Beauty Routine Q&A
I get asked
in person and emailed via my blog, Facebook, etc… about my makeup and skin care
routine really, really often. Especially
by people I work with all day who wonder how my makeup stays perfect and fresh
not only from when I apply at 6:00am but even through after work drinks well
until 2:00am the next morning. Over 24
hours of non-creased perfect worry free wear and people will start to
inquire. And I am always willing to
share. I like for everyone to feel
really comfortable and be able to do what they want with their makeup so I
always give up my “secret” tips. So for
my friends who have asked repeatedly but I haven’t had time to bring my box of
goodies over, this is for you.
1
>>> My skin care routine.
This is
really important because a great makeup routine starts with a good base. You can do some cool things with makeup but
you can’t cover everything. My routine
is pretty natural so I always try to keep my base in good condition… aka, my
face. I’m not advanced enough to do the
full on 100% acne cover up I’ve seen on YouTube. Which is fricken AMAZING by the way! I wish I would have known about that in high
school.
The good
news is there are some things you can reverse.
And if the natural tips below don’t help you out because it’s too late,
there is always Botox. I’m not
suggesting it blanketed for everyone; I’m not pushing it. It’s a personal choice. But I know that’s going to be my fall back
one day and I’m not afraid to admit it.
My only tip here is not to start too early because it can cause
premature facial sagging and make sure you go to a well-known pro. Don’t go to some weird chop shop or you can
end up with permanent damage.
<<<
wrinkles >>> This could be pretty boring if you already do these
things or if you don’t have wrinkles, so if you want to know about my makeup “secrets,”
skip to section 2… I am well over 30 years old, have twins, normal job and life
stress sort of things, I’m married and I have yet to get a real wrinkle. It’s not because I’m genetically
superior. It’s because I keep my face
really still. I know this first step
sounds insane but it’s free botox. My
first tip is whatever face you make… stop it!!
Smile with thought so that you don’t make crazy crinkles by your eyes or
around your mouth. You know, keep it
natural with lots of laughter noise, but rock a happy no wrinkle face. Find a middle ground to get some extra years
out of your perfect base.
Further on
that subject, I cannot tell you how many dozens of selfies I’ve seen with
people who don’t realize they are making those big wave wrinkles across there forehead. When I skip through there other photos 99.99%
of the time they are permanently there. And
somehow they don’t even see it! It’s the
biggest flat canvas area on your face.
Put the camera lower or relax your forehead or something! It looks bad and it sticks over time if you
have that habit.
I can tell
you, making a wrinkle anywhere on your face over and over does make it
stick. They didn’t only say “if you keep
making that face it’s going to stick” because they were scaring kids into being
good. It was also a cautionary quote
from mothers to daughters. The face you
keep making is going to stick!! So stop
it!
I too had
this problem and was causing my first deep wrinkle. I have this insane stress sort of tick where
I make a certain skrinchy face when I’m hella stressed out. I noticed after a few months I had this deep
odd wrinkle forming between my eyebrows and freaked out. I made a couple faces to figure out the one
and finally one matched the crease. It’s
hard not to do it, but since I stopped, it has gone away 100% because I caught
myself early.
<<<
moisture >>> Heavily moisturize 24/7.
I use Cetaphil cream. I actually
use it from head to toe. It’s the
thickest thing you can imagine and it has kept my skin soft and smooth. Even when I wake up in the morning if I’m
going to hang around at all, I reapply first thing and again after showers and
any time I cry a lot from a sappy movie.
I never let my skin dry out.
2
>>> My Makeup Routine.
There are
some products you can go cheap on with the right bases and some that if you cut
corners you’re going to be in the bathroom wiping the eyeshadow crease out
within a few hours if not within the first hour of wear.
Now you
don’t have to try and rock my personal style by any means. You may even hate it and that’s cool. It’s my own thing that I threw together over
time and I like it and it follows the rules.
But you might want to grab a few of these products so you never have to
worry about flaking or movement.
<<<
step 1 >>> I cannot live without Bare Minerals Original PrimeTime. After I put my Cetaphil lotion on
I apply one pump of it all over my face.
This will keep makeup from settling in any fine lines or wrinkles and
will make everything you put on stay in place all day. It’s natural, soft and you can’t even tell
you’re wearing it.
<<<
step 2 >>> I use Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion. This is the most important thing in my
bag. If I had nothing else for bases I
would freak out if I didn’t have this.
Your eye makeup will not go anywhere for well over 24 hours no matter
how decadent, smoky and thick. I apply
from my brow all the way to my lashes in a quick light coat and in the corner
of my eye because I add shimmer there later.
This is so
good you want to make sure you know how to apply your products because where
you put them is where they are going to be.
Even with a Qtip, makeup remover and trying to go in tight for little
fixes, it will still hold onto stains.
It’s amazing! Obviously if you
are lining under or doing cool under smokey eye effects, put it in those places
you’ll be applying shadow too.
<<<
step 3 >>> I use the Original Bare Minerals foundation powder only on
spots that need evening out and I top it with the Mineral Veil. I personally use the original formula because
I like the shine. I think matte [and
this may just be me] looks dry and dull.
I like to have that youthful glow but it is a personal choice.
