Fashion and beauty influencer Tijan Mazour is also a new mum to nine-month-old baby boy, Atlas. Here she talks to us about how important it is to find time for yourself even as a new mother. Find out how she manages to fit in an evening soak, spot of facial massage and some decent shut-eye thanks to her ability to multi-task and a little help from her husband Ivan.
The Wind Down
A typical Sunday usually involves a park walk and lunch somewhere nearby; we are partial to Sunday dim sum and have been going almost weekly for the past seven months or so – I take it as time away from my phone and never post any stories from Sunday lunch as it’s purely family and food time! I typically start winding down at around 5pm.
The Routine
My Sunday beauty routine is incredibly important to me as weekends are the only time I manage to have a bath; during the week it is just too hectic with the little one. On Sunday evening I run a bath and fill it with Susanne Kaufmann St. John’s Wort Bath – I only really use baby-friendly bath products and Susanne Kaufmann is safe but also lovely. I enjoy the first 15 minutes or so completely alone and I like to start my skincare routine as early as possible, as I love giving my skin a proper breather and pamper. For cleansing I love an oil or balm cleanser and have recently started using the Drunk Elephant Slaai Makeup Melting Butter Cleanser which works like an oil to break down makeup and dirt – it really does remove everything! I love using the Sarah Chapman Facialift with my cleanser, my skin feels so well circulated after – it honestly feels like I’ve done a workout for my face. I love applying a face mask and my current absolute favourite is the May Lindstrom The Problem Solver Warming Correcting Masque – using her Divine Youth Dew Balancing Facial Serum after is also just heavenly. I don’t require my products to have fragrance added but when the fragrance is a naturally occurring part of the product I really relish using them. My skincare routine is pretty simple and I like sticking with products I know won’t break me out. After my skincare, I add some cool water to the bath and my son Atlas will come and join me for a soak. I use this time to give him his evening wash and hair wash (so easy to wash your hair daily when you’re a baby!) My husband will then get Atlas into his pyjamas while get myself dry and apply body oil – at the moment I’m loving using the Kora Organics Noni Glow Body Oil which I adore – I think a good body oil is crucial whatever stage of life you’re at but especially if you’re pregnant or postpartum. Rubbing an oil into your tummy I think helps get the firmness back which we lose in pregnancy. I then give Atlas his bedtime feed while reading my book – at the moment I’m reading Sally Rooney’s Normal People, which I’m loving. Afterwards I join my husband in the living room for dinner and we watch a TV show – shows we’ve loved over the past month have been Fleabag and The OA.
Bedtime
We typically get into bed relatively early on a Sunday (we are usually in bed early in general to be honest) but on a Sunday we aim to be in bed by 8.30/9pm and no later. We watch something more relaxed in bed like Dynasty and go to sleep soon after. As my baby boy still wakes a few times in the night I like to get to sleep early to ensure I get a full (broken) eight hours! A new product I’ve just incorporated into my evening skincare routine is the Oskia Liquid Mask which includes superhero ingredients lactic acid, hyaluronic acid and my all-time favourite niacinamide (my skin adores it). My skin changed during pregnancy and in general has been a lot better and calmer (I was super acne-prone before). I’m still breastfeeding Atlas and plan to continue until he’s around 18 months so I’m hoping my skin doesn’t revert back once I’ve finished. I also think the products and ingredients I’m using at the moment are the best possible for my skin type – it’s definitely been trial and error and I finally understand the triggers for me that I need to avoid (and likewise the ingredients that really help soothe and protect my skin). I then finish my skin rituals with a thick layer of the La Mer The Lip Balm which I consider to be the best lip balm ever. I swear by Slip Silk Eye Masks and have several – I can’t sleep without an eye mask!
Monday Morning
On a Monday morning Atlas is my alarm! He typically wakes around 6.30am ready for the day and if I’m feeling rested I get up with him. If not his daddy takes him while I get an extra hour or so before he goes to work at 8am and then we start our day. I love making a bowl of gluten-free oats with almond milk on the hob and add a concoction of goodness such as almond butter, agave, chia seeds and blueberries or raspberries. I then will put out some breakfast for Atlas and we eat together while listening to Greg James on Radio 1. I love our mornings together! I don’t get Sunday blues as I love Mondays – they just always feel like such a productive day so I avoid booking too many things in so I can get ahead of my admin list and ready for another busy week.
