Quick Mommy Fashion

Inspired by former cheerleader/ZTA sister/student affairs grad student extraordinaire Gracie and her blog, Student Affairs Sensible, I'm adding fashion to my list of adventures. I love clothes, shoes, purses, accessories, you name it. After I had Sophie, I found myself needing new clothes -- not complaining about that! I love the thrill of the hunt, as in hunting down bargains. I live for trips to the outlets and Bon-Ton's yellow-dot racks. :-)

Being a new mommy is not exactly conducive to high fashion. Most days are spent in tees, sweats, the like -- for comfort and for function, because who wants spit-up on their cutest clothes? Not me. It's bad enough when Sophie chucks on her own cute outfits. 

But some days, I need or want to get out of the house, to run errands or just give Sophie a change of scenery (She seems to share my love of shopping). With Sophie now mobile and also rather cranky when I leave her in her crib for a minute, I find myself doing quick-changes to get ready to leave the house. Hey, I live in the Abingtons, dahling. We don't leave the house in sweats. So here are a few tips for Quick Mommy Fashion:

• If it's winter, don't worry about your top. Unless you're going somewhere that's boiling hot, you can pretty much leave your coat on while you shop or dash off that errand. Top it with a cute scarf and you're good to go. Focus on your bottom half. 
• Flat boots are a godsend. Well, flats in general are a godsend, but right now is not the time for my super-cute purple striped Fergie flats - they'll just get destroyed in a puddle of slush AND my feet will freeze. Flat boots keep my feet warm, look cute, and can usually withstand the weather. The ones I bought last season were cheap enough that I don't mind them getting a little beat.
• Never underestimate the power of the ponytail. I usually don't have time to fully blowdry my hair when I wash it, so it ends up kind of funky-wavy. I throw it in a ponytail and I'm good to go.
• Use an eyeshadow set for quickie eyes and forget about eyeliner. Even if you just brush on the highlight shade, line your eyes with the dark shade and it makes your eyes pop enough that you don't look like Tired Mommy. This even works when I leave my glasses on.
• I have a foundation stick from Clinique that I adore. I don't think they make it anymore. I hate foundation as a rule, but if I need to cover up some blah, I can just swipe a bit of this on and it has a nice powdery finish. Basically, try to find makeup that does multiple tasks and it will cut down on your get-ready time.

 Any other mommies out there have ways to look better fast? I'd love to hear them!