Red Soled Momma

Time is of the essence – so don’t be afraid to multi-task! Beauty shortcuts keep us looking our best even when time is in short supply.

One thing is for certain – there just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day and the fall off can often be our personal upkeep – so beauty shortcuts are in high demand.  What once was luxurious ‘me’ time is now few and far between… Mani/pedi’s, facials, haircut and color – heck even washing my hair every other day seem far too stressful to fit into my incredibly busy schedule.  At the same time, I can’t stand to see those pesky gray hairs coming through and chipped or just un-manicured nails… Beauty shortcuts are just what this momma needs to take some pride in her appearance and get back as much of the time that is in such short supply.  Our lives are blessed and full – some with incredible careers, children, husbands, friends, maybe even a hobby – there is a myth that women can have it ALL but the truth is, something has to give…  For me, its certainly trips to the salon, so these beauty shortcuts are essential for allowing me to look my best in the quickest and easiest way possible.  Check out some of my beauty shortcuts for all of us time (and sleep) deprived ladies.

HAIR:  My poor hair.  It grows like a weed so the grays come fast and I don’t get to see my stylist more than 2 times a year…  I also only get to wash it every 3 to 4 days because I just don’t have time to blow dry it…  In actuality, the fact that I only wash and blow dry my hair once a week is a blessing because it keeps my hair healthy and in better condition.  The less heat your hair is exposed to, the less dryness and split ends…  So, a great way to maintain the condition of your hair is to actually spend less time on it.. However, it also helps to use a leave in condition and it definitely means using a dry shampoo to absorb the oil (when the hair starts looking greasy) and wearing your hair up more (the less you touch it the less oil transfer too).  PS – extra tip – if you don’t have any dry shampoo you should really get it but in a pinch you could sprinkle baby powder on your roots which is also effective (especially for blondes)

Living Proof no frizz leave in conditioner $24

Phyto color protect mist (this is a spray on conditioner that also protects your color) $28

TRESemme tratment split remedy conditioning spray $4.99

Pantene Pro-V overnight repair serum (apply this before bed to dry hair and it works to keep hair healthier while you sleep!) $6.29

Alterna dry shampoo $22

Oscar Blandi pronto dry shampoo $21

Drybar detox dry shampoo $20

Umberto dry clean dry shampoo $11.99

Batiste dry shampoo $7.99

And of course, for those pesky grays I do a root touch up at home in between getting them professionally done.  Also, there are great root concealer that you can apply that quickly cover the grey in between washes!

Clairol Nice N Easy root touch up $5.99

Aveda color conditioner $18

Rita Hazan root concealer for gray coverage $25

Jonathan color root touch up $16.79

Oscar Blandi color pronto pen $23

SKIN:  Our skin is our largest organ and it’s the first thing people notice…  Its how people can tell if you’re healthy, if you’ve slept, if you’ve been on vacation.  Its also the outermost way we age so it should be of the utmost importance that we take care of it…  After all, prevention is better than cure.  Yet, how often do we get to the dermatologist or the facialist?  How often do we get the time to make ourselves up?  And when was the last time we went to the beach (with plenty of spf) or got a spray tan so that we could get that healthy glow?  I can tell you I can’t remember the last time…  And so anything that helps me get healthy, clean, glowing, younger looking skin is welcome…

First of all, remember to get your 8 glasses of 8 ounces of water a day.  Swap your second cup of coffee for water and keep going all day.  Then try to find ways to take care of your skin by multi tasking – put on a face mask to help exfoliate, rejuvenate or fix any problem areas of your skin while you fix breakfast in the morning and for break outs and wrinkle – invest in some great products that you can apply before bed that do the work while you sleep…

Laura Mercier flawless skin polish (a cleanser that also exfoliates) $32

Boots No7 total renewal micro dermabrasion exfoliator $15.79

Perricone MD chloro plasma mask $75

Origins drink up hydrating mask $24

Boots No 7 beautiful skin mask $16.99

Clear Pore cleanser/mask $6.39 (works as a cleanser but double as a mask for more intensity)

Korres advanced nourishing sleeping facial $45 (wake up to better skin)

Clinique moisture surge overnight mask $33

Estee Lauder advanced night repair eye cream $52

Clinique all about eyes eye cream $30

Boots No 7 protect and perfect eye cream $20.99

Murad acne & wrinkle reducer $58 (multi tasks to get rid of acne & wrinkles – yes please!)

