I love Joanna Goddard's series My Beauty Uniform on her blog A Cup of Jo and decided I would share my own beauty uniform since my post on my new creme cleansing routine sparked such great discussion!
My Daily Beauty Routine
Depends on the day! Truth talk. Now that I have a new baby some days I straight up don't have time to do much beyond pin my bangs back and throw on some clothes. However, I really try to keep those days few and far between.
Most days I wear L'Oreal Paris True Match Naturale Mineral Foundation. My mother-in-law stuck some in my stocking about five years ago and I've been wearing it ever since. Not the most traditional way to discover new makeup but I love this stuff because it provides nice coverage without making me feel like my skin is gunked up. Plus, it's REALLY nice in the summer when it's hot and it contains SPF.
In fact, I liked it so much I also wear the blush!
I usually sweep a little bit eyeshadow on - usually whatever color I have on hand. Then, add a little bit of brown eyeliner to the outside of my upper lids and put on mascara. I've switched brands a couple of times recently but I'm going back to Maybelline New York Volum' Express because I haven't found anything I like near as much.
Let's talk red lipstick.
Three years ago I posted this photo on Facebook and ushered in a new era in my personal beauty journey!
I decided to jump on the red lipstick bandwagon and have loved every stinking minute of it. I truly believe there is a red lipstick out there for every woman and that everyone can rock this look. I love it because I feel like I have a full face of make-up on when I'm wearing my red lipstick. I feel put together and just the slightest bit brave!
(You will feel like you look like a clown at first but you'll get used to it I SWEAR!)
My color is Certainly Red by Revlon. I tried another more expensive brand but it bled badly and I didn't like the texture. I'll be sticking with Revlon from here on out!
The End Of Skin Care Drama
Truthfully, the biggest change to my beauty routine has come from being a mom. I just don't have TIME to put on a bunch of products. Heck, I haven't blow-dried my hair in five years!
I'm not kidding. I just stopped. You can, too. I highly recommend it.
Luckily, mommy friends are an excellent source of tips and tricks to get more from less when it comes to products. Two years ago, my friend Shannon recommended I try oil cleansing. I have had really bad hormonal acne since I got pregnant with Griffin so I was game for anything that might help that.
She recommended this recipe and I've been using it every night since. No moisturizer. Just oil. I do plan on adding back in some anti-aging treatment once I'm done breastfeeding. But for now I just wash my face and go to bed.
I use Philosophy Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash in the morning and the combo of the scrub and oil has really suited my skin. My daily moisturizer/sunscreen was also the recommendation of a mommy friend (and expert to boot!) the fabulous Shani Darden. I use Control Correctives and really like the light, non greasy formula.
I like to keep it SIMPLE.
My love simplicity extends to my showers. I'm still using and loving my Purely Perfect Creme Cleanser. As far as soap, I use an actual bar of soap and I love, love, love LAFCO Fresh Cut Gardenia Bath Soap which I discovered last year through Quarterly. It smells amazing and I'm not even kidding lasted almost a year.
Things I DON'T do.
I don't paint my nails (unless I'm going to be on TV!) and I don't get pedicures. I realized last summer that I just didn't care that much and it became another errand on my list. If I want to have my feet rubbed I go get a foot massage.
I don't shave. Well, let me expand on that. I don't shave at all in the winter. Period. No one sees my legs or underarms and shaving makes me ITCH. Badly. So, it just doesn't happen. In the summer, I do shave the absolutely minimal amount I can get away with. Like Joanna Goddard, I also have a pretty firm stance against shaving or waxing my bikini line. I wear swim shirts (another important beauty ritual I suppose!) and swim skirts. There's just no need to put myself through that.
I did stop grooming my eyebrows but I've found a woman who will thread them for $2 in under 5 minutes. That's about all I'm willing to sacrifice in the way of time and money so it works.
I don't wear body lotion. I don't wear perfume. I don't sit in the sun. EVER. I also don't use fake tan because honestly I think it perpetuates the idea that only tan skin in beautiful. And that's bullshit.
I don't read beauty magazines (or beauty blogs for that matter) and if I could wave my magic wand, no woman would. In my 20's, I realized that cracking open the latest editions of Glamour, In Style, or Cosmo was doing real damage to my self-esteem. I could feel my thoughts shift from almost the very first page. Suddenly, there were a list of things I needed to change. My skin wasn't right. My hair wasn't right. I didn't have the right nail color or shoe or latest skirt style.
So, I decided I didn't want to spend money on a product that made me feel inferior. I stopped reading them and never looked back. It's one of the best decisions I've ever made.
My overall philosophy
Not surprisingly, my mother greatly influenced how I feel about my looks and beauty. I always got the impression that it was important to look nice and special occasions were worth the added effort. However, the way my mother looked didn't define her. I never remember her bemoaning the appearance of wrinkles or being afraid to go outside without makeup.
My mother was and is a beautiful woman but that was not the entirety of her identity and it's not the entirety of mine.
The other huge influence was Nicholas. I realized recently how influential it has been on my self-perception and confidence that, since the age of 19, I've had the man I love telling me I'm beautiful on a regular basis.
That's huge and I'm incredibly grateful that the voices I've heard telling me I'm beautiful have always FAR outweighed the voices telling me I'm not good enough.
What is your beauty routine? What products can't you live without? What's your beauty philosophy?
