Five Favorites: Super Low-Maintenance Mom Beauty Edition

Let me let you in on a little secret: I am super low maintenance. As a mom of almost 4, a beachbody coach who works out in the mornings, and someone who is all-around terrible at being female, I've learned that I just do not have what it takes to be thoroughly girly, nor do I have the time or energy to learn. Don't get me wrong, I've looked up my share of youtube and pinterest eyeliner tutorials but somehow I can just never seem to stick with it, and I don't think I even own a blow dryer. But even though I'm not one of those super put-together gals, I try to look somewhat presentable most of the time (at least when I leave the house), even when I just finished working out and I'm super sweaty and already running late to get Stenni to the bus. I use these 5 things (plus one bonus tool) to pull myself together in under 5 minutes flat because really, who has any longer than that?
Remember, I'm not getting paid to endorse any of this stuff. I just really like it a lot.

So here are my five favorites, Super Low-Maintenance Mom Beauty Edition:

1. Aquaphor. Just plain Aquaphor. I use it on everything. It's a great lip balm. It keeps my eyebrows from looking as crazy and German and angry as they really are. And it tames my eczema, sometimes. Also works on kids' booboos and baby butts. Who could ask for anything more?
2. Not Your Mother's Clean Freak Tapioca Dry Shampoo. It smells like vanilla and woodsmoke (Cua says it made the bathroom smell like marshmallows this morning) and it helps me look like I've showered on mornings when I haven't. It is reasonably priced at my local Ulta and it is a Godsend.
3. Garnier Matte BB Cream. I don't ever wear a full face of makeup, except to weddings and other occasions where people might take close-up pictures of my face for some reason (so any other time, joke's on them). But this stuff really does it for me. There's SPF, a bit of tint, some moisturizer, and it's all in one product so I'm set. Note: In summer I switch to Coola brand BB cream because it's actually a sunscreen and I need all the SPF I can get.
4. Aveeno Positively Radiant Makeup Remover Towlettes. Because I never remember to actually wash my face. I used to have a whole cabinet full of Lush products for specific skin and face washing stuff but now that I have neither time nor money, this is it my friends. These towlettes smell good and get the makeup and dirt off so I'm good to go.
5. Cheap navy or purple eyeliner. It makes you look less tired than black does. Trust me on this one. If you have white, do waterlines in white if you're really tired. You can fake an extra hour of sleep.

*Honorable mention: My trusty Remington Wet 2 Straight Straightener. I'm not sure if they even make this thing anymore, as I've had mine about 13 years or so and it hasn't crapped out yet. Again, it's because when I get out of the shower (when I have the time to shower), I don't have the time or patience to dry my hair before I straighten it and besides, I never straighten anything but my bangs anyway (again, unless I'm going to a wedding. Why are they the only occasions I dress up for? No clue).

So those 5 products, plus my straightener, take me from the sweaty post-workout pic on the left to the almost presentable pic on the right in less than 5 minutes (that was this morning, btw). If I have a few extra seconds, sometimes I  add some light eyeshadow to the mix and if I'm feeling generous, I may even spritz on some body spray so I don't scare people away with my stink. Oh, I also change out of my workout clothes and slap on some deodorant because I am a decent human being and I don't want to scare you away that badly (or do I?). Any other low-maintenance gals out there who use even less than I do? I'd love to hear about it!

Before

After