If you don't have time to wash your hair, don't throw on a baseball cap just yet. Here are a few tricks for hiding dirty strands:
For shoulder length hair or longer:
Apply a strong-hold gel to the crown of your hair, comb it through to create a wet look, and create a sleek middle part. Brush hair back into a low ponytail and secure with elastic. Then either wrap the ponytail into a sophisticated bun and secure with bobby pins, or if the ends aren't too dry, spritz some texturizing spray into the pony and lightly tease for a voluminous finish.
For short or long hair:
Spray in a bit of dry shampoo (possibly as important to a new mom as the Baby Bjorn) and brush through with a natural bristle brush. Tease the top of your crown very lightly and brush hair carefully straight back. Mist with hairspray and slide on a cute headband, something with traction that'll keep your hair in place.
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Makeup look: Bronzed glow
Adding a sun-kissed glow is easy, thanks to bronzer, and will instantly brighten your face, making you look more alive. "You are losing sleep [after baby] so you're going to look sallow," says, Chang-Babaian. Her quick fix: Bronzer. The goal is to look "awake, like a human being," she jokes.
Here's how to create a quick bronzed look: Step 1: Moisturize skin and apply concealer to even out your skin tone, and remember, the more hydrated your skin is, the longer your makeup will last. Step 2: Use a powder bronzer and apply it to your cheekbones, temples, and a dash on the eyelids and the bridge of your nose. Basically, put a bit "wherever the sun naturally touches your face," says Chang-Babaian. Step 3: Curl your lashes (a super easy way to instantly look more awake) and apply a waterproof mascara. Step 4: Finish with a peachy-colored lip gloss or balm.
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Hairstyle: Low, layered bun
If you do have time to shower in the morning, Tuzzo's no-fuss go-to hairstyle is one that doesn't need a lot of blow drying time.
After hopping out of the shower, simply blot hair dry (don't rub or you'll create frizz). Apply a lightweight smoothing serum and let hair air dry (and avoid touching it) as you go about your morning duties. Then, less than 10 minutes before you need to walk out the door (your hair should be mostly dry by then), use a hair dryer and large round brush to quickly smooth out the layers of hair around your face. Leave the blown out sections loose and pull the rest of your hair back into a low, simple bun. Finish by misting with a flexible-hold hairspray for a simple, elegant look.
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Makeup look: Brows
Creating a strong brow can instantly give shape and structure to a tired face, says Chang-Babaian, who adds that a lack of defined brows is aging.
Here's how to get a strong brow makeup look: Step 1: Apply a tinted moisturizer with SPF. Step 2: Fill in the natural shape of your brows with an angled brush and a soft neutral shade, like ash brown. Step 3: Use a multi-tasking cream blush in an apricot shade and blend it on the apples of your cheeks, eyelids and lips for an easy monochromatic look. Step 4: Apply mascara.
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Hairstyle: Blow dry short cut
If you are not pregnant or breastfeeding, invest in a Keratin hair treatment. These semi-permanent, hair-smoothing miracles that make your hair straighter, shinier and even healthier and will allow to practically do nothing to have beautiful strands, says Tuzzo.
You never really appreciate your mom -- that is, until it's your turn in the delivery room. Fourteen hours of labor followed by numerous can't sleep/feel-anything-but-overwhelmed days can't be properly admired or fully recognized until it's your turn to take a ride on the big 'ol baby rodeo.
And while "the phrase 'working mother' is redundant" as the writer Jane Sellman pointed out (thanks Bartlett's), "beautiful mother" sure doesn't feel redundant or implied when you're looking all National Geographic -- infant clutched to your breast on your third day without a shower.
That's why it's time to makeover your beauty routine. By learning what to spend you time on, you can cut the time you spend getting ready down to a realistic and manageable amount of time -- sounds pretty good, huh?
To get these easy makeup tips and quick hairstyling tricks, we went to makeup and hair experts who know a thing or two about getting pretty in a hurry: Taylor Chang-Babaian, celebrity makeup artist and mother to two teens, and Regina Tuzzo, hairstylist at the French Twist Salon in New York and mother of a 14-month-old and twin pre-teens. Check out the easy makeup looks, tips and hairstyles they use to save much-needed time.
