It’s been a long time since I talked about makeup and that’s for good reason. When it comes to makeup, I use the same products for years and keep my everyday makeup routine to a minimum. If given the choice between hitting snooze or waking up earlier to put on more makeup, I choose sleep every single time.
Okay so this post is going to be a looonnnggg one since I’m going in-depth on my everyday beauty routine. But just to clarify, it’s not long because I use a drawer-full of products. Nope. I live in a city apartment and space is way too precious for that. It’s long because I’m sharing details about what the product does for my skin and complexion and why it’s earned a spot in my everyday beauty routine.
Be sure to scroll down to the bottom – I’m giving away a JADE ROLLER!
If you follow along on my Stories, you know a few months ago, I started swapping some of my makeup and skincare over to cleaner options. I talked about it more in depth here but I’ll give you the Cliffs Note version here:
My personal philosophy on clean beauty is that clean beauty is a balancing act.
I approach clean beauty the same way I approach my diet. If I can strike a good 80/20 balance on healthy meals/indulgences when it comes to what I eat, I won’t lose sleep over it. And it’s the same for the makeup products I use.
I’m a woman on a budget and want my makeup to do the job I expect it to. If 80% of my beauty routine is on the cleaner side and the 20% includes products I swear by but aren’t necessarily clean, I’m a happy camper. The analogy I like to use is that I’m perfectly happy swapping zucchini noodles for pasta but I will indulge in a glass of wine.
Still with me? I hope so!
Alright let’s do this.
Step-By-Step of My Every Day Beauty Routine
1. I don’t do this every day since there are plenty of mornings where I’m pressed for time. When I can, I like to begin my day with my jade roller. Jade rolling is simply moving a jade roller across your face and eyelids upwards and outwards. I go into more detail here on how I jade roll and its benefits (like helping with lymphatic drainage. Attractive, I know). I like using my jade roller either on its own or after I apply a moisturizer. It’s such a nice, calming way to wake up! And I definitely notice jade rolling has made a difference in helping to de-puff my face (Again, very attractive) but it can be a real problem for me in the morning at times.
2. First things first, I apply eyeshadow primer to my eyelids. I’ve used Too Faced’s Eyeshadow Primer for as long as I can remember and I will never use another eyeshadow primer. Sounds dramatic but it’s how I feel 😂It’s $20 and lasts me forever since a little bit goes a long way. On weekend mornings when I’m heading out to a workout class and not putting on anything except SPF moisturizer, I’ll dab a little on since I feel like it makes my eyes look more awake.
Confession time: I always listen to my Alexa Flash Briefing in the morning when I put on my makeup 😂
3. Next up is eyeliner! I used eyeshadow as eyeliner for the longest time (like since high school) but with long hours at the office, my eyeliner was looking pretty blah by the end of the day. I tried Sephora’s waterproof felt liner and for $14, you really cannot beat it! It lasts me all day long, I don’t have to worry about smudging it and I love how smoothly it goes on. Right now I’m using Army Babe, which is a gorgeous dark green color.
4. I use moisturizer every single day and rotate through three (Because I’m apparently a psycho). I love Beautycounter’s Countermatch Adaptive Moisture Lotion. It’s lightweight, has no scent, and provides your skin with hydration for 24 hours. When I first heard that it adjusts hydration levels throughout the day, I rolled my eyes so hard and thought yeaaahhh right. I was wrong. It makes my skin feel smoother than ever before and I like how quickly it absorbs. My other favorite moisturizers are IT Cosmetics’ Bye Bye Redness (Perfect for sensitive skin) and Confidence in a Cream – both will last you forever and have been favorites of mine for years!
5. With my Beautyblender in hand, it’s time for foundation. I recently tried out Beautycounter’s Tint Skin Hydrating Foundation from their Flawless in Five collection. I went with Porcelain, which is for fair complexions with neutral to pink undertones. I know I’m repeating myself but I swear, this foundation feels like air and I love how it doesn’t feel like you’re wearing any foundation on at all! This is one of my clean beauty swaps where the clean version works just as well as the regular product.
6. Time for under eyes! No matter how much sleep I get, I always have dark circles under my eyes. It’s just a great time. IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Concealing Pot has been my savior for years and I don’t know what I’d do without it. It covers my dark circles so I look instantly more awake and doesn’t cake or crease like other under eye concealers do. I recommend this to everyone!
7. I used to always skip the blush section from a fear of bad applications that would make me look like a clown. The good news is that the right angled blush brush will be your best friend and prevent that from happening to you. I use this IT Cosmetics blush brush. And have heard rave reviews about Beautycounter’s blush brush. And for my blush itself, I love Beautycounter’s satin powder blush in guava. It looks so natural and gives your cheeks a complexion-flattering pop of color that doesn’t scream “SHE’S WEARING BLUSH!” Like my irrational fear thought blush did.
8. When it came to picking a mascara, I always just tossed whatever mascara caught my eye at Walgreens into my cart. I tried Beautycounter’s Volumizing Mascara on a whim and haven’t looked back. It never goes on clumpy and noticeably makes my eyelashes look fuller. And like my eyeliner, it lasts all day! I’ve recommended this mascara to several girl friends, who have all loved it. I’m on my second one if that’s any testimony to how much I use + love it.
9. Okay like blush, I never did anything to my eyebrows (Aside from getting them threaded). I thought “Eh, that’s another step that could cut into my sleep time so nope.” I ignored all the eyebrow hype. And then I saw a photo of me from a work event and I swear, it looked like I had no eyebrows!!! My eyebrows are on the lighter side but yeah, it wasn’t a good look 🤦♀️ I went home and started Googling how to make my eyebrows show up in photos. Almost purchased Glossier’s brow gel but as fate would have it, Beautycounter announced their new brow gel for $24 that very day and it seemed like too good of timing to ignore. Their Brilliant Brow Gel (I use Light) is amazing! It’s so easy to apply, you don’t have to worry about messing up. And it never clumps! I’ll admit, this step does get cut when I’m running low on time in the mornings (Like yesterday) but on the days I do it, I definitely can see a big difference. You could also just toss it into your work bag and apply it when you get into the office. I should’ve taken my own advice yesterday 🤦♀️
10. Last step – lipstick! I rotate through a few lipsticks and usually keep my NARS Powermatte in Walk This Way in my work tote so I don’t have to worry about forgetting it. I love the pigmentation and it will last me for most of the work day but it can dry out your lips. When I want to give my lips a break, I’ll reach for my Beautycounter sheer lipstick or lip gloss. Both are very hydrating though they don’t last as long. But I love the color of my sheer lipstick in Rose (I wore it in this post here) and lip gloss in Peony. And c’mon, what girl doesn’t need more peonies in her life?!
Phew! That was a long post but I swear, this makeup routine takes less than 10 minutes from start to finish.
And to thank you for sticking with me and my long-winded ramblings…
WANT TO WIN A JADE ROLLER? ENTER IN THE FORM BELOW!
Awhile back when I did a reader survey, several of you wanted to learn more about clean beauty. Through occasional email coffee dates, I’ll chat about why I’m switching to cleaner beauty products, how you can move over to cleaner beauty without breaking your budget, my personal recommendations + product reviews, and more!
I’m giving away one jade roller to one lucky email subscriber!
