'Right after Romy was born, I didn’t really care about having a social life. I did care about looking nice, so I never stopped putting on makeup or anything—I can’t leave the house without mascara, ever. [Laughs] But now that she’s two-and-a-half, I can care more about my social life again. But I need to plan more in advance now. It's not like it used to be, when someone textsyou at 8pm—'Do you want to go for dinner?' And you say, 'Yes, why not?' I need to know at the latest by noon if I have a plan or not which is hard in New York. So if I can, I like to put her to bed at 7:30pm and have a dinner at 9pm. If it’s one of those fashion events that starts at 7pm then it’s a mess everywhere. It’s a mess in the bathroom and I just hope that she’s having dinner with the nanny... otherwise she’s with me and the bathroom, and I just try to deal with it and have fun with it. She slows things a little bit but it’s OK. When that happens, I have to be more efficient.

PRE-PARTY PREPARATION

I try to have dinners or events as late as possible so I can put Romy to bed first, and then I have the apartment to myself for an hour just so I can take a bath and really relax and just take a little time to myself. Even a 15-minute bath with a candle—that always works. I love Epsom salt and just use the inexpensive unscented ones from CVS. It’s better than oils…those make the tub so gross and I never feel like cleaning it right before I go out.

I wash all the day's makeup off my face before reapplying for night. I use a tiny bit of the Eve Lom Cleanser and really massage my face with it because it’s super concentrated. You’re supposed to use this muslin cloth with it, but I think it’s in the laundry right now. If I have time, I apply a mask or a sort of peel to bring out the glow. I’ll use something like the Sisley Black Rose Cream Mask two or three times a week, and then the Natura Bissé Glycoline Glyco Extreme Peel once week. That one really makes you fresh. So I’ll do that and then put something calming over it to rehydrate, like La Mer's The Intensive Revitalizing Mask. You don’t have to wash it off after—just wipe off the excess and that’s it.

When I'm getting ready, I’ll listen to '80s music on Spotify just to wake me up and put me in the mood. I like that it’s cheesy. I don’t like to eat before I leave, but I like to be energized. If I have time, I’ll have a green tea while I’m in the bath. Otherwise, a Diet Coke. Otherwise, I’m very easy to convince into staying home and watching a movie.

STYLE

I hate picking out outfits for events. That’s why I always wear the same thing when I go out—OK, not exactly the same, but always something easy. If it isn’t a big fashion event, it’ll be jeans and a nice top. Otherwise I’ll wear a little dress. Pretty boring. Or rather, French classic. Sometimes I like to be a little glamorous, a little Bardot. Jane Birkin, too. I’m inspired by all those women in the ‘60s—they look so put-together and cool at the same time and they all were moms—moms and career women. I do wear heels, though. Pretty much always. I need to feel good about myself, so even if it’s causal, I’ll slip them on.

But I prefer not to carry much. So usually in my purse it’s going to be my credit card, my phone, an extra battery. I’ll take two makeup products, which changes with what I’m wearing. Normally, it’s a concealer— RMS Beauty “Un' Coverup—and a lip gloss I can use as a blush as well. There’s Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge that’s really good and it’s made for lips and cheeks, but it’s not glossy. Then there’s a lipstick from Jessica Hart’s new brand, LUMA. It’s very sheer and it just puts like a little glow on your cheeks.

GROOMING

Right now I’m trying to give my hair a break. But Romy hates if I have my hair up which is very funny. She’s like 'No. Do like Princess Anna'—from Frozen— which means put my hair down. I'll keep it loose most of the time, and it's always super clean. I probably wash it at least every other day. Amazon Beauty's Rahua Shampoo and Conditioner is really good. Then I just quickly blow dry it with my head upside down and let it dry itself the rest of the way.

During the days—especially before an event—I like to take a break for a manicure and pedicure. I really can’t stand when my nails aren’t fresh, and I’ll redo them if they chip. Even in the winter, I need my toes done because I like to see them when I put shoes on and stuff like that. It’s a self-respect thing.

MAKEUP

Sometimes Romy and I play with my makeup together and sometimes she’ll end up breaking my compacts, which can get annoying. I’m used to it at this point. But since I became a mom, my makeup is more toned down. It’s not because I feel like I have to—it’s just because as I age, I feel like I look better with less makeup. I used to love red lipstick, but now I feel like it ages me. It’s the same with red nail polish. I’m more focused on masks and creams and other preventative things now. So my makeup routine starts with massaging in some MUN No. 1 Aknari Brightening Youth Serum—it smells so good—and then applying some powder blush on top, like Guerlain Terracotta Blush, to take away some of the shine. Sometimes I’ll use a bit of concealer, but not if I don't have to.

After that, I need to do my eyebrows—I like them long and bold so I extend them. I’ve been using this eyeshadow from MAC, in Espresso, that matches my color perfectly. It's so old—I'm surprised I haven't lost it by now. Then I use a Sephora eyeshadow brush to draw them in. Eyeko just hooked me on their products, too. Their Brow Gel and Black Magic Mascara are great.

Normally, I just do a smoky eye. I’ve started putting a little bit of the L'Oréal Infallible Gel Lacquer 24 Hourin Blackest Black in the crease, just for definition. The boldest thing I’ll do is eyes and lips at the same time. [Laughs] Like super-smoky eyes and a rich, red lip. It works best with menswear, I think. Actually, the only way I wear red lips right now if I wear a white dress or an all-white outfit because the lipcolor kind of brightens it up. My favorite red is called Ruby Tuesday by Max Factor. I got it forever ago in London. Lanolips also does a beautiful red.

THE END OF THE NIGHT

I come home earlier now than I used to, unsurprisingly.When you’re 18 you recover right away. Today, if I have a late night out, it takes me a week to recover. But I bet I'd be coming home earlier even if I wasn't a mom, because I’m getting older. But these days, I don’t have mornings to sleep in or anything. I have to wake up for work during the week and then take Romy out early on the weekends. But I love that.

When I do get home, I always try to take off my makeup—that's number one. I use the Lancôme Bi-Facil Double-Action Eye Makeup Remover. And then I use Bioderma all over my face. Afterwards, I put a lot of moisturizer on. Right now, I'm using Sunday Riley Bionic, which is great but really expensive. The First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads are also really great when you come back from a party and you need to refresh. Back when people were allowed to smoke in restaurants and bars, I remember coming home and always smelling like an ashtray, and I hated that. I'm not a smoker! I can't sleep when I smell like other people, so I would take a shower and wash my hair and get a much better sleep. It’s so worth the energy of jumping in a shower, and then moisturizing your body with something like Aurelia Probiotic Skincare Firm and Revitalise Dry Body Oil.

The one thing I have to do when I get home is look for pizza in the freezer. [Laughs] I need something salty and bad when I go home. Always.”

—as told to ITG

Julia Restoin Roitfeld, in vintage Yves Saint Laurent, photographed by Tom Newton.