Beauty products for pregnancy and beyond

Knowing what products you can and can’t use during pregnancy is a complete minefield. There are so many conflicting reports out there, that it is actually hard to find out what exactly you can and can’t use. I personally haven’t been OTT about watching what I used but as a rule of thumb, I went for as many paraben and sulphate free products as possible, while avoiding Salicylic acid, retinol, vitamin a, glycolic acid, hair removal products  and developing tans. While there is science behind avoiding the likes of the Salicylic acid, retinonals and vitamin a, the tanning products are up for debate as to whether you can use them or not but personally I decided to avoid them. Sure there are loads of safe instant tans on the market that look just as good.

So what exactly did I use? Over the past 9 months, I have tried and tested a whole heap of pregnancy safe products and have narrowed it down to my favourites below. All of these products are safe during pregnancy but they can also be used if you’re not pregnant. In fact most of these are not designed with pregnancy in mind!

YonkaPhoto- Contour eye cream

If you follow me on snapchat (@thebeauttruth) you will have heard me rave about this eye cream. One of downsides to pregnancy is the constant exhaustion. Yes, it gets a little bit better for a fleeting moment during the second trimester, but if you’re anything like me you will have spent the majority of your pregnancy hauling yourself through the day. This eye cream was fantastic for waking my eyes up in the morning and helping reduce any puffiness. When hay fever season kicked in it was a life saver.

It has quite a strong scent to it, so when you apply a small amount of product under the eye area, you do need to keep your eyes closed for 30 seconds or so, otherwise it will sting. It is too early to tell if it helps with dark circles and to be fair I am probably not the best person to decide if black circles can be reduced as mine are so bad, but when it comes to waking up your eyes and reducing puffiness this is fantastic. You can find a list of Yonka stockists here or you can buy it online here for €36.50 ( I haven’t used this site to buy from before, it just came up in a google search)

Moogoo Irritable skin balm

Another issue that popped up during my pregnancy was itchy skin. Around the 12 – 18 week mark, my skin felt like it was crawling and I couldn’t stop itching. It got so bad I was actually ripping my skin and I was covered in cuts everywhere. Thankfully it wasn’t as a result of anything serious, just an influx of hormones, but I needed to do something about the itch. Whenever the itch started I reached for either the MooGoo Irritable skin balm or my La Roche Posay one which I can neither find nor remember the name of  for the life of me!!! Either way, the MooGoo Irritable skin balm calms the itch down in a matter of minutes and due to the safe ingredients it is not only perfect for pregnancy but you can use it on your kids too. I swear by this and honestly won’t be without it in my press. If you’re any way of an itchy person, this really is a god send. You can find a list of MooGoo stockists here or buy it online here €15.95.

Caudalie VinoPerfect Radiance serum

This is not a product specifically for pregnancy but rather one that anyone can use to bring a radiance to their skin and help with pigmentation. I have been using it for about a month now and I absolutely love how it makes my skin feel.I apply this before my moisturiser and let it sink into the skin. It really makes your skin feel super soft. I have seen some brightening of the skin but nothing major, however, it is enough to make me keep going. In fact the way it leaves my skin feeling so soft and hydrated makes me want to keep using this even if it did’t brighten a tap! I am a big Caudalie fan because the ingredients that are used are natural and safe. I will say, it is saucy in price at €57.45 but you can pick it up in Space Nk if it is something that you fancy trying.

Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance moisturiser

I have used this moisturiser with the serum and without and while it is fabulous with the serum, you can use it on its own. In fact I find it works just a well on its own. Like the serum, this is said to help with radiance. Again like with the serum I have seen slight improvement, it isn’t the radiance I love about this, but rather how my skin feels. It is so hydrating and really leaves the skin feeling super soft. Not only that, but it contains an SPF of 20. You can buy this in Space nk for €35.64

Mama Mio The Tummy rub oil

Mama Mio is quite a famous brand when it comes to pregnancy products and in particular the tummy rub oil is hailed as a godsend by many pregnant women. This oil is used to prevent and reduce stretch marks, help with itchy skin when your tummy is stretching  and give you soft skin. It is not hard to see why so many women rave about this, as it 100% does everything it says it will. I have used this quite a bit and while it is hard to say if it is as a result of the oil or my own skin being super stretchy, but at 38 weeks pregnant I don’t have one stretch mark on my tummy. Thank the sweet lord!!  I found this absolutely gorgeous on the tummy. It felt so luxurious and smelt divine. It also didn’t feel oily and dried into the skin relatively quickly so that you can get dressed quickly afterwards. I highly recommend this for women who are pregnant. You can pick it up on Cloud10 beauty for €32.95, a little expensive but money well spent in my eyes. ( Don’t forget to use the code Beaut10 for 10% off until July 8th)

Mama Mio Pregnancy Boob Tube

The pregnancy boob tube was designed to help tighten and firm the boobs and chest area during and after pregnancy. If you know me, you will know that I have a fairly large bust. Ok that is putting it lightly, they are bloody huge!! For me firming the chest area was never going to happen, as that ship had sailed a long time ago!! However, what I did find this good for was helping the skin stretch when my boobs were changing size and stopping them getting itchy with the stretch in the skin. It is also said you can use this after pregnancy while you’re breast feeding! again you can pick this up on Cloud10 beauty for €34.95.

Cocoa Brown Lovely legs

This has been an absolute god send for me, especially in my last trimester when I could no longer wear jeans due to bloating and had to wear dresses when the weather was really warm. As I mentioned above, I have avoided developing tans throughout my pregnancy ,as while some deem it safe, there are conflicting reports and I just didn’t want to take a chance.

Cocoa Brown is a household name but in my opinion, Lovely Legs is the Cocoa Brown product that has gone under the radar somewhat, but is fast becoming a favourite of mine. I absolutely adore it!! It is a medium bronze leg makeup but it doesn’t have the full on covered up look that you get from Sally Hansen. I actually like that it doesn’t give that full on coverage, as I am not a fan of Sally as I feel it looks a little fake. Instead what this gives is a smooth even finish to the skin and a gorgeous light brown natural shade. I really love the shade as it doesn’t look like you have lashed on a whole heap of fake tan, but rather you have had a few days in the sun.

I don’t spray the tan directly onto my legs, but instead spray it onto the glove and then spread it onto my legs or upper body. I tend to use this more on my legs and the Cocoa Brown Instant tan bronzing gel on my upper body. I don’t do this for any particular reason at all, just happened to be a routine I fell into. I have gone through bottles of this over the past few months and I honestly can sing high enough prise for it. It is well worth grabbing a bottle or pregnant or not. You can pick a bottle up in Pennys, Dunnes or most pharmacies for €7.95 or online here at cloud 10 beauty.