If I’m being honest, my everyday hair & makeup routine changes quite often.
So… maybe it’s not so “everyday” after all? I’m trying or testing something new almost every single week, so I think it’s obvious that the products I use rotate quite a bit. If you are a long-time reader, then you probably know that I’ve struggled with acne all of my adult life, which is really how I found my love for makeup. Now that my skin is finally healing I have to say that playing with makeup is even more fun. My foundation finally looks good and my makeup doesn’t melt off an hour after application. You know what else is fun? Going makeup-free. Like…. actually leaving the house without wearing any makeup. It’s been years since I’ve felt comfortable enough to go shopping or out to dinner without wearing any makeup.
You know, now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever gone out to dinner while makeup-free. It’s not that I wouldn’t feel confident enough, but when my skin was at its worst, I’d have people come up to me in the most random of places (like City Hall when I was getting my marriage license- nothing leaves a young bride feeling more confident than a stranger coming up to her, telling her she has bad skin) and offer unsolicited skincare or lifestyle advice- apparently rubbing your own urine on your skin helps with acne… you know.. just a little tip I got from an elderly lady waiting in line at a grocery store. No, I can’t tell you if it works because I haven’t tried it. The point is.. I love the fact that now, instead of feeling depressed every time I look in the mirror after washing my face in the morning, I can’t help but smile. I still have a lot of scarring left behind and I can’t imagine how good I’ll feel once that is gone as well. Ooookay, enough with the sob-acne-story….. the point is since my skin is feeling healthy my makeup looks SO much better and in today’s post, I’m showing you what my “everyday” makeup routine looks like these days.
BASE
My skin is very dry right now, but that doesn’t stop it from getting oily throughout the day. After applying my sunscreen I sometimes reach for a hydrating primer (like Too Faced Hangover) or Pixi’s Glowtion which adds a healthy glow to my skin. My foundation changes almost every day, but when I have a long day planned ahead I love using Chanel’s Perfection Lumiere– it’s has a natural-looking finish that isn’t too matte or glowing and works nicely with my dry/oily skin. I don’t need a lot of coverage under my eyes, but I do love using a bit of concealer like MAC Pro Long Wear in NC15 and set it with Hourglass Diffused Light Ambient Lighting Powder. I set the rest of my face with MAC Studio Fix Powder.
FACE
I still have a lot of scarring left on my cheeks (especially the right one) so I avoid heavy contouring since it accentuates my scars and makes them more visible. You probably already know that I love a natural-looking contour and two products that are absolutely perfect for this are NYX Universal Wonder Stick and YSL Les Sahariennes Bronzing Stone in Sunstone. I first go with the contour side of the stick (I do this before setting my foundation with powder) around my forehead, sides of my nose and hollows of my cheeks. After setting my foundation with powder, I take a big fluffy brush and apply YSL’s Sunstone all around my face to warm it up a little. This Bronzing Stone is so beautiful and the shade Sunstone is perfect for me- it isn’t too warm, it’s very easy to blend and works really nicely with my skin tone. I use very, very little blush- Hourglass Luminous Flush and then go in with my highlighter: Laura Mercier’s Highlighter in Indiscretion.
EYES & BROWS
I’ve been loving both Tartelette and Tartelette 2 palettes lately and reach for both pretty much daily. I apply Free Spirit from Tartelette all over my lid, Force of Nature on my crease, and Natural Beauty on my lower lash line. From Tartelette 2 I take Funny Girl and apply it on the mobile part of my lid. For mascara, I use my all-time-favorite: Dior Iconic Overcurl– this mascara seriously does it all! I don’t usually apply falsies on daily basis, but when I know I’ll have a long day or I’m grabbing dinner with a friend after work, I put them in my beauty bag and just apply them before leaving work and it just transforms my entire look. I don’t go overboard though- just good old Demi Wispies from Ardell. I actually cut the band short- I don’t cut them in half, but I cut off about 1/4 off the band and apply them in the outer corner. To blend them in with my lashes, I use an eyeliner brush and apply black eyeshadow along my upper lash line and smudge it up a bit. I love Lorac’s Jet Black because it has neutral undertones. Usually, I’d also go in with a flesh-toned liner for my waterline, but I couldn’t find my favorite one on the day when these pictures were taken, so I just used white one instead (NYX Milk) but I definitely prefer going for something more natural-looking like Pixi’s Eye Bright Liner. I also like my brows on a more natural side, which is why I love using powders- like Anastasia Beverlyhills Brow Powder Duo.
LIPS
This also changes daily, but I love going for mauve colors. Here I used MAC lip liner in Spice, Sephora’s Lip Cream in Marvelous Mauve and NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Zurich.
BEFORE
AFTER
HAIR
I keep it pretty simple when it comes to my hair. I use this curling iron, spray my hair with the CHI Iron Guard and curl big sections of my hair away from my face- just enough to create a little texture. I finish off with a texturizing spray- like Surf’s Up Eva NYC which I’m liking at the moment- it also smells amazing! I like using dry shampoo, even when working with fresh hair because my hair is almost a bit too healthy- it just feels soft, silky and smooth and I like when it has some texture to it and is a bit mattified. Right now I like Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak.
This pretty much sums up my everyday hair & makeup routine. Some days I just go in with a tinted moisturizer and mascara, and some I carry falsies with me in my bag- it just depends on what my plans are on any given day. Do you guys enjoy seeing posts like this one? I’d love to know what you think!