Kate Somerville eradikate acne treatment $22 (simply dab on pimple and leave it over night for clearer skin)

Clinique acne solutions clearing concealer $17 (conceals while it heals!)

PS – Visine is clearly our best friend (particularly for my fellow sleep deprived mommas) but you can also use it to take the red out of a pimple. Simple apply to a spot with a cue tip and instantly the red is gone…

Visine eye drops $7.99

Of course, a great concealer is the must have weapon in every woman’s beauty arsenal – for covering pimple, under eye circle and brown spots – if I could take one thing to a desert island it would be my cle de peau…

Cle de Peau concealer $70

Makeup Forever full cover concealer $32

Nars radiantly creamy concealer $29

Sonia Kashuk hidden agenda concealer palette $10.49

Neutrogena 3 in 1 concealer $8.39

And of course, the overall healthy glow we want to project but can’t necessarily find the time to get can be accomplished with some great tinted moisturizer, bronzer and a moisturizer that has a self tanner in it…  Great products that do the multi-tasking for us…

Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer $43 (THE BEST – moisturizer, foundation and SPF in one!)

Boots No 7 dual action tinted moisturizer $11.99

L’Oreal true match mineral foundation and sunscreen $10.59

Nars blush:bronzer duo $42

Urban Decay nake flushed $30 (bronzer, blush and highlighter)

Physicians Formula 3 in 1 corrector, bronzer and brightener $13.95

St Tropez tanning essentials gradual tan for body $30

Sephora Collection tinted self tanning body mist $16

Jergens natural glow moisturizer gradual tan $8.79

L’Oreal self tanner $9.49

Clarins liquid bronze self tanning for the face $36

Dr. Dennis Gross glow pads (exfoliates, tans and anti aging) $32

NAILS:  I have to say, one of the things I miss most from my former child-free life is the bi-monthly mani/pedis… A luxury, I know, but it was always a great bit of me time or activity to do with a girlfriend…  That said, they have definitely become far far less frequent now… But I DO try to fit in a pedicure every 4 to 5 weeks if possible.  We need a bit of self indulgence…  I fit it in when I’m running errands and I only get a pedicure so that I can use my hands to catch up on emails so that I don’t feel entirely self indulgent…  I don’t know why we are made to feel guilty for taking some personal time but for me, if I can accomplish something while enjoying some pampering I will be that much more likely to take the time to do it.  That said, my poor fingernails take a beating…  Between washing bottles (more like zippy cups) constantly, constant hand washing and being a stylist (as a stylist we are using our hands constantly) manicures don’t last long anyway…  That said, I think keeping nails short, clean and even just applying a clear polish that double as a bottom and top coat can give it that shine without too much drying time (also there usually nail strengtheners) and you also avoid the horrible chipped nail effect from colored tips…

Deborah Lippmann hydrating hardener (top and bottom polish) $20

OPI base coat, top coat and strengthener $12.39

Another great option are using the great gel polishes which last a whole lot longer and also has very little dry time!

Sephora by Opi at home gel color system $159

Sephora by OPI gelshine gel color $17.50

SensationNail starter kit $49.99

SensationNAil gel polish $8.89

And then of course for a bit of fun and something different there are the nail appliqués so that you can get you those crazy manicures that Hollywood stars have been loving quickly and easily!

Formula X nail applique 2 pack $15

Sephora Collection nail appliques $5

Sally Hansen salon effects nail appliqués $8.59

NCLA nail wraps $16

Nail Rock appliques $8