Trying to become more groomed looking but mornings are impossible, what's the secret?

[BollocksToThis]

DS is 3 and DD is 2 months. DP often leaves for work in the middle of the night. Ideally I'd shower including conditioner and then body lotion, deodorant, brush teeth, moisturise face, foundation, mascara, blow dry, straighten, choose and dress in coordinated clothes and then swish my way up to the nursery.

In reality I drag a brush through my hair and give my teeth a scrub, and chuck on some clean-looking clothes before flying out the door. But other mums look fab so these must be a way ...

[MayorNaze]

organisation my dear

choose clothes and accessories the night before.

makeup bare minimum, can be done with toddlers clinging to knees if necessary.

purchase funky hair accessories to stick in barnet if styling takes too long, alternatively purchase groovy hat

i have just realised that by answering this i am claiming to be one of those nice chic mummy types

thank god no-one knows me in rl

[Restrainedrabbit]

A nanny, cook and cleaner

[Celery]

I couldn't manage it when I had a 3 year old and a newborn. Now I have a 10, 7 and 4 year old, I'm just about managing it. I do set my alarm and get up half an hour earlier though. But the kids are all sleeping through the night now, so I can cope with doing that.

[JustDoMyLippyThenWeWillGo]

Make your dc watch tv or let them "do their make up" too (I know, am terrible example to childkind, and dc will grow up to be sexist/oppressed/square eyed, but hey ho, the demands of looking reasonable)

My boy loves to play with brushes and stuff and can be easily distracted with make up items while I am getting ready. If desperate, can also take him in shower with me to play with bubbles.

O, and can never pick clothes night before, but do try to keep them ready in wardrobe so easy to pick. Tho am not great at this and can regularly be found raiding ironing mountain basket of a morning.

[BollocksToThis]

Great name, Just!

[BollocksToThis]

So is the conclusion pretty much wait it out for a couple of years and in the meantime buy a hat and employ staff?!

[Meggles76]

I remember being in your situation a few years ago

It all starts the night before! Shower at night and blow dry your hair while DP is around. Also a good idea, as said, to decide what you will wear.

In the morning you should then just need to give face a quick wash, brush hair and get dressed. In terms of make up - use a tinted moisturiser and a slick of lip gloss and mascara.

We have a TV on the wall in our bedroom and I used to sit the kids on the bed while I was in the ensuite.

[doggiesayswoof]

The only possible way for me to do all this would be if I could be 95% ready including make up before DC get up.

And since they leap up as soon as my (very quiet) alarm goes off on my phone (under my pillow in the next room) no matter what time I set it for, I think I will be waiting a couple of years.

I need to get clothes out the night before though. Can't do it in the morning.

[doggiesayswoof]

If I blow dry my hair the night before, it goes into weird shapes overnight and looks greasy by 3pm.

[popzie]

I'm lucky enough that my DCs stay in bed until 7.30 now so I get up at 7.20 and always put make up on at least.

Do you wash your hair everyday? That's very time consuming. I do mine every three days and always in the evenint - it's so thick it's volumous for that long.

Even though I have the potential to look quite good if my hair is straight and my make up is on, my winter wardrobe is simply horrible. I have nothing to wear and I can't stand it, although don't have any money to do anything about it either. Next year it's all going out and I'm going to buy new stuff with my lottery money - which I'm going to win in March next year. I've decided.

[booyhoo]

get up before the dcs do. for me it means getting up at 6am. showering, hair and make-up. i don't do body lotion though. agree with others, choose clothes the night before, and hang them up on the back of the door. can you set the breakfast stuff out the night before aswell, so you don't have to rush to do that. also, set kids clothes out aswell.

[ArcticRoll]

A great coat, scarf and boots and tinted lip balm.

[MonkeySee]

Hmm.. your youngest is 8 weeks old! I would just slap on some tintest moisturiser, some lip gloss and if I was generally clean (bath the night before!) think that I had done a good job.

And if the sun is so much as showing it's face stick on some fab sunglasses.

If hideous, bundle up in cool scarf.

[Isaidno]

Getting up early is the only way to do it.
I get up at 615 on a school day to shower, wash hair, blow dry, make up before 7am. My hair is short so it's easier and quicker to wash and dry than attempt to flatten / revive from previous day.

[HeadFairy]

I've got a 3 year old and an 11 month old so in a similar situation. I've also recently gone back to work so the need to be ready quickly in the morning is even greater now...I wash my hair the night before usually, but like you it looks decidedly greasy by 3pm. I have been known to use a squirt of dry shampoo to get rid of the worst of the grease.

I brush my teeth alongside ds to encourage him to do his a bit better so that's done. If I'm not having a shower I'll hold a hot damp flannel over my face for 30 seconds - keep your moisturiser in the bathroom then you can slap some on straight away. I'm not terribly good at using body lotion (and boy does it show!) but using somethink like Dove shower cream does mitigate most of the damange!

Make up... get things you can do while not looking in the mirror. Foundation wise I use mineral make up which is a powder and I can load up the brush and dust away without looking in a mirror. Ditto a bit of bronzer. The only time I need to look in the mirror is to put some mascara on. I usually end up wandering around the house picking up toys while doing my make up.

Clothes wise I never look particularly glamourous but I do usually work out the night before what I'm going to wear if only in my head!

[SlightlyJaded]

Three words Thread Your Eyebrows.

Or get someone to do it for you.

Instantly you look 'finished'

Tis an amazing phenomenon :)

[jamaisjedors]

We have a bathroom downstairs which helps enormously so I usually put my make-up on while the DSs are finishing their breakfast (they are painfully slow).

I went back to work when the DSs were 3.5 mths old so I must have managed it but the details are hazy.

I always get my clothes out the night before now (flylady tip - right down to the tights etc) - AND the children's clothes too.

If I weren't going to work, I think I would just put some mascara and lip balm on.

I wash my hair every other day or every three days too but wash my fringe every day.

[jamaisjedors]

Actually, when the Children were v. small, they woke so early that I had PLENTY of time to get ready in the mornings.

Nowadays I get up 15 minutes before them, shower and make my tea, and then leave it to cool while I get them up.

We are all up and out to work/school in an hour in the mornings.

[BoffinMum]

I have covered this very topic in my Book Of Boff. If you like, I would be happy to send you a draft copy, particularly if you were able to give me some feedback on whether it made sense. Email me at boffinmum at hotmail dot co dot uk if you'd like me to send it to you.

[BollocksToThis]

Wow, what's the Book of Boff?!

I'm going to have to actually get up when DS starts jumping on my head at 5am, aren't I? Fortunately my hormonal state means my greasy hair's not a problem for now, so it's almost passable without a morning wash but that'll change in a few months. I think I'll resolve to get my arse in gear and forego my morning fix of having my cuppa and reading the teletext news while DS goggles at CBeebies, and do something beautifying instead.

On the eyebrows topic, I have really long hairs but they're sparse so if I pluck one carelessly it leaves a bald bit - so I've never trusted anyone to tend them for me. I need to get over that, don't I?

[jamaisjedors]

Turn that telly OFF you will never get out the door otherwise!

[YellowDaffodil]

Get your eyebrows professionally shaped (waxed threaded whatever suits you)and your lashes tinted. Tinted moisturiser and a bit of lip gloss and you are good to go.

If i can't be bothered to do my hair properly I just mess it up with a bit of hair putty. Bed head looks great as long as people think it is deliberate.

Oh and smile - if you look confident people will think it is your style to have a slightly eccentric outfit on. You'll start a trend.

[BoysAreLikeDogs]

yy to eyebrows

decent haircut (not easy with a newborn I know)

non-scuffed shoes

[treedelivery]

Secret Weapon This should be in bounty packs.

Ok, my routine. Assuming no one has dragged themselves up any earlier.

07.40 - I'm up, stagger to loo and do teeth, deodrant, hair brush and twist up into clip. Will blather in dry shampoo if roots grim. Apply flower clip, glittery hair grip or other nearest accesory.
07.50 - kids up [age6&20m]. dd1 gets herself uniform, and I do baby. All in my room so I can help her out. I get dressed quickly.
08.00 - all downstairs. Kids teeth done on way down.
08.02 - at table for wheatabix, juice and yogurt. I apply makeup in mirror over mantlepiece while dd2 flings breakfast about and dd1 eats up. I quickly empty dishwasher onto worktop, and begn refilling with breakfast stuff.
08.10 maybe 08.15 - dd1 hops down after 2 wheatabix for hair taming. DD2 potters off to taunt the cat.
08.15 to 08.20 - orders given for shoes % coats on. All of us put shoes on [left in hall, in pairs, as soon as removed from feet]. If time I quickly chuck clean plates etc away, while dd1 faffs on with her gloves and hat.
08.22 ish - coats on
08.30 - out door.

I'm back for 09.10 when I have some tea nad toast, and dd2 has a banana. We have is sussed! We are always late if we get up any earlier.

Make up is eyebrow pencil, which makes me look more alert and clear headed. Lashings of black mascara and plenty of eyeliner. Splodge of tinted moisturiser and blusher. Quick layer of rose/berry lipstick.
I find fairly smokey dark eyes give me a 'made effort' luck, and take seconds. I timed my make up and it takes 3 mins.

[switchtvoffdosomelessboring]

I have 4 kids and think i do not too bad at looking groomed most days. Heres my morning:

07.40 Up, give dd's bottle of milk make coffee, get ds 1 and 2 out of bed. Let them all lie on the sofa watching telly while I iron everyones clothes, get ready myself (no shower, dry shampoo, straighten hair, foundation only, hairspray hair).
8.00 breakfast cereal or toast, thats the choice, if the kids don't eat it, they go hungry. Eat weetabix while making packed lunch
8.15 get dd's ready (they are 18month twins), encourage ds's to get ready, end up dressing ds2. Hid plate in dishwasher
8.30 everyone teeth, shoes on, jackets on, in car for 8.40 - or 8.50 if happy to drive at breakneck speed. Apply mascara and powder at traffic lights.