I love mornings. I used to be a night girl but somewhere in my early 20s, I started to shift from loving the energy of late nights to enjoying the quiet calm of the morning. (I’m pretty sure graduating from college and entering the “real world” had a little something to do with this transition!)
My favorite time of day is the morning and even though mornings around here can feel a little hectic as I try to cram in some work before Chase wakes up for the day and we hit the ground running, I still find myself enjoying the early hours of every day the most.
There are a few things I do to try to streamline my morning routine and keep the first few hours of the day (mostly) pleasant and enjoyable and today I’m teaming up with bareMinerals to share a few of them with you. I’d absolutely love to hear any tips and tricks you guys might have for streamlining your mornings and alleviating some of the stress of a rushed morning in the comments section of this post!
Little Ways I Simplify My Mornings
- Prep Breakfast The Night (Or Several Days) Before
Preparing breakfast the night (or even several days before) I’m going to eat it is the biggest time saver for me and pretty much the only way I can ensure I’ll eat something healthy first thing in the morning. I realized this was a necessity for me a couple of months after Chase was born when I found myself relying on granola and snack bars for breakfast time and time again. (And, let’s be real, there were multiple times I’d find myself digging into whatever sweet treats we had on hand before 8 a.m.)
I quickly realized that putting a little extra effort into breakfast prep the night before made me excited to dig into a more nutritious meal in the morning. A lot of the breakfasts I prep ahead of time yield multiple servings, so I can often stretch them out over multiple mornings.
A few favorites: Chicken sausage and spinach frittata (I’ve actually started to make this one with kale and prefer that to the spinach since it holds up a little better!), peanut butter baked steel cut oatmeal, overnight oats, customizable egg muffins
And you can find more make-ahead breakfast ideas in this post: 10 Make Ahead Breakfast Recipes
- Dry Shampoo Is My BFF
When it comes to getting ready, there’s nothing that helps me save more time than dry shampoo. It’s amazing and allows me to get away with not washing my hair every day. My hair is very fine and looks greasy after one day but I’m amazed at how dry shampoo can bring my hair back to life and disguise greasy roots.
Oh! And I also have a few go-to hairstyles that seem to hide limp/greasy locks better than others. I love the half up-half down top knot when my roots are super flat and you can never go wrong with a messy bun, low braid or casual ponytail.
- Use No-Crease Hair Ties or Scrunchies to Prolong Styling
This is a handy dandy magazine tip I use all the time! Whenever I curl my hair, I want to get a couple of days out of the styling and in order to “save” the waves, before bed, I pull my hair up into a ridiculously high ponytail on the top of my head with a scrunchie (‘80s style!) or no-crease hair tie. I can usually get away without re-curling my hair (or I may need to refresh a couple of curls which takes less than five minutes) and will just hair spray my hair again once I take it down from the ponytail which definitely helps save time!
- Use Multi-Purpose Beauty Products
By now you guys probably know I like to keep my makeup routine short and simple. I’ve always been fairly low maintenance when it comes to my beauty routine and seem to gravitate toward products that serve multiple purposes.
I’ve professed my love for rose hip seed oil on the blog a number of times and use it daily because it not only does a great job at removing stubborn eye makeup, but its also praised by many for its ability to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, correct dark spots and hydrate the skin in a natural way. It’s the best!
I was also recently invited to try out bareMinerals’ new Complexion Rescue, a hydrating BB Cream, CC Cream and tinted moisturizer in one and have been using it daily for a month or so now.
The gel is lightweight with a dewy-sheer finish (it doesn’t look thick or cakey at all which is crucial for me) and also offers mineral-based broad spectrum SPF30 for increased sun protection. (<—That is also important to me since I’ve read that rose hip seed oil can make your skin more sensitive to the sun.)
(Chase gave the packaging rave reviews during a shopping trip to Ulta. Haha!)
It helps even out my skin in a way that still looks natural. When I’m in a rush, my makeup routine includes a base of the Complexion Rescue gel, a dab of concealer over any blemishes, a light dusting of bronzer and quick sweep of mascara and I’m out the door!
And in case you need a little help in the makeup department, bareMinerals also recently created a video of a 3-minute makeup routine for busy moms featuring the cutest little girl, which you may see here.
- Don’t Look At My Phone Right Away
It’s so, so tempting to grab my phone and immediately check my email and start working on blog-related stuff the minute I wake up, but then my whole morning routine is fouled up since I’m pretty sure it’s impossible for me to check my phone and put it down after a minute or two in the morning. I try hard not to check my phone until after I’ve brushed my teeth, put on my workout clothes and brewed a much-needed cup of coffee. Looking at my phone almost always makes me feel a little overwhelmed by everything I want and need to do in the day ahead, so waiting even five minutes to check in after I wake up allows me to breathe and ease into the morning a bit.
- Make A Daily To-Do List
This is a huge one for me! Do I get everything done I want to on a daily basis? No, but a list helps keep me on track and allows me to feel a sense of accomplishment when I check things off my list! I also try to prioritize my lists so the items at the top of my list are “must dos” related to blog work that need to get done and items after that trickle down in importance. Lists help prevent that frazzled feeling for me and keep me on track and organized (well, as much as life working from home with a 10-month-old will allow, anyway).
Question of the Day
Now I’d love to hear about your mornings and little things you do every day to make your mornings feel a little less hectic!
- What is one thing you do to help streamline your morning routine?
***
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of bareMinerals. The opinions and text are all mine. Thank you so much for your support. I truly appreciate it!!
The post Little Ways I Simplify My Mornings appeared first on Peanut Butter Fingers.
from Peanut Butter Fingers http://ift.tt/1RRdmFO
via IFTTT
No comments:
Post a Comment