Last year, my fiance and I adopted the most adorable rescue dog named Pumpkin. Pumpkin was hit by a car and left stray with a broken leg and brain damage. When we adopted her we put her through surgery to fix her broken leg, but unfortunately it was too far gone and they had to amputate. Luckily, she’s now the happiest little dog! She loves to run, play, and snuggle. She’s no longer scared of her own shadow and has adjusted so well to having three legs!
But due to Pumpkin’s special circumstances and the trauma she endured, she basically acted like a brand new puppy for the first eight months we had her. She wouldn’t toilet train, couldn’t understand basic commands, and worst of all, she wouldn’t sleep. She spent those first eight months waking us up every 2-3 hours crying, pacing, and panicked. We tried everything we could to get her to sleep through the night, including hiring three (yes – three!) separate dog trainers, but nothing seemed to work. It was like we had a brand new puppy (or a newborn baby!) for months on end and while it was an incredibly challenging period, it was also transformative. It taught me to be patient, nurturing, flexible, and better yet? It taught me how to survive on a few hours of sleep and still look good doing it.
Within a few weeks of adopting Pumpkin I came to the realisation that I would need to adjust my beauty routine. As someone who always got a solid eight hours every night, the disruption in my sleep patterns suddenly left me with dark, puffy under eyes, dull skin, and a morning routine that was cut in half. It took a little while to figure out, but I eventually landed on a foolproof routine with a few cheeky tricks…
RELATED: Pumpkin gets an activated charcoal treatment at The Fur Salon!
RELATED: Fitness expert Kelsey Wells answers your diet and exercise questions
Keep metal spoons in your freezer
One of the quickest (and cheapest!) ways to instantly get rid of puffy eyes after a night of no sleep is with metal spoons. I put two spoons in my freezer overnight and hold them over my undereyes in the morning while I wait for my coffee to brew. Within minutes my eye bags are gone and I feel wide awake!
Keep your cleanser and moisturiser in your fridge
Another way to make yourself feel wide awake when you’re genuinely exhausted? Applying cold skincare products! Keeping your skincare in the fridge will not only keep your products fresh, but it’ll give your skin a cooling burst first thing in the morning. I found the cooling effect actually made me look forward to doing my skincare in the morning and helped me wake up on even my groggiest days.
Invest in high quality skincare
I firmly believe there are certain products you don’t need to splurge on, but skincare isn’t one of them. Investing in high quality skincare is always a good idea and especially so when you’re struggling with chronic sleep deprivation and often run short on time in the morning. Once I switched from nearly all drugstore skincare to higher-end brands, my skin suddenly started to look brighter, plumper, and just better. It also cut my getting ready time in half, as my makeup went on smoother and I found I could swap my usual five base products for just one in order to look alive.
bh recommends: Alpha-H Liquid Gold and Ultraderm Absolute C Cream
Get yourself a full coverage concealer
If my skincare tricks still aren’t cutting it for you, it may be time to invest in a full coverage concealer. Before we adopted Pumpkin, I rarely wore concealer and when I did it was something light coverage to brighten my under eyes. Now, I’m well-versed in the world of full coverage concealers and the wonders they work on dark circles and problem areas, especially if you don’t have time for a full foundation routine.
bh recommends: essence camouflage full coverage concealer and Bobbi Brown Instant Full Cover Concealer
Invest in multi-use products
Multi-use products have been my latest Holy Grail investment. Whether it’s an everything-balm, a duo lip and cheek product, or a brow and shadow combo, multi-use products are life and time-savers. They became essential on days when Pumpkin had been up all night and I slept in a little too long!
bh recommends: Trilogy Everything Balm and Lanolips 101 Ointment Multi-Balm Rose Gold
Find a go-to hairstyle you can do in under 2 minutes
As someone who used to spend at least 20 minutes curling my hair every morning, speeding up my haircare routine was a struggle at first. Given that I couldn’t just curl half my head to cut down on time, I had to find hairstyles that require little-to-no styling to suit my new schedule. I’ve since settled on the low bun with a middle part, which I can do in under two minutes and works no matter if my hair is clean or dirty.
Have you ever had a new puppy? What advice do you have for new puppy parents?
