Today we are talking beauty as it relates to pregnant persons. I, myself, have had my fair-share of feeling frumpy during pregnancy. Some days, I wake up and feel altogether BLEH. That’s absolutely normal and okay! There are, however, a few beauty routines that freshen me up and make me feel confident again. These routines aren’t meant to hide the fact that I am carrying another person. Rather, they help me glow in all my maternal glory. I’ve always kept a fairly minimalist beauty routine, but it has changed slightly during this time. Thankfully, I have honed in on my arsenal of maternity beauty must-haves, and wish to pass them along today.
As a side note, I truly believe that less is more in the beauty world. When hormones run amok, the last thing you want to lather on your already-inflamed skin are chemically-loaded creams and powders. This would be adding insult to injury. Yes, it could hide the symptoms temporarily, but it could also aggravate the situation. Plus, my goal is not to hide myself from the world. I want that which will allow me to face everyday with confidence. I attack generalized feelings of pregnancy “blah-ness” in three key areas: My gut, my face, and my body.
Maternity Beauty Must-Haves for the Gut
It all begins with the gut. Holistic doctors have been touting this for years, and I think there is truth to it. The saying, “you are what you eat” didn’t come out of thin air. Personally, I have found that when I go through periods of eating unhealthy foods, my skin reacts with rashes, my body feels lethargic, and acne tends to appear out of thin air. I feel emotionally stressed, even without environmental stressors, which makes me believe my body is physically reacting to foods I am eating.
When it comes to feeling beautiful, you need to feed your body nutritional meals. This means eating a clean diet low in sugar, gluten, processed/frozen food, red meat, and yes, even caffeine. Clean eating is simply good hygiene. I see tremendous improvement whenever I do a week of clean eating. This is the first line of defense when my looks have gone down the way-side.
But there’s more than just eating well. One of my favorite ways to combat anything (sickness, inflammation, tiredness, overwhelm…) is to stay hydrated. I drink more than the recommended 8 cups of water a day. A tactic I use is to keep water within reach at all times. This Bink-Made Maternity bottle is helping moms stay on top of their hydration goals. I highly recommend!
I also like to take pre-natal vitamins and have been ingesting a daily dose of collagen for the last few years. My favorite collagen brand is this one from Thrive Market (affiliate link). I have recommended this brand of grass-fed collagen peptide to multiple friends and family members who have now become obsessed with the product! Of course, the beauty potions help too, which is why I want to address my favorite products for the face and body next.
Maternity Beauty Must-Haves for the Face
In general, I choose naturally occurring oils and serums. Avoiding make-up is also something I do. My daily make-up routine during my pregnancy consists of Glossier’s lash stick (aff link) and a dehydrated eyebrow pomade from Merit called the Brow 1980 (aff link). I use the latter to tame brow hairs since I never shape, wax, thread, or do anything with my brows anyway. Once a month I’ll reach for additional make-up options, all of which are from the Merit Beauty line, for weddings or special occasions.
Instead of hiding behind powder, I stick to skin-replenishing routines. True Botanicals is my go-to brand, with Aesop not too far behind. My night-time routine involves a nourishing cleanser, a rich Chebula active serum, and a moisturizing eye cream. In the day-time, I turn to a light moisturizing face oil, more eye cream, and a bit of sunscreen that blocks both UVA and UVB rays.
On days when I feel especially pruney, I love to use True Botanical’s renew nutrient mist, which I carry with me on airplanes and car rides. For my pregnancy, I have switched to their calm nutrient mist as recommended by pregnant mothers, but I prefer the renew version and will likely switch back once I finish my bottle. I apply lip balm feverishly throughout the day as well. As a child, my lips were always bleeding and chapped. The habit of wearing lip balm has really saved me from those woes.
Maternity Beauty Must-Haves on the Body
On my body, I apply lotion when I wake up and after I shower. I also have been using a well-loved body oil on my belly. It is from the brand Rowsie Vain. They have a number of body oils and perfumes and I am enamored with her brand. Now, this isn’t scientific advice but I am currently at month eight and have somehow avoided stretch marks thus far! The cause of stretch marks have yet to be proven, but some theories include hormones (what doesn’t?), rapid growth that doesn’t give skin enough time to stretch, and thin skin wherein the collagen fibers break down due to stretching. I have already mentioned that I have been taking my beloved collagen for a year, and that I stay hydrated. But the belly oil is one thing I won’t stop doing, because I think it helps! Lastly, and this is bordering on the superfluous, this sugar exfoliating body scrub does wonders for my skin!
A Note on Brand Loyalty
I don’t stray too far from my tried-and-true favorites: True Botanicals, Aesop, Merit and Glossier. Everyone is different, but I do recommend finding a handful of brands that you LOVE and sticking with them. Our bodies suffer when we use multiple products and exchange them frequently. Allow your body and skin to get used to something, and then stick with it.
Of course, nothing beats sunshine, exercise, meditation and a good night’s rest!
For all my mama’s out there, let me know what you’ve grown to love! I am looking for post-partum products, too!
