This is My 2-minute (Run Out the Door) Busy Mum Morning Skincare Routine

Fun fact: when you have a baby, not only will they steal your heart but they’ll steal your luminosity, too.

And the more babies you have, the more luminosity you lose. It’s the truth.

Unless you’re Miranda Kerr. Anyway.

I have three kids, so you can only imagine how MIA my skin radiance is these days. (Plus, I swear extra lines form around my eyes any time one of my children chucks a tantrum over the size of their spoon.)

But parenthood is great – highly recommend. Although I do also recommend carving out a little time for your new mum skincare routine.

You see, when you’re a time-starved parent, making time for yourself is critical.

Yes, I'm a dermal therapist, but I just feel better about myself on the days I’ve had time to do my skincare routine. New mum skin care can also be quite meditative, if you let it be.

Taking two minutes for myself in the morning kind of makes me feel like a person who has their life together – when really, I don’t. (FYI this semi-related meme sums up how I look and feel most days.)

So, how do you make time for yourself when a small human (or two) is attached to your flesh at all times? To get to my skincare stash in the mornings, I reluctantly wake up before my children… at 5am [*everybody without children gasps at the time].

OR if I sleep in, I just run away from my kids’ tiny bodies like I’m being chased by the paparazzi, because getting to my vitamin C serum is important to me.

Any mother knows trying to get out of the house in the morning with young children is a living nightmare, so the more organised you can be/time you can carve out for yourself, the better your morning will flow. #Namaste.

Good news: morning skin care doesn’t need to be long, arduous or confusing. In fact, it can be pretty basic.

Don’t let a new mum beauty routine overwhelm you - I like to think of my AM skincare routine as my daily protection, because all you really need is a good cleanser, antioxidant serum, moisturiser and *sunscreen.

Come on, I’ll show you my current morning skincare routine so you get the idea.

The Best Busy Mum Skincare Routine.

Step 1: Cleanser.

My product pick: Sodashi Clay Cleanser with Sandalwood

I fell in love with this cleanser when I was pregnant and now I can’t go without it.

It contains white clay, which thoroughly cleans your skin without stripping it, omega 9 fatty acids to help calm your skin/restore its barrier (definitely helps when I go too hard on my active ingredients in the PM) and hydrating oils like macadamia oil. This cleanser would be perfect for most skin types.

Step 2: Eye Cream.

My product pick: Beauté Pacifique Puffy Eyes Gel

If you're a sleep deprived parent, then you need this eye cream in your life.

I use it post-bad nights because it’s filled with ingredients that help soothe (chamomile) and de-puff (caffeine), so it instantly feels like an eye lift when you’re tired. You could even pop it in the fridge before applying it in the morning... if you can be bothered.

Step 3: Antioxidant Serum.

My product pick: SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic Serum

I hardly ever go a morning without using a vitamin C serum. Why? Because vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that helps stimulate collagen production and prevent the signs of ageing. Paired with SPF, it's like a skincare shield for your face.

SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic Serum is one of the best vitamin C products – super pricey but worth it. I tend to rotate my vitamin C serums around, but I always come back to this one.

I also find the formula is very brightening (good if pigmentation is a concern), the texture works well under makeup, and it doesn’t contain any fragrance. However, it does smell weird –  kind of like a hot dog. Details.

Step 4: Moisturiser.

My product pick: Cosmedix Humidify Deep Moisture Cream

This has actually been my winter moisturiser and I’m trying to speed use it before it gets too warm - because she’s thick. However, I am also finding that as I get older, I like my moisturisers to be a little thicker because it's more nourishing on my kid-ravaged ageing skin.

Filled with ceramides, I find this moisturiser helps provide a nice canvas for a dewy base, without feeling heavy. However, if you have oily skin, a gel moisturiser will do the trick.

Step 5: Sunscreen.

My product pick: Aspect Sun Hydrating Face SPF 50+ 75ml

I actually use this sunscreen as a primer under my makeup and I love that it can simultaneously make skin look luminous while providing broad spectrum SPF 50+ protection.

Mind blown. Add. To. Cart.

And of course, SPF is only one part of sun protection!

Always seek shade, and wear sunnies, a hat and protective clothing. Use sufficient sunscreen for all unprotected areas and reapply sunscreen as directed. Always read the label. You know the drill.

Optional Bonus Step: Neck and Décolletage.

My product pick: Cosmedix Illuminate & Lift Neck & Decollete Treatment

OK so if you want to streamline your routine you don’t need this step, but I wanted to pop it in as a reminder to never neglect your neck or dec. You can essentially just stretch your daily serums/moisturisers down to this area. However, this is a dedicated product for it and I’m all about it.

It helps retain moisture, contains antioxidants and the peptides will help with ageing. Remember, skin care is a preventative tool and since we all tend to neglect our chest, I like to remind everyone that we shouldn’t.

If you made it this far, congrats! And after all that, if your only achievement of a morning is not locking yourself out of the house on the way to child care, that's OK too.

As long as you're wearing SPF, OK?

Want more helpful skincare stories? Check out these posts from the Adore Beauty team below!

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