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I get questions every week about my beauty + skincare routine from the beginning of my day to the end. Here, you’ll find links to all of my tried and true products that I use in a day.
Morning
I start by prepping my skin with my favorite skincare products.
A little background on this and my skin: I visited a dermatologist a couple of years ago for a general skin check and she told me that I have a mild case of rosacea. After that visit, I subconsciously notice it more and set out to find non-prescription skincare that helps to soothe it. I was hesitant to try Drunk Elephant, frankly because of its price tag. Needless to say, I tried the products and they did everything I had hoped for and more. They are expensive but they are most certainly worth it! If you’re unsure of the investment, grab the travel sized products first.
1. Drunk Elephant B Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum
2. Drunk Elephant C Firma Day Serum
3. Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream
What I do with each product is put two pumps into my hand (and for the Lala Retro Whipped Cream, I do a dot the size of a dime) and mix them all together before applying to my face. Then, I let them soak in while I’m doing my hair.
Makeup
Using my Morphe M439 brush, I apply Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation (currently on sale) all over my face. A dot the size of a dime or less gives my face medium-to-full coverage. I use the shade Buff when I am tan and Cool Vanilla when I am not. The foundation comes in more than 50 shades and I highly recommend getting color matched.
Morphe M439 Deluxe Buffer Brush
Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Foundation
Next, I apply my concealer. I match my concealer to my face in order to blend. It’s important to note that you can use a lighter concealer if you intend to put it under your eyes as a highlighter and want to brighten. I use a miracle concealer, called Bye Bye Under Eye (its name lives up to its function) by it Cosmetics. I use a Morphe M536 Under Eye Bullet brush to be sure the product is blended well.
Once that’s done, I bronze and contour my face, under my cheekbones, using a product called Brontour (a mixture of the two words) by Morphe. I get this little compact in a color called Glitterati. I typically use a Real Techniques Stippling Brush to apply it, but this Complexion Blending Brush would make a great applicator, too.
Next, I give the apples of my cheeks a little bit of color, with Orgasm blush by NARS using my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush.
Next, I do my eyes — some people do them even before foundation, but it’s just not my jam. I typically use the same few palettes because they have so many versatile colors, are well-pigmented (a little goes a long way), and blend really well.
Shown in this order below:
- Naked Ultimate Basics (half off at this link — RUN!)
- Tarte Tartelette Toasted Palette
- Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Volume III (limited edition — almost gone at link on the left. Alternate link here.)
When it comes to eyeshadow brushes, I mainly use two. I like both of them because they have really nice bristles and wash up nicely, too. They don’t take much pressure from your hand (lightly sweeping will get a great amount of product onto your eyes) and are very, very modestly priced.
Morphe M518 crease fluff brush
I finish my face off with this awesome highlighter, which can also be used all over your body. Naked Illuminated Shimmering Powder for Face and Body.
I switch up what I wear on my lips. I sold LipSense in the past and I love the staying power of those products, so I wear them a TON! I still carry some limited stock — contact me if you are looking for a color.
Other products I will wear are NYX Butter Gloss (in Angel Food) and I also love Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution lipstick in Pillow Talk as well as MAC’s Amplified Lipstick in Cosmo.
Evening
Makeup removal
Makeup removal is so quick and easy at night! I use this micellar water and it doesn’t take any scrubbing to get even the toughest of makeup off. My face feels so hydrated (but not oily) and clean when I’m done. I’ve tried about a million (it seems) cleansers, “waters”, and wipes and none have worked this well and agreed with my face as much as this has.
Evening skincare
I love replenishing the moisture on my face with my Drunk Elephant products in the evening, too. Similar to my morning routine, I take a couple of pumps/drops (depending on which size you get) of the Virgin Marula Oil, a couple of pumps of the TLC Framboos Glycolic Night Serum, and a pump of the Protini Polypeptide Cream. I mix them all together in the palm of my hand and then slather over my face. This is the regimen that has made a revolutionary difference in my skin. I have had acne scarring, wrinkles and crow’s feet, and other imperfections which are noticeably diminished when I wake up in the morning.
Sunless tanning
Lastly (because I know that I will get questions about this), I’m going to tell you about my sunless tanning routine and products. I recently tried two new products and really liked the results. I started using St. Tropez Extra Dark Bronzing Mousse and to be honest, I thought a couple of things before I decided to take the plunge:
- Holy heck, how dark is “EXTRA DARK”? I don’t need to look super unnatural.
- They also have a “dark” version — which one do I choose?
I decided to try extra dark, because the retailer I bought it from has a really great return policy if I didn’t like it. I also purchased the St. Tropez Tan Applicator Mitt so I could avoid the cool stained hands look.
When I applied this self tanner for the first time, my skin looked really unnatural and SCARY, to be honest. I heard about it from another blogger and I messaged her to tell her that she totally scared me! You can wait four hours or eight hours, depending on how dark you want the tan to develop. I waited eight, because, why not? Then, you rinse off in the shower and remove the excess. The smell of this self tanner is…self tanner. So, I try to do it when I’m at home for four to eight hours and nowhere to be. When I finally rinsed off after that first application, I was so pleased with the result. It looked really, really natural, but also was dark enough to notice. I do NOT use this stuff on my face because…it’s potent.
Instead, I use this Coola Sunless Tan Anti-Aging Face Serum. The first time I used it, I didn’t see much of a result and was ready to return it. Instead, I applied it again the next day and got the color I was looking for, to match my body. It’s a great way to gradually get to the color you want, in a more natural way. Plus, its anti-aging properties are really great (and, it’s a clean product).
That’s it! My holy grail of beauty and skincare, as of right now. Let me know which products you’re excited to try and which you have questions about in the comments below.
