

Before becoming a parent, my definition of “sleep deprivation” was feeling a little tired because I’d stayed up later than normal reading my page-turner of a book. When my baby daughter rocked up, I finally understood why depriving humans of sleep has been used as a torture technique for centuries. I was exhausted in every pore of my body. I could’ve happily slept standing up. I started sentences and didn’t quite know how to finish them and I looked and felt approximately 947 years older in a matter of weeks. I’m really selling parenthood, aren’t I?
While I couldn’t control how much sleep I got (thanks adorable, hungry little human alarm clock), there were some things I relied on heavily as a new mum to help me feel and look fresh when I felt anything but.
1. A night cream with a difference.

In the early days, washing my hands after changing my daughter’s nappy was about as much “self-care” as I could handle. But I quickly realised that when I spent a moment using my beloved beauty products, I felt much, much more equipped to tackle anything. Enter, NIVEA Q10 plus C Anti-Wrinkle and Energy Skin Sleep Cream. If this tube of goodness had an official job description it’d be “brightening and caring for sleep-deprived skin”. After cleansing my face I’d pat a generous dollop of this lightweight cream onto my face, neck and chest (a little goes a long way). Quick. Easy.
It’s packed with two powerhouse antioxidants: Coenzyme Q10 and Pure Vitamin C. The Coenzyme Q10 neutralises free radicals and helps to boost collagen production in the skin, while the Pure Vitamin C evens out skin tone and promotes cell turnover leaving skin bright and happy. The beauty of this sleep cream is that it works while you’re catching zzzs - no fussy application or confusing seven-step routine - just apply and fall into an exhausted heap in bed. The result? My skin looked brighter and my mood certainly was too.