That’s my girl Emerson trying to help me get ready. Mornings can be rough. That’s why I’m over at NadineJolie.com talking about my morning makeup routine. (It’s fast, requires no skill and will help you look more awake than you feel.)

I can’t recall exactly when it happened, but at some point after I had my girls, my approach to makeup went from experimental and fun to pragmatic and fast. At 7am, when I’ve got mouths to feed, backpacks to pack, and a toddler at my feet, my makeup plan doesn’t have a lot of room for error. There’s no time to play with color or carefully wing out some liquid eyeliner. At 7am, it’s about covering up and contouring, lightening and brightening. And fast.

I hear so many mothers say they just don’t have time in the morning to put on makeup. And I don’t disagree—once you have school-age children, especially, time is tight to get out the door. Often women tell me they just skip makeup altogether, even though it really boosts their confidence, because they just “can’t deal.” That makes me sad.

It’s my mission to help mothers everywhere feel their best and make beauty straightforward and accessible, as opposed to trendy or aspirational. That’s why I’ve come up with a foolproof morning makeup plan. A makeup uniform, if you will. Six products in six minutes. It’s super easy and natural looking. With some creative parenting (and perhaps some baby-gating) it’s really quite doable.

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