My Makeup Routine
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Hey y’all! Recently, I’ve had several people ask me about my makeup routine and specifically my foundation. I use a list of products everyday so I thought I’d do a post to make things a little easier.
First things first. Everyone has different skin. My skin is extremely oily and textured. I have pores that you could drive a Cadillac through and I’m always shiny by the end of the day but I find these products stay the best and hold up to my constant blotting the best.
Second, the oils in my skin are very acidic. Which is an odd thing to say but I can eat through a watch and bleach a shirt in record time! What can I say? It’s a superpower. Truthfully, this causes my foundation, especially in my nose region to oxidize throughout the day leaving me looking like I gave an Eskimo kiss to an Oompa Loompa.
Third, I don’t use fancy, smancy products. I’ve tried them and they don’t seem to work on my skin any better than the drugstore brands I currently use. Some, even made things worse so I try to stick to what I know. I’ll play around with eyeshadows, blush and mascara but that base has to be consistent.
Fourth, I know many ladies do their eyes and eyebrows before their foundation. I don’t get how this works! I am far too messy to not get concealer and foundation in my eyebrows and on my eyes.
Finally, a few years I heard a beauty expert talking about how we mix brands when they are not necessarily formulated to work together which is something I never considered. She was making a point about primers, BB creams and foundations being created in a line because they are created to work together. Anyone who has ever accidently mixed acrylic paint with oil based or water based knows what I mean. It doesn’t work! I learned this first hand a few weeks ago when I tried a new primer that came in one of my beauty boxes. By itself the primer felt great but when I started applying my BB cream it literally balled up under my fingertips. It was a hot mess and I had to take everything off and start over. Find a line that works for you.
The Process
I’m going to go step by step and try to list every product I use and the tools.
Step 1: Cleanliness is next to godliness and toner lives two doors down.
I always wash my face first thing. My skin gets so greasy throughout the night and somehow mascara that I thought I removed makes its way to my cheeks. I wash my face with a variety of things including charcoal soap in the hopes of staving off some of the daily oil slick.
I then toner my whole face. I use one of those super strong, skin removing brands that burns like the devil but I know it gives me the best surface to work with. Side note: My skincare routine goes down my neck and my décolleté. You don’t want your neck skin looking like a turkey when your face is fabulous!
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Step 2: Prime your surface.
The first product I apply is the Infallible Pro-lock Matte primer by Loreal. This primer comes in matte and glowy. I use the matte option. If you have dry skin you might want an extra moisturizer but the primer is moisturizing enough for my skin. Let it dry for a second before you move on to your next product.
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Step 3: BB Cream…your new best friend!
I LOVE BB cream! I thought it was all hype until I started using it a few years back but in reality, it really does smooth out so many imperfections. The Loreal Magic Skin Beautifier claims to hydrate, prime, perfect and correct which it does. It goes on white but transforms into a light color. In fact, I use just this with concealer and powder when I’m running late or just running a few quick errands. It covers a lot of my redness and gives a less heavy feel.
(Let this settle into your skin before moving on, as well.)
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Step 4: Hello darkness, my old friend.
I use a crap ton of concealer. Like, it may be an issue but I’m not regular tired, I’m teacher tired so it’s necessary. Now, not all concealers are created for the same purpose. If you are using the same concealer to cover your dark circles, redness and other imperfections then you probably aren’t satisfied. Each problem requires a different solution that fixes those exact issues.
So, let’s talk about color theory for a second. Basic concept you need to understand is opposite cancel each other out. So if you look at this color wheel you’ll notice that orange and blue are opposites which means a concealer with an orange or salmon undertone will do a better job at hiding your dark circles that have a blue undertone. Using the same process, a green concealer with cancel out your redness and a purple concealer with help with the yellow sallowness we sometimes get.
With this knowledge, my step four is using the NYX Dark Circle Concealer. I use this before and after my foundation. I like it because it’s thicker and I put it on with a brush which makes the application fairly easy. I smooth the edges so there’s not a distinct line under my eyes.
If I have a particular spot that is red, like around my nose, this is the point I would use a green concealer. The one I prefer is from NYX as well. Go light on the green and purple concealers because you don’t want to tint your makeup over all.
Concealer (Amazon)
Color Correcting Concealer (Amazon)
Step 5: Beat that mug!
This Loreal foundation comes in both a matte and glowy options just like the primer. I, obviously, use matte in this option as well. I apply my foundation with a blending sponge. I’ve used various cheap brands and cannot fathom why on earth someone would pay $20 for a Beauty Blender. I’d rather buy shoes. Also, to be honest I would rather buy a cheap one and throw it away when it gets nasty than have to wash them all the time. Side note: I will say some of the cheaper sponges don’t work very well but the ones by Real Techniques and Eco Tools work really well.
Pro-Matte (Amazon)
24 Hour Wear (Amazon)
I beat and blend my foundation in with the sponge and then smooth my jawline with my hands to make sure I have no lines.
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Step 6: Just like Elsa…conceal…again!
I put on a second layer of my dark circle concealer and if I feel my eyes need a little brightening I’ll put some of Hard Candy’s Glamoflauge concealer on top. Helpful tip, only use a teeny, tiny amount of the Glamoflauge. One tube of this stuff could easily cover the Golden Gate!
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Step 7: Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow…
There is a reason Coty has been selling this powder for over 80 years…It WORKS! (It also lasts for absolutely ever.) It comes in a variety of shades but I prefer the Translucent Extra Coverage because I find that it really does provide a little extra coverage compared to the regular formula.
I put the powder on with the puff it comes with and let it sit on my skin for a minute or so. I don’t like putting the powder on with a brush because I feel it smears my makeup. Side note: I take the powder down my neck a little to try and blend.
Once the powder has settled in, I take the excess off with a large, fluffy brush using circular motions.
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Finishing Touches
From here I do a powder contour, blush and highlight.
I do my eyes. Side note: If you have lots of fallout from your eyeshadows use a fluffy brush to remove it. Don’t wipe!
I clean the foundation out of my eyebrows with a regular eyebrow brush. Then, I use a pomade or gel to fill in. Finally, I run a spoolie through my eyebrows to put everything in place.
I spray my