5 clever beauty products that have made my mornings so much easier

Mornings, when you are a full-time working mum of two, leave little time for complicated and time-consuming beauty routines.

When I first went back to office based work (after having freelanced for the last couple of years), I found trying to get ready in the morning, while also packing lunch boxes, taking an (unbelievably quick) shower and dressing an unwilling two-year-old and an argumentative and fashion-forward six-year-old sort of knocked me for six a little. Cue the first couple of weeks in the office I would literally leave the house with NO makeup on, having to sneak into the office toilets and try to assemble my face before anyone spoke to me. With this in minf, you can see why I set out to find the best, fastest and most hard-working products available, ensuring that I can do my make-up in under five minutes flat in the morning, before I leave the house (while the kids are banging on the bathroom door or trying to kill each other over Cheerios...) Here are the five makeup marvels I can no longer live without (and; the plus side of having narrowed my routine down to such a slimline selection, is that my make-up bag is so much roomier now!) 1. Antipodes Divine Face Oil I no longer bother with day cream, two-three drops of this gorgeous oil are enough to keep my face moisturised and nourished. Due to the nutrient-rich ingredients, the oil will give your skin a boost of antioxidants and the collagen-boosting action of the avocado oil will help reduce the appearance of lines, sun damage and even scars. Such a great buy! I also love the fact that this oil has no "nasty" ingredients! (Note: They also have an amazing cleanser if you are in the market for that too.) Antipodes Divine Face Oil, €25, available from Thehealthstore.ie 2. Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler There are eyelash curlers and then there are EYELASH CURLERS. And this Shu Uemura one absolutely fall in the latter category. It is no wonder that beauty editors across the globe list this as a cult buy. Use this every morning for natural looking, gently curved lashes, so perfect you might even get away with not wearing any mascara! (I sometimes opt to give my lashes just a smidgen of it, though, time permitting!) Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler, €24, available at Brown Thomas 3. Laura Mercier Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer This. Is. Amazing. If you should spend your money on ONE beauty products, especially if you are a new mum (and your skin is tell-telling about all those sleepless nights), let this beautiful tinted moisturiser be it. It comes in a few different shades (I always get the one called "Warm Radiance") and will give perfect, light coverage, as well as making your skin look flawless, luminous and better than it ever has before. This is my Desert Island product, for sure! (Oh; and it has SPF 20 too!) Laura Mercier Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer, €48, available at Brown Thomas and Harvey Nichols 4. YSL Touche Éclat concealer Up feeding last night? Or soothing a screaming toddler? Or just, you know, catching up on your Instagram feed? No matter the reason your eyes are looking a little tired (and those dark circles are suddenly very visible), all you need is a great concealer. And when it comes to concealers, there is no one above YSL's little magic stick, the Touche Éclat. It comes in a few different shades to best suit your skin tone, glides on perfectly and makes you look like you always get a full 12 hours. As if. YSL Touche Éclat, €36, available from Boots, Arnotts, Debenhams and independent chemists across the country 5. MAC "So Chaud" Lipstick Throw on a red lip, and you are ready to take on the world. I find that no matter how tired I look (or feel) if I slap on some red lippy, I all of a sudden walk a little taller and feel a little hotter. This lipstick from Mac has the perfect orangy-red matte colour, and I often use it for my cheeks as well, just rubbing a little on my finger, smile at myself in the mirror and smudge it into the highest points of my cheeks for a dewy, fresh feel. (A little goes a long way!) MAC "So Chaud" Lipstick, €20, available from Brown Thomas Now, these are my can't-live-without-them make-up products, how about YOU? Have you got any great finds we should know about? Let us know in the Facebook comments or send me an e-mail at Trine.Jensen@Herfamily.ie (Feature image via Bellamumma.com)