I love the idea of wearing linen. I like that linen is lightweight and cool for summer. I love how comfortable linen pants are to wear. I admire women who look fresh and smart when wearing linen. Crisp linen always looks very glamorous to me.
Unfortunately, I do not like the actuality of linen.
I don’t like that I have to iron linen. It seems I have had little time for ironing in my first 22 months as a Mum. Those mornings when I rushed to iron my clothes before I ran out the door to work seem like a luxury compared to the current morning chaos of upended Rice Bubbles and the negotiations involved in dressing a toddler for the day ahead, let alone time to shower and dress myself, and maintain some semblance of respectability when it comes to my hair and face.
I don’t like that in linen I look like crumpled as soon as I stand up, or sit down, or turn around. A five minute ride in the car and I look like I have just gotten out of bed, regardless of the fifteen minutes spent ironing my linen pants. And, wearing linen or not, it seems that as a Mum there are just too many days where I feel crumpled.
And that is how and why the Everyday Glamour Challenge came about. It seems I am not alone in feeling rushed and crumpled as a Mum, with the competing priority of family needs versus my own needs as a woman. So I am declaring this next week ‘Glamour Week,’ and it really is all about the little things that we can do as women and mothers to feel a tiny, weensy bit more glamorous in our everyday lives. I promise it wont take much effort; we all just need a little nudge, a bit of ‘know how’ and some handy tools at our disposal and it will be easy as pie. And it will be worth it as we will walk taller and feel prouder of ourselves as women, mothers, wives, daughters and whatever other labels we currently wear.
So, lets get started…
SPEEDING BEAUTY
Time-poor mums don’t despair, these time-saving tricks will trim minutes off your beauty rituals so you’ll look {and feel} pre-kids-gorgeous fast!
STREAMLINE YOUR SKINCARE
The best way to save time is to use multi-tasking products that offer a two-in-one result.
- Try moisturisers that contain a SPF factor; an eye and lip product that is combined; and use tinted moisturiser to save time using a foundation.
- Treat skin with a face mask that contains both moisturising properties and AHA’s so it hydrates and exfoliates
- Slather on a hand and body cream combined to save minutes
- Us a facial cleanser that contains a glycolic compound (AHAs) to time-save some more as it cleanses and exfoliates.
Night-time tricks can also save you time the next day.
- Sleep with your face mask on, it’s not so great for your pillowslip but it gives skin a huge hydration boost without you having to wait around.
- Another trick is to put a foot cream that contains AHA’s on very thickly before bed. Put on bed-socks, jump into bed and it will soften feet and gently slough away the dead skin cell build up while you’re sleeping.
HAIRCARE IN A FLASH
Quick tips to down-size the time it takes you to care for your hair
shower power: Alternate using a deep conditioning treatment with your regular conditioner. After shampooing your hair apply your treatment and leave it in while you’re washing yourself in the shower. This will allow the steam to help the treatment to penetrate deep into your hair.
wrap dry your hair: Blow dry your hair in just five minutes by using this wrap dry technique. Take a flat brush and brush your hair from side to side with the nozzle of the dryer directly behind the brush. This uses the curve of your head to stretch the hair around, giving you an instant straight blowdry.
home care: Make sure you use the best possible products at home. The better condition your hair is, the easier it is to style and quicker it is to dry – at home and in the salon.
SPEEDY SALON SERVICE
Insider tricks on how you can save time at the hairdressers and beauty salon…
At the hairdressers
* Book appointments on the salon’s quiet days which are usually Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday.
* Think about what your liked and didn’t like about your last cut or colour before you arrive, this will cut down on the consultation time.
* Wait to share all your news or gossip until you’re in the chair and your colour or cut is happening!
At the beauty therapist
* If your therapist is in a high traffic area, allow time to find parking.
* Take the first appointment to avoid falling victim to everyone else’s lateness.
* Avoid wearing make-up, especially layers of mascara. Beauty therapists are diligent about removing all traces of make-up and that can take extra time!
* Wear comfortable clothing. It’s much quicker to slip into a robe if you’re not concerned about where to hang your best clothes.
* Keep jewellery and accessories to a minimum – or take them off on the way to save time.
Say hi to Nikki of bella Mumma, our first guest blogger for the series. Nikki is a freelance beauty & lifestyle writer who has two spunky little boys. She writes regular health and beauty features for magazines and newspapers – featuring in COSMOPOLITAN, MARIE CLAIRE, SHOP TIL YOU DROP, THE SUNDAY MAGAZINE, AUSTRALIAN PARENTS MAGAZINE, FAMOUS magazine and BODY+SOUL. At bella Mumma, Nikki share her beauty research, insider info & tricks + must-have products. Nikki will be back later in the week with tips for ‘Getting Back Your GLOW!’ and a simple, quick make up routine (which I will be testing out!)
Christie Burnett is a teacher, presenter, writer and the mother of two. She created Childhood 101 as a place for teachers and parents to access engaging, high quality learning ideas.
