As The Handbook’s Beauty Editor – and a mum of five – I’ve tested more products and routines than I can count, but nothing has transformed my skin quite like becoming a parent. No one warns you that, alongside the hospital bag and the emergency snacks, you should also pack your old skin. Because motherhood doesn’t just change your life, it changes your face.

From 10-step rituals to ‘if I have time’

Pre-children, I had a routine. Cleanse, tone, serum, eye cream, moisturiser, facial oil with a gua sha if I was feeling in need of extra pampering. A weekly mask. A twice-weekly exfoliation. I owned products that required cotton pads. I had time to wait between layers.

Then I had a baby. The first one introduced me to a glow I can only describe as hormonal luck. Pregnancy gave me that smug, dewy sheen. Post-birth? I was suddenly the proud owner of dullness, dehydration, and shadowy under-eye bags. Sleep became theoretical. My skin followed suit. But as a beauty editor, I still had optimism and trust that it was just a phase.

Pregnancy gave me that smug, dewy sheen. Post-birth? I was suddenly the proud owner of dullness, dehydration, and shadowy under-eye bags

By baby number two, I understood that any routine longer than the duration of a Peppa Pig episode was a fantasy. My hormones were swinging all over the place. One week I was dry and flaky; the next I had breakouts I hadn’t seen since my GCSEs. Add breastfeeding into the mix, and my skin felt permanently thirsty, which even the strongest hyaluronic acid couldn’t fix.

The 60-second rule that changed my routine

So, I streamlined. A cleanser that removes makeup. Moisturiser with SPF. Concealer that could double as a base.

Baby three was when the real edits began. Three small humans, zero spare minutes. I stopped chasing perfection and started chasing just looking presentable; grooming went well out the window. My skincare shelf thinned out, my hair was rarely cut, and my colour was a rushed DIY job at home. Anything that required precision, mixing or waiting was quietly retired. If it didn’t work in under 60 seconds, it didn’t work for me.

Anything that required precision, mixing or waiting was quietly retired. If it didn’t work in under 60 seconds, it didn’t work for me.

This is when multi-tasking products became my ride-or-dies. Tinted moisturiser instead of foundation. Cream blush that could go on cheeks and lips and eyelids if I was venturing outdoors with all three (a rare occurrence). An exfoliating toner that did the heavy lifting overnight.

Motherhood etched into my features

Motherhood also changed my facial structure. There’s a particular softness that arrives with chronic tiredness. My jawline, once sharp, became… gentler. My eyes looked bigger, partly from love, partly from permanent shock! Fine lines set up camp, forever.

By baby four, patience, like my natural collagen had noticeably reduced. I no longer wanted complicated skincare. I wanted effective. Skincare became less about aspiration and more about maintenance. A quick swipe of cleanser to remove the grey film of exhaustion Vitamin C in the morning to fake eight hours’ sleep. Retinol at night to ward off any more lines appearing. Because, as we all know, lack of sleep shows up everywhere. It dulls skin, deepens lines, and slows cell turnover. You can drink all the green juice in the world, but if you’ve been up since 3am because someone’s lost their cuddly giraffe comforter, your face will tell on you.

Hormones, too, are wild. Five pregnancies meant five waves of change. Pigmentation that appeared out of nowhere on my forehead (and still makes an appearance when the sun shines). Skin that reacted to products it once loved. Oiliness where I’d always been dry. Each baby rewrote the script, and I had to adapt accordingly.

You can drink all the green juice in the world, but if you’ve been up since 3am because someone’s lost their cuddly giraffe comforter, your face will tell on you

By the time baby number five arrived, I was a minimalist. Not aesthetically, emotionally. My routine became super-efficient: Cleanse in the shower, one treatment step (serum), one moisturiser and SPF. Always SPF (because nothing ages you faster than children and the sun, and I can only control one of those!)

Make-up? I proudly have my routine down to five minutes. Base. Concealer. Brows. Mascara. Something creamy on the cheeks. Done. If I can apply it while simultaneously refereeing an argument about whose turn it is to sit in the front, it stays. If not, goodbye.

Motherhood etched itself into my features. The laughter lines are deeper because there has been more laughter (and yes, more shouting). The under-eyes tell stories of night feeds, endless A&E visits with bouts of croup, whispered conversations in the dark. My skin may not be as taut, but it is expressive. Softer. Warmer.

I’ve also learned to prioritise what moves the needle. Sleep when possible (revolutionary, I know). Water (boring, but it works). Exfoliation to keep things fresh (ish). A decent moisturiser to support a slightly frazzled barrier. I no longer fall for 12-step routines promising transformation. I want reliability. Products that show up even when I feel like I can’t.

Less time, better routine

There’s something freeing about having less time. You become decisive. You discover what your skin truly needs and what was just habit. My five children edited stripped everything back to the essentials. And in doing so, it made my routine better.

Do I miss my leisurely Sunday nights wallowing in a bath, with a face mask in candlelight? Of course. But what I don’t miss is the pressure to look, perfect.  Motherhood changed my face. It made it more tired, yes. More lined, yes. But also, more alive.

And these days, if a multi-tasking serum can make me look half-normal on four hours’ sleep before a day of meetings, then I’m winning.  Because beauty, I’ve learned, isn’t about having the time. It’s about using the little you’ve got.

I no longer fall for 12-step routines promising transformation. I want reliability. Products that show up even when I feel like I can’t.

The products I use on repeat, after 5 kids

One coat and I look like I’ve slept. Two coats and I look vaguely organised. It lifts, lengthens, and makes “up since 4am” eyes look intentionally wide and awake.
Tapped onto cheeks and lips in under 30 seconds, it fakes fresh air and eight hours’ rest. Cream formulas melt in fast, crucial when five kids are simultaneously shouting “Muuuum!” mid-application.
When hormones left my skin confused and permanently thirsty, this cult favourite restored calm. No faff, no fragrance drama, just solid, barrier-boosting hydration that makes me look less frazzled.
Because children age you; the sun doesn’t need to help. Lightweight, invisible, and quick, it protects without adding another stressful layer to the morning juggle.
Ten minutes while packing lunches and filling up water bottles at 6am. Brighter, less crumpled under-eyes. They’re my emergency reset button before school runs, meetings or facing the world in daylight.
The fastest way to look pulled together? Shine. One swipe makes me look polished, hydrated and like I meant to leave the house looking this effortless.
Beauty, Mother's Day, Skincare

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