Polished new mum look - is it possible?

[Muppet7410]

DC2 is 2 weeks old. I look like 💩!

Is there any way I could look slightly polished but would only take 2 mins to do?

I'm 35, hereditary dark circles (emphasized by 0 sleep), fair skin (few acne scars), long dark brown hair.

Thanks in advance!

I think polished is a little ambitious. Presentable is a more achievable goal!

Seriously GoGreen?! You judge Mums that look good and assume that the only reason that they do so is because they are lazy parents & foust their children on either grandparents or their partner. Wow

Have a young baby and look good? Prepare to be judged!

Sunglasses, lipstick and scarf or hat for hair, or put long hair up in a twist with a big clip.

Gogreen I have 3 children under 6 including a 3 week old, no childcare and think I look fairly good! I happen to have a very hands on DH who gets the DC ready for school/pre school etc in the morning while I shower and make myself feel/look presentable!

SoyDora - so exactly what Gogreen said then. You have help. It’s not illegal but that’s how you do it

She has 'help'? Or her children have a second parent who does their bit?

Mobile hairdresser for a blowdry , paint your nails with rimmels 60s ( A’s in 60 seconds to dry ) polish and a bit of lippy

I don’t class my DH as ‘help’. He’s their parent. Am I helping him when I look after them while he has a shower before work? Or am I just parenting my children?

You could tattoo over the dark circles. It works surprisingly well. Try a tinted moisturiser just to even put your skin tone and help you look a little less sleep deprived.

SoyDora - that’s true. As a single parent I don’t have that option so it is help to me but you are right.

Honestly, I wish I hadn't worried so much about looking presentable when I had a newborn. I wish I'd taken the opportunity to rest my body and my skin as much as possible. If I could go back I would shower every day but I'd apply good moisturiser and serums rather than make-up - maybe just lip balm and mascara - and I wish I'd bought some lovely but comfortable "lounge wear" that I could also leave the house in and just chilled out.

I find putting a wee bit of gradual tenner on before bed always makes me feel better! Especially on my face as it helps my dark circles look a bit better. Also love getting a gel polish as it means I don't need to think about my nails for 2 weeks! Nothing wrong with trying to make yourself feel a bit better when you've got a baby, you need to think about yourself also!

Daily shower before your partner goes to work so you feel clean and fresh every day without worrying that the baby is about to wake/is crying and needs you to get out.
If you need a nap later, it doesn’t matter, at least you’ve started clean.

a dab of tinted moisturiser
tiny rub of blusher so you look a bit less drained when you catch yourself in the mirror.
as PP said, deffo a uniform you feel comfortable in until you have more time for thinking about clothes.
shares in Batiste

Gel/SNS nails every fortnight (takes about 1 hour) or DIY at home. For me, having nails done always makes me feel more polished. Toes done in the summer too.

Eyelash/eyebrow tint or LVL lashes and eyebrow tint every 6 weeks or so (again about 1 hour). If you can afford/are interested in semi permanent make up have eyebrows done. If you’re on a budget there are at home kits for tinting eyebrows.

Using fake tan just on the face before bed if you’re pale or have uneven skintone.

Get a low stress hairstyle. For me that’s longer hair that I can wash at night and plait or put in a loose bun so it is soft waves in the morning.

Doing the above means you don’t need to do anything complicated in the morning - just wash face, moisturiser/tinted moisturiser and blush.

Also good diet and water generally helps to feel better as well as look better.

Pretty disappointed by some of the comments.

Spending time on yourself isn’t selfish - new mums need to look after themselves as well as the baby! Especially at a difficult time when lots of women are prone to feeling low. If that means a few minutes of pampering then that isn’t something to feel guilty about. Some new mums choose not to spend time on make up and hair - everyone is different. (Lots of women don’t do make up anyway, mother or not).

Partners looking after the child/children isn’t ‘help’. They are parenting. I don’t think anyone would judge a new dad for taking five or ten minutes for a daily shower and putting some styling product in his hair etc... If he can spend a few minutes on this then you can on yourself. (Obviously this is different if you’re a single parent).

Since my baby was born I've had a few spray tans and it makes me feel instantly better. Good as a mobile therapist can do it in your home.

Lol at all these posters saying get gel nails done every 2 weeks. OP asked for tips that take 2 mins! Not to mention the expense, who can afford £60 a month on nails when they have a newborn?

Aren't gel nails really dehydrating for your nails? My nails always take about a month to recover (dry, brittle, splitting) whenever I've had them done.

Some of this stuff I cba with without a newborn! Different habits I guess. I'm a week into this newborn lark - at the moment I'm trying to focus on having a shower and getting my hair washed every other day (as normal), having a relaxing bath at night, making sure I'm eating and drinking enough so I can feed my baby, and desperately trying to fit in sleep whenever I can. Not trying to do too much, and taking care of myself. If I'm going out the house, clean body clean clothes is my goal. I don't care so much for looking impressive, my body has just been through a right bloody ordeal, there's time for anything requiring greater effort later.

Baby P’s mum...

Do you realise the connotations of your username? Is it intentional?

If you don’t know what I mean I suggest you google “baby p”

Odd choice on a parenting forum.