I never
reapply powder during the day. If my
face is ever getting too shiny I use blotting sheets and call it a day. No way I’m mixing oils with new powder and
rubbing it all over my skin. I just pat
and stay fresh all day. This keeps me
from getting even the smallest little skin blemish and I straight up had acne
in high school.
If you need
to, this is an area where you can skimp and save on the $$. Or if you have acne or scaring problems you
can pile on your fave foundations. As
I’ll repeat below, if you have the two primers you’re good to go. Those are the two most important parts of
your routine.
<<<
step 4 >>> Now that my base is all perfect and set I start
building. The secret to good makeup is
to follow your natural shadowing. I see
people not put any makeup color in the crease but put a bunch of dark brown on
the lid. It looks off because you
naturally have a darker crease and lighter lid and then a super bright brow
bone. You can change the colors around
any way you want if you just follow your faces outline. Dark for dark and light for light. It’s super beginner proof. If you throw on a bunch of foundation and
don’t add color back to your cheeks it makes you look weird and pale with no
definition. A face isn’t supposed to
look like that. This is the difference
between an amateur “threw on whatever” look and a tailored professional look
with your makeup.
We’re just
bringing out what we already have when we wear makeup and maybe even having a
little fun with color and swagger in the meantime. Just try and remember the most important
rule… you can’t bring out one thing and not another. If you have heavy eyeliner you need darker
longer lashes. If you even out facial
tone with a ton of foundation you need to add your cheek color back in. Miss any of these crucial steps and you end
up looking off. Other important
definition fades away.
For my
shadow I first throw a light color on my lid.
For regular wear I’ll do a pale pink or purple. If I’m feeling really Emo I’ll go to my UrbanDecay Electric palette and put on anything from neon pink to Elmo blue. Then throw a darker color in the crease of
any kind. I personally use a stark matte
black mixed with a cream color to slightly lighten it. Then I blend white on the top to make the
line less harsh and highlight my brow bone.
This is
another area where you can go cheap. If
you have the good bases you can use any shadow you want and it’s going to stick
and stay in place. The investment if you
can’t have it all should always be in the bases that you use.
Now I go in
for my throwback wing tip eyeliner. I
use Kat von D’s Tattoo in the darkest black.
The proper way to start a wing tip or any type of liner is to start thin
at the inner corner of the eye and go up thicker towards the outside of the eye
to create a cat eye.
Otherwise you could
end up with weird looking eye shapes.
Even if you aren’t doing wing tips your eyeliner shouldn’t be strait and
even across unless you just want your eyes to look the same shape. For me cat or almond and looking open is the
way I like to go so it’s thin to thick for me.
Finally I
add a small shimmer white shadow just in the corner of my eye in a little V
shape. This brightens eyes and makes
them look incredibly awake. It really
helps immediately lift tired eyes. So
all these steps are lifting and opening the eye making you look more youthful and
more awake.
Also very,
very important is how to properly hide dark circles under eyes. You don’t add a bunch of heavy foundation
that matches your skin because it will still be darker than the rest and then
call it a day.
I
personally use Benefit Eye Bright stick.
It reflects the light out of the dark circle so it’s like you erased
them. I lightly add ONLY to the dark
places. Not in one insane swoop under my
entire eye unless you have a complete dark under eye. I have the smallest spot under both eyes just
towards the inside corners. That’s the
only place I apply mine.
<<<
step 5 >>> Now I knock out my mascara.
If you buy the Urban Decay Mascara Primer you can buy any brand in the
world and it will stay all day. If you
don’t want to spend the extra dough try like crazy to find anything
waterproof. It sticks way longer and
keeps from flaking. Just be gentle and
use an oil based cleanser when you wash it off.
The problem with waterproof is that you can break your lashes. So let them soak and clean gently.
<<<
step 6 >>> Shaping the proper cheek.
I use Warmth from Bare Minerals.
It’s a brick tone red. Again,
with the right base you can grab any brick tone red blush or sculpting brand
you want. I only use a dab on my brush
and I very, very lightly add it under my cheek bone to make the actual cheek
bone stand out, then a dab on my nose, chin and forehead to add a touch of nice
color where the sun would normally kiss your skin in the spring and
summer. It really adds a nice youthful
pop of color. The kind you can lose as
you age and the kind that disappears when you apply foundation.
Then I go
in with a pop of bright pink just on the apples of my cheeks for a really
youthful touch. I also add that same
touch of pink again on my nose, forehead and chin.
Finally I
use an insanely small grain shimmer called Naked on the tops of my cheek bones
up to my temple.
You can’t see/see
it. It’s not glitter. It just adds a youthful glow to your skin
that makes you look bright and fresh.
### And that’s
it! It sounds like it takes a lot of
time but I am no pro. I use really quick
and simple techniques for beginners. I’m
not the one with the Mac this number brush and then the Mac that number brush
and blending a half dozen colors to make awesome effects. Any time I’ve ever tried that I’ve ended up
taking a lot of time and looking really horrid.
Now that I’ve been doing this routine the past few years, it literally
takes me 10-15 minutes in the morning and I’m out the door. ###
So there
you have it. And believe me, this isn’t
a “do this it’s the best” kind of thing.
It’s just out here for people who ask because I’m always really happy to
share what works for me. If it works for
you awesome!! If you hate it… try
YouTube. There are so many amazing
videos where you too can take away a little of this and that and end up with
your perfect preferred routine just like I did over the last decade.
