Mom Life: A Marketing Pro’s Love Affair with Masks

Courtney Byrd, spends her day strategizing and managing marketing for Sarah Wells Bags.  The company offers functional breast pump bags and accessories to help mothers reach their breastfeeding goals even if they are away from their children or working outside of home. When she’s not dreaming up promotional plans, she’s busy caring for her eight month old son and face masking (one can never face mask too much, right?).

 

I have a pretty intense skincare routine these days because I suffered from a lot of prenatal acne. I am now trying to fade scars and dark spots (while also dealing with a bit of postpartum acne, hormonal blemishes and sensitive skin – ah!). My general rule of thumb is: wash twice daily (tone in the morning, exfoliate at night) plus 2 weekly treatments. In the morning, I use my oil and acne control group of products to prevent clogged pores and runny make-up: Kate Somerville Detox Daily Cleanser ($36; amazon.com) and Clarifying Treatment Toner ($24; amazon.com), both of which I can’t rave about enough. At night, I use something more hydrating like the Biossance Squalene + Vitamin C Rose Oil ($72; sephora.com) along with the probiotic gel moisturizer ($52; sephora.com). To exfoliate, I either use Kate Somerville ExfoliKate ($39; amazon.com) or my Clarisonic brush ($116; amazon.com). For treating acne spots, I prefer Kate Somerville EradiKate ($26; amazon.com), but sometimes use a bit of salicylic acid by Origins. I’ve learned, with my skin being so sensitive, while sulfur may take longer to clear a blemish, salicylic acid is more likely to leave a post-acne mark. I like to have fun with my weekly treatments. They range from an at-home microdermabrasion, charcoal mask or glycolic acid peel to Korean sheet or sleep masks, especially those for brightening or including vitamin C.

Before baby, my skincare philosophy was “easy, please!” and consisted mostly of daily facial wipes by Simple to remove make-up. Now, my skincare philosophy is quite different. Most often, as moms, we put ourselves last and quality skincare products or services can be expensive, so we frequently go without. But you wear your skin every day! And how you feel about it can have such an impact on your confidence and mood, both of which can already be a struggle! So now my philosophy is “treat yourself!” I splurge when and where I can, build my skincare “collection” over time, and use my routine as “Me Time” to wind down after baby is sleeping. I truly believe Korean beauty is years ahead of American products. I prefer the masks (sheet and sleeping) and facial mists. When I run out of my current glycolic peel, I plan to replace it with a Korean option. I’ve also got my eye on those Acne Spot Dots too! Eventually, I think I’ll make about a 50% switch.

Did your routine change post-partum?
I breastfed for a few weeks, during which, I kept up the same routine as I did when pregnant. When formula feeding became the best option for baby and me, I switched to a more intensive routine to “attack” acne and begin fading leftover acne scars from pregnancy hormones. My skin changed both during and after pregnancy. Hormones caused acne along my chin, jawline and forehead. During pregnancy, I even had blemishes on my cheeks, which was a first for me. And if you’ve ever experienced hormonal acne, you know those little buggers are stubborn! After breastfeeding ended, my skin returned to be more “normal” for me, but some hormonal spots still pop up now and again. What products do you use on your body? For my body, I try to stick to drugstore products when possible, so I can splurge a bit more on facial care. During pregnancy, I used tons and tons of Palmer’s Coco Butter and Soothing Oil ($7; amazon.com). Most recently, I discovered Kashmere Toning Oil and now swear by it for my belly stretch marks.

Are there any beauty rituals you like to do?
As I’ve mentioned (quite a few times), I love sheet masks. I’ll put them on while I work-from-home or usually as I catch up on tv. Lately, I also like to use the Neutrogena Light Therapy Acne Treatment Mask ($35; amazon.com) — I’ll put it on and do a 10-minute meditation with the Stop, Breathe & Think app during my bedtime facial routine. I haven’t used it long or consistently enough to know if it’s making a difference, but if nothing else, it’s a relaxing 10 minutes for me!

What do you love about your skin?
I love that I don’t have to wear tons and tons of make-up because I have a mostly even tone, especially across my nose and cheeks. I also have naturally pink lips, so lip color is usually just for fun (bright reds, corals, light pinks, etc.). I like that I’m able to keep things more natural. While I spend a decent amount of time on my skincare routine, my make-up routine is a breeze, thanks to my skincare.

What advice do you have for other mothers?
Give yourself a break. As a Type A overachiever, I set the bar high and strive for perfection. That’s simply not possible all the time, especially during the first few years (as I’m very quickly learning). Have compassion for yourself when you can’t be perfect and show your child it’s okay to make mistakes. And practice self-care… which sometimes means just not. Too tired to wash your face? Grab a face wipe and jump in bed. Got a long to-do list and no time for yoga class? Do a Mommy & Me workout during playtime. Find new ways to create your own version of “perfect.” When I switched to formula, I felt like a major failure. If I couldn’t provide for my child in the most natural, instinctive way possible, how could I take care of him in all of the other ways I needed to? Sarah, our company founder, helped me to forgive myself, make the decision and stick to it— no looking back.  Your best is enough and taking care of yourself is being a good mom.