Yummy Mummy Essentials...

It's been a while since I last blogged, so forgive me if I'm a little rusty! Having a baby has turned my brain to mush...probably a combination of sleepless nights and just overwhelming adoration for my son, leaving little room for much else!

Whilst being a Mummy is undoubtedly THE best and most rewarding job in the world, it's certainly THE most exhausting I'm sure! Now that I am able to drive again (I had to have an emergency caesarean, so was unable to drive for 6 weeks), I am able to get out and about a bit more, and have been realising that being more social again means I need to try and make myself look half human again, in as little time as possible!

I'm breastfeeding Jamie, so have been drinking plenty of water to keep myself well hydrated, and this is obviously having positive effects on my skin too, and I've been keeping up with my basic skincare routine at least once a day. Making a few minutes per day to do these things is also helping me and my skin look more rested than I actually am! Whilst the majority of my make up has been languishing in it's drawers feeling neglected, there are a few items which have been my saviours, and I couldn't be without them! I call them my 'Yummy Mummy Essentials'!

Origins GinZing

The very lovely and kind Jo came to my rescue on Twitter shortly before Jamie was born, when I was asking for recommendations for eye creams and pondering over spending some John Lewis vouchers I had on the little pot of wonder that is Origins GinZing. Jo was ever so sweet and sent me her pot that she wasn't using, so that I could try it before I committed to spending my (lack of) money! Thank you again Jo :-)

Origins market this eye cream as 'refreshing', and claim it will 'brighten and depuff' tired eyes...well, that certainly ticked my boxes on paper, but would it translate to on my skin? I have to say, I agree with Origins on all three counts. This is a soft pink cream, with light reflecting pigments that instantly brighten the eye area, and go some way to concealing those pesky dark circles. It feels really refreshing on application, and I have found it keeps my eye area well moisturised. I always gently pat on my eye cream with my ring finger, and I find this action combined with the GinZing does actually depuff my eyes too...bonus! I'm really glad I have this at my disposal now, I'd highly recommend it!

*Extra tip for depuffing eyes: lightly pinch the bridge of your nose for a few seconds every morning to help drain excess fluid from the eye area.

Estee Lauder DoubleWear Stay In Place Concealer

I've talked about and reviewed this wonderful concealer before, but I'm really relying on it to do serious work now! It hasn't buckled under the pressure so far, and although I do sometimes combine it with other concealers, I'd happily rely on this alone. A little goes a long way to covering dark circles (and it's fab on blemishes too!) and doesn't transfer or melt off, earning it many extra brownie points! I have the shade light, and it's a great colour match for my (pale) skintone. Combined with the GinZing underneath, a dash of this and I'm happy to leave the house...knowing I look slightly less like a zombie!

As I mentioned in my review, this is quite pricey (so will be on the Christmas/Birthday lists!), but 100% worth it in my opinion. Hard to put a price on a reliable concealer you can trust to help you out after the most sleep deprived nights...even if that does sound quite fickle!

Max Factor Masterpiece Max Mascara

As someone who found it hard to leave the house without mascara before Jamie was born, I actually went out quite a few times without it...trust me, even the simplest of tasks can prove so tiring and unimportant when you have a newborn baby! However, a coat of mascara really can transform tired looking eyes (gosh, I sound like a walking mascara advertisement!), and finding a good one is no easy task! I've blogged many a time before about my favoured mascara's, but I fancied trying a new one. Back when No7 where offering the £5 vouchers when you made a purchase of over £5 (I wanted to use one for some more of their fabulous tinted moisturiser), I asked my sister to nip to Boots and pick me up some Max Factor Masterpiece Max Mascara (recommended by fellow yummy mummy Franky).

What I love about this mascara is that in one coat in really lengthens, volumises and curls my eyelashes, and it is just so effortless in doing so. I detest mascaras that clump, so am thrilled that this one is 100% clump free! It's a nice intense black, which helps make my eyes stand out even more (in a good way!), and I always feel and look much more awake when wearing it. I think it is quite pricey for a drugstore mascara, but I'll definitely repurchase when it runs out.

Alongside these three essentials, if I've had time I've been using MAC's MSF Natural all over my face after concealer, adding a touch of blusher (usually MAC's Well Dressed) to make me look a little perkier, and popping on some nourishing lip balm to help keep my lips in good condition. Colin and I are going out for our first outing without Jamie in a couple of weeks, to a birthday party, so hopefully I'll get a bit of time to get ready and make myself look more presentable.

Becoming a Mummy hasn't made me less interested in make up, but I certainly don't have any spare cash now to spend on my collection, or the time to spend using it at the moment, so I have been thinking about doing a blog sale (I don't have a huge amount of high end make up, but let me know if you'd be interested please, and I'll set about taking photos and working out prices).