Mommy Beauty Essentials

True story: This morning, I was nursing my 4 month old while applying make-up and talking my 3 year old through putting on his clothes. Multitasking to the max, my friends! As I was awkwardly applying my under eye concealer to hide the gigantic dark circles that are taking over precious real estate on my face, I started thinking about how much I've cut back on the amount of beauty supplies I have in my makeup bag.

Life is hard to organize with two kids, so simplifying anywhere I can helps immensely.

Here are my favorite products to have in my handy, dandy makeup bag:

1. Dr. Jart Water Fuse Beauty Balm: This stuff is hands down my favorite item in my makeup bag. It moisturizes, which is a must here in dry Denver, and has a light coverage that gives my skin a natural look while evening out my skin tone. This is the only thing I wear on a daily basis, even if I don't apply any other make-up for the entire day.
2. Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat: Those dark circles I mentioned earlier? This stuff takes care of that business. I love the brush applicator and the light feeling of the concealer.
3. Cover Girl Lash Exact in Very Black: Ah, mascara. The magic eye waker-upper. I love the length this gives my lashes and it layers beautifully, which gives me the flexibility to go super natural or a little more dramatic.
4. NARS Blush: I never used to use blush because my face was always quite red when I was younger. But these days, between the sleep deprivation and the more frequent use of sunscreen, my complexion can sometimes look a bit pale. This blush, in Orgasm- peachy pink with gold glitter, is perfection for adding a light amount of color and shimmer.
5. Urban Decay NAKED2 Basics: This eyeshadow set makes it easy to add just a quick brush of neutral color for an everyday look, sometimes just a quick swipe of one of the lightest shades, or layers of color to create the perfect look for a rare dinner date with the husband. I love this eyeshadow because, no matter the look, the shadow feels light and stays put. 
6. Covergirl Perfect Point Plus Eyeliner: Sometimes I want something a little cleaner and faster than shadow. That's when this eyeliner comes in handy. Also, to make your eyes look more open, a quick sweep of light eyeshadow, a clean line of eyeliner, and mascara on the top lashes only does wonders!
7. Moroccan Oil: There are things I do eery day and blow drying my hair isn't one of them. I almost always let my hair air dry, which can result in some frizzy business. A tiny squirt of this Moroccan oil rubbed into the ends of my hair makes all the difference. Plus, a small bottle lasts forever. *additional hair tip: If you want to extend time between hair washing, I highly recommend getting into braids. I'm obsessed with side braids like in the photo above.)
8. Aveda Stress-Fix Lotion: I have a travel sized bottle of this lotion and I love it. I use it when I want some pampering but only have 2 minutes to take a deep breath.
9. Rings: I have two large rings that I wear almost every day. I can't do earrings or necklaces at the moment because they will, without a doubt, be yanked out of my ears or off of my neck by one of the kiddos. These rings help me pull an outfit together so I look like I put some thought into my clothing for the day.

And that, my friends, is it! Super simple, quality items that get me through the day-to-day grind. Oh, and I didn't add my lip gloss/lip stain in the photo because that's the one area where I tend to mix things up. Some days a dark berry stain is my jam. Some days its a clear gloss.

What are your favorite go-to makeup items or tips for simplifying your beauty routine?

*Note: There are no affiliate links in this post. This list was made based on my own personal experience and preferences.