Moms know how challenging it can be to find time to take care of ourselves. We all want to look our best and make the very best impression on our little ones. We want to feel like a confident mother to our kids. Yet we tend to rush around every day with a frenetic pace that often leaves us feeling rushed and stressed out.

We often find ourselves caught in a “beauty routine” catch-22. On the one hand, we want to take the time to care for ourselves by primping a bit before leaving the house, while on the other hand, we want to look our best in the most minimal amount of time possible. I am guilty of the former. While I make it a point to have a bit of a beauty routine, I’ve often left the house without looking as presentable as I could have. (You know you’ve been there!)

While I know that I can’t spend every minute of my day looking and feeling as fabulous as I possibly can, I also know that my little ones are looking to see how I look. As moms, it’s important to set a good example for them.

As I prepare to welcome our little one into the world, I wanted to share a 10-minute beauty routine that I’ve learned and developed over the past 5 years as a mom. This includes my favorite products, the products that work for me, and products that I wouldn’t mind leaving home without.

What makes this routine unique is that it is easy, quick, and will actually leave you looking your best – even if you only have a couple of minutes to spare! I’ve also included a few additional beauty hacks that I’ve learned along the way.

This routine will get you ready for your next day, as well as leave you with a bit of a glow in your eyes that’s been missing. I hope that it will help you feel a bit more confident in your own skin as a mom and feel like you can really put your best face forward.

1. Wash and style your hair

I’ve found that it’s much easier to spend less time styling my hair (or doing it at all) if I spend more time in the morning washing and styling my hair first. This is a great way to get your morning off on the right foot. While you can leave the dry shampoo on for a bit of a boost, I prefer to wash my hair to get rid of all the dirt and oil. This is the easiest way to keep my hair soft and manageable throughout the day.

I keep my hair washed and blow dried for a bit of time. When I’m feeling rushed, I simply blow-dry my hair in a few sections until it’s finished. (I prefer to blow-dry rather than straighten my hair). This also saves me from having to spend another 20-30 minutes after blow-drying if I decide to straighten my hair instead.

I usually don’t even leave the house without washing my hair first!

2. Gather some items you’ll need

This will make your beauty routine a bit quicker, which will give you the ability to leave the house on time. I suggest you keep your makeup products in a makeup pouch or makeup bag, so that you can get to it without much fuss.

Also, keep some baby powder or powder-free dry shampoo in a separate little pouch. This will be great for touch-ups throughout the day or for when your kids get a bit rambunctious!

3. Apply your makeup

This can be a bit of a challenge, especially if you have a lot of makeup products to use. But, it’s a lot faster if you start with a clean face first. It may be tempting to start with your eye makeup, but I’ve found that applying my eye makeup at the end is the easiest way to ensure that I’m wearing the right amount and I can avoid smudging it all over my face. I’m not the biggest fan of smudging eye makeup, and I’ve found that if I apply my makeup at the beginning of my routine, I can avoid this mess altogether.

4. Sweep on a bit of blush, bronzer, and/or eye shadow

You can apply your makeup with a light hand at first, but you should also sweep on a bit of blush to add some color to your face. I personally like to sweep on my blush with a damp beauty blender. This way, I can see how I look and touch up where needed.

You can also apply a bronzer or a shimmery eye shadow for more added dimension to your eye. I personally prefer to wear my bronzer over my cheekbones and sweep it over my eyelids. This is especially helpful when I wake up a little later in the morning and my eye makeup is looking a little tired or worn out. It gives my eyes that much-needed boost, but is still a quick look that won’t take too long.

5. Set with hairspray

While I’ve found that I’m not a huge fan of using hairspray, I think it is necessary to have it on hand for a quick touch up if I ever get caught in a rainstorm, for example.

6. Apply your eye liner and mascara

This is an optional step if you’d like. I’ve found that I’m much more prone to smudging my eye liner if I’m trying to do it right away. (Even with my damp beauty blender!) But, I’ve also found that applying my eye liner first and then applying my mascara after will ensure that I’m wearing the right amount, so I’m not smudging it all over my face.

7. Finish off your makeup with a bit of lipstick

This step may be optional, but I think that this step is a bit important. While we all want to look our best, we also want to look like we’ve put in the time and effort to make the best impression. Lipstick is an easy way to do this. But, you can always just apply a little bit of color to your lips before you go.

8. Apply your “secret weapon”

I tend to save this step for when I know that I need a little bit more of a boost. I also save it for times when I know that I need to look my best at work.

This may include using some sort of facial mist. I’ve used both!

9. Add your finishing touches

This step can take longer, depending on how much time you have. I would suggest skipping this step if you know you will be leaving in less than an hour. But, if you are looking to make the most of your time, you may want to add in a few final touches. For example, I usually add a swipe of my favorite lip gloss or lip balm.

And, I like to add on a bit of a shine with some loose glitter, because it’s fun to see a little bit of sparkle when I look in the mirror!

I hope that this routine is helpful for you and gives you a bit of an added boost! It doesn’t have to be long or complicated. I found that 10-15 minutes will do the trick for me, and even when I know I have 30-45 minutes before I have to leave, I usually still add in these steps.

What’s one beauty routine that you can do quickly in 10 minutes or less? I’d love to know! Please share in the comments below.