LEIGH CAMPBELL: $15 eye patches, plus other new mum beauty tips that made me feel semi-human.

It goes without saying, how you look when you’re a new mum is the least important thing to worry about. And will you actually give a sh*t what you look like most of the time? Probably not.

But that doesn’t mean it’s silly or superficial if you do, or if feeling like a sleep-deprived, dry and deflated shadow of your former non-parent self affects your self-confidence.

Side note – Tiffiny Hall talks candidly about the expectation to ‘bounce back’ after having a baby, especially when you’re a personal trainer. Post continues after video.

One person who’s recently been in the newborn baby bubble is beauty editor and Mamamia’s executive editor Leigh Campbell and in great news for the rest of us, she’s been on a mission to find beauty products and practices that can help postpartum women feel and look semi-human.

Speaking on the You Beauty podcast, Leigh shared her main pieces of beauty advice for women in the early weeks and months of motherhood who mostly aren’t leaving the house, but want to feel as much like themselves when they do. Plus, she gave us a few really great product recommendations, too.

You can listen to the full You Beauty episode on Leigh Campbell’s new mum beauty advice below, post continues after audio.

1. Do your evening skincare when you put the baby down at night.

Leigh’s first piece of advice? Re-think when you do your evening skincare.

“For me, my biggest beauty mistake in the early days was still leaving my skincare and brushing my teeth until my 9pm bedtime from my pre-baby life. By then, I’d be so exhausted and cranky, I’d go to bed without doing either,” she said.

“My suggestion is: when you put your newborn down for the night – obviously they don’t sleep through the night but you’re getting a few-hour window then when you put them down around 6pm – do all your things then because you’ll be too tired later and you won’t do it.

“I think you’ll really enjoy taking the time to do your skincare because it’s that little bit of ‘you’ time. Doing your skincare when you’ve got a newborn is like going to Fiji.”

 

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A post shared by Leigh Campbell (@leighacampbell) on Jul 22, 2019 at 11:04pm PDT

 

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A post shared by Leigh Campbell (@leighacampbell) on Aug 21, 2019 at 6:21pm PDT

2. Forget foundation.

Another thing Leigh found difficult to adjust to in the early days of motherhood was not being able to/having time to wear foundation.

“In the early days, you just don’t wear as much makeup. I found, particularly in those first few months, you’re baby-wearing, so you’ve got the baby on the front of you or you’re cuddling them, so you’re not going to be wearing foundation that’s going to smoodge all over their head.”

“Most days, I’m just wearing a serum and a sunscreen, and if I’m going somewhere, it’s a serum, sunscreen and a tinted moisturiser, BB cream or CC cream. That was the biggest change to my routine.”

Here are three of Leigh’s favourite products to slap on if you’re leaving the baby bubble for the outside world:

IT Cosmetics CC Cream, $61.

MUD CC Cream, $8.

Ultra Violette Supreme Screen SPF 50+ Hydrating Facial Sunscreen, $45.

3. Under-eye patches.

"The thing that made me feel semi-human was gel eye patches, little sheet masks under your eyes," Leigh said, explaining the eye area is where you show your tiredness the most.

"Your eye area really shows the fatigue. I'm nearly 38 and that's where it shows I'm an exhausted old lady. These are great though because you can pop them on in a second and then go and feed the baby, sterilize bottles or do whatever you're doing because they stay on your face."

Right now, Leigh's impressed with the Dr Lewinn's Line Smoothing Complex S8 Hyaluronic Acid & Caffeine Under Eye Recovery Masks.

Dr Lewinn's Line Smoothing Complex S8 Hyaluronic Acid & Caffeine Under Eye Recovery Masks, 3 piece for $14.95.

4. Cliched, but stay hydrated.

Finally, and not to sound like every supermodel's beauty interview you've ever read, but making sure you're on top of your water intake can make a huge difference to your skin, but also how you feel.

"I found when I was dehydrated in the early days, I felt so exhausted. This was because in my old life as an office worker, I'd always have water at my desk, but at home, I didn't have the constant reminder to drink it in front of me. When I had enough fluid, I felt better, so in my new routine as a mum, I've always got a water bottle with me in my handbag and the pram."

"If you're breastfeeding, make sure you've got a big water bottle by your feeding station. For your energy levels and your skin, hydration is really important."

Aside from the helpful tips above, remember the changes in your body and lifestyle don't suddenly stop the minute the baby comes out.

Nurturing a new life still takes an enormous toll on your body, so if you can, try to be kind to yourself. And your face. Because you're doing great.

Image: Supplied/@leighacampbell.

Do you have any great beauty advice that helped you feel semi-human as a new mum? Tell us in the comments below!

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