the best for all skin types and is easily absorbed.

Base, baby: No one needs a foundation that will clog their pores and wreak havoc on their skin, especially when there's no guarantee that you'll have the energy to wash it all off before you go to bed.  There are some foundations out there that are actually good for you skin.  Alison Raffaele (which can be found at Pout on Devine Street) has recently reformulated all of her Skin products, which now bear her name.  Her new line is leaner and greener, with recyclable packaging, less plastic, and healthful mixtures.  Her Reality Base Foundation ($36.50) is completely free of parabens, talc, oils, glutens, and fragrances.  It is also fortified with an antioxidant complex that just feels so good on!  Another great foundation comes from Bare Escenctuals bareMinerals makeup (carried by Tonic Day Spa), which comes in powder form and are free of harmful chemicals.  This mineral makeup gives great coverage and makes your skin glow as though you've never had less than six hours of sleep.  It is also great because it eliminates the following step of adding powder over foundation, so it cuts back on your bathroom time even more! 

Dust It: Use a large powder brush to dust a loose face powder over the foundation.  Clinique's Gentle Light Powder ($22.50) evokes one word... PRETTY!  It contains little, tiny spaklies (undetectable on the face... we aren't in 9th grade anymore!) that manipulate the light to add some luminescence to your face.  Bobbi Brown's Sheer Finish Loose Powder ($32) gives a natural yet flawless look that doesn't contrast with the fact that you are wearing yoga pants and a tank top!  Both products can be found at Belk.

Eye Definition: Line your eyes with a subtle and complimentary liner like Le Crayon Yeux by Chanel ($27.50, also available at Belk).  This liner comes with it's own sharpener and can go as fine or dramatic as you see fit.  Follow with a little Nars Mascara ($23.00) from Pout if you need it.

Make Me Blush: Again, Bobbi Brown has pretty colors that go on looking natural instead of painted.  Nectar ($22.00) is a great shade for this time of year.  Pout also carries Chantecaille's Aquablush ($42.00), which has a neat firming aspect to it (and come on, once you've had a kiddo or two a little firming is never a bad thing!).

Don't forget your kisser! Don't kiss your baby goodbye with dry lips!  Burt's Bees Beeswax Lipbalm ($3.00) makes your lips soft and smooth.  It's ingredients are all-natural and it can be found and most large retail stores.

There!  You're early morning makeup routine now takes less time than it did to read this post!  As for crazy-model-mommy... I'm stumped... she must have at least five live-in nannies or something!