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 ...

That would be hide plates.

And have a great posh looking coat then it doesn't matter if you have a dodgy top.

Well its just getting up early I find. I've got 3 dc's and am up at 6.30am and leave the house at just gone 8am.

This gives me time to do all you want to do and supervise/make breakfast and get the youngest 2 ready and drink 2 cups of strong coffee.

I don't eat breakfast until much later though.

I get up at 7.30 and leave at 8.30 and look reasonably respectable! Always have a bath/hairwash/blow dry and put body lotion on before getting dressed (in decent clothes), but I don't always do full make-up in the mornings - often just do eyebrows/a sweep of bronzer/lipstick.

bonsoir how do you have time to bath, wash hair, blowdry and moisturise full body and eat/feed dcs and dress dcs in an hour? i couldn't do that.

I second the eyebrows and hat sggestions. I have been known to wash my fringe if it looks a bit grotty

As someone else said, in winter you just need your makeup, a hat, coat and lovely bots and you look done. I paint my nails and do my eyebrows in the evening which helps. If my eyebrows, nails and lippy are all sorted then I instanly feel fabulous presentable :)

I must confess to having a teasmaid

I do it in an hour or less (HAVE to full body moisturise because of eczema).

There is no time for shilly-shallying though!

And I was thinking today that I should get the DSs up earlier but I am constantly hurrying them out the door.

Mind you, even on the weekend with 2 hours to get out of the house I have to chivvy them along!

My friend the ballerina say's it's the extremities which makes the difference.

Hair, hands and feet. Get those looking gorgeous and you look groomed.

Of course, in my own case it also requires a ladle full of makeup and an hour rummaging in the wardrobe.

Lower your standards.

Dry shampoo and full make up with nice shoes & coat.

Don't ask what's underneath

Getting up earlier is the only solution. DH, DS and I get up at 6 am and can have a non-stressful morning routine before I leave at 7.30 and DH/DS leave at 7.45. This even allows for things like bags not having been packed/lunches made the night before.

I'd much rather get up at 6 and not be rushing around. But if I had an eight week old baby, I'd just be amazed I was getting out of the house at all, never mind looking respectable too - so good on you!

Hm, I also suffer from 'slummy mummy' syndrome. I also have a touch of 'wearing dirty clothes-itis' and 'my short hair can now be tied back-olera'.

My tips: Eyebrow pencil, magic eyebag coverer and blusher to beat that been up snce 6am pallor.

The old dilemma of 'none of my clothes fit me and I refuse to accept that this is now my new shape' also causes some sartorial angst.

Fundamentally, you have a tiny baby. Give yourself 6 months at least girl!

DCs (6, 13, 15) self-feed and self-dress!

just tie up hair, tinted moisturiser, brush teeth and put on gym kit.

looks like you are off to gym.
simple.
sort yourself out when back home. your baby is 8 weeks old, be easy on yourself!

Yes agree lower your standards - what mums do you really know that look that fab as I cant see many at my school drop off? Mums with newborns - I dont see many that look like covers of magazines or are you comparing yourself against these so called super mums.

Second dry shampoo great stuff. Shower before bed. twice a week spray facial tan so skin looks healthy. A quick quick lick of mascara and base colour lip liner. thats enough for now.

At the end of the day you are now a full time mum and priorities change, its their happiness and needs first the way you look doesnt matter that much unless your out to impress - give it time.

Enjoy this special time as it doesnt last.

Pick your clothes and lay them out before you go to bed.

I also do 'beauty baths' (e.g. with all the shaving and moisturising and faffing etc) at night sometimes, then wash and blow-dry my hair, and then in the morning all I have to do is stick a hair straightener / tongs over it for 5 mins (I have invested in a cordless brush/tong thing and can often be found of a morning curling under the ends of my hair with one hand and brushing my DC's teeth with the other, or some such multi-tasking ).

A good haircut that doesn't require too much fussing is a blessing.

Invest in a brightly coloured coat / some great boots / a few nice scarves. I often wear basic jeans and a top, but fling my nice coat on over it and feel much better.

Oh and...agree. Yu can't meet these standards every day. Especially not with a newborn. I lived in Uggs and yoga pants for 6 months after both of mine were born

I get up at 6am, walk straight into the shower

Get dressed (ironing clothing as necessary on a towel on the floor) and downstairs for 6.20. Wear a lot of dresses that look smart enough for work but don't need much ironing. Have a limited selection of colours so everything matches.

Get DS breakfasted, washed and dressed and parked in front of cebeebies by 7am.

Back upstairs to apply tinted moisturier and tinted lip balm.

Rough dry front of hair, then straighten into passable style (don't do the back as it dries quick and straight.) This get's much harder if I leave my hair untrimmed for more than 8 weeks.

Back downstairs for 7.10 and out the door at 7.20.

Small touches add up so...Wax chin and brows weekly, run a file over my nails every couple of days. Get DH to keep my boots polished up nice.

I consider myself Very Low Maintenance.

I lay out everything (and I mean EVERYTHING!) the night before

• my clothes, right down to knickers, tights, scarf, jewellery etc
• the dds' clothes, uniform in case of dd1
• all bags, packed lunches, fruit snacks, water bottles etc are filled/laid out
• I even put the cereal in the dds' breakfast bowls the night before DH laughs at me but he is gone by 7am and not back till very late in the evening so I effectively function as a single parent Mon - Fri so it saves my sanity With regard to looking good/polished. I like to think I always look like I have made an effort: I shower every morning without fail but my hair is my bugbear - it looks crap within 10 mins of washing anyway so I have recently invested in some dry shampoo. If it's cold wear a cashmere beany/beret Good coat(s) and good boots are a must - I make big effort to keep mine polished- it makes a huge difference. I have lots of scarves/hats/gloves that I change around every morning - currently in chest of drawers by front door but that's a bit of a faff so am going to put them in a big wicker basket that i can just dig around in of a morning! Make up takes me 5 mins - I put a tinted moisturiser on upstairs when I get out of shower. Rest of make-up is kept in downstairs loo and I apply in 5 mins whilst dd's eat their cereal. IMO the trick is to keep things simple - it's fine to wear a daily variation on jeans and top and boots but try and have one really nice thing to add each day - a great necklace, a cozy snood, leather gloves etc - it's the small things that people notice I find. And winter is all about the accessories

I think the way you look plays a huge part on your mood but do go easy on yourself.

I shower first thing and just tie hair back until I come back from school drop off then I sit down with a cup of coffee and watch telly while doing my face for an hour. It's my chill out time and looking nice puts a real spring in my step. The rest of my day is spent looking after my 3 kids who are 4, 3 and 2 so I don't feel bad about the hour to myself.

Wow can't believe how many of you get up earlier than your DCs wake up - this makes me feel sooo lazy! I spent most of the morning today with the blinds shut so the postman couldn't see me still in my pjs, and wearing a pirate hat on DSs request....thank goodness nobody came to the door.

Really like the gym-kit suggestion - genius!