Bee Shapiro is a New York Times columnist and founder of the sustainable luxury fragrance and bodycare line Ellis Brooklyn. From Seattle, Washington, she’s based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Mother to her beautiful daughter, Ellis—Bee shares insights to life as a working mom playing triple duty to her family, her writing and her start-up business. Read below for more!

I breastfed for 9 months. I was always a dress kind of girl but I quickly realized (after a very awkward pumping situation in an office bathroom) that separates are the way to go. Button-down tops are a godsend and I also wore a lot of prints that could hide wayward milk spills.

 

It’s funny because before the baby I was always looking for a “signature” style but never really could stick to something. But now with a lot less time on my hands, I buy wiser: I’ll buy things that I know I’ll wear and a style has emerged. If I could buy the entire Saint Laurent collection, I probably would and call it a day. But generally I tend to go for somewhat boyish separates but with a rock aesthetic.

 

 

 
The right cleanser + moisturizer. Ok, so there are actually two products here, but the cleanser and moisturizer really go together. For example, buy too harsh a cleanser and even the best moisturizer won’t be able to do its job. The best way, if you’re willing to go there, is to have a couple different cleansers (one mild and one slightly stronger) and then have a hydrating serum (a lot of them can go solo as a moisturizer on hotter or more humid days) and a thicker cream (in case you need to layer up or use this alone). Then play around until you know the products fairly well. Your skin needs will change day to day depending on the weather and this way you can adjust your routine.

It means caring and looking out in the best possible way even if that means you have to be the “bad guy” in the interim.

 

I’m lucky with my work schedule that I get to have Ellis on Wednesdays and Fridays every week, and we have an absolutely wonderful nanny that comes the other days. If it’s just us, we’ll wake up and have breakfast at home, usually eggs and sautéed veggies. Then we’ll head off to a music class at Mini Jake’s before lunch, nap and then a playdate in the afternoon. 

I’m not perfect at this, but I really try to be absolutely present and focused on one thing at a time. I think our technology access today can sometimes get in the way of that. I’m not one of those people who are always checking their phone, but if I do check my phone, I’ll answer 10 emails and delete 40 and then put it back down. It maximizes efficiency and you might also be surprised at how little you’ll be missing if you put your phone down even for a couple hours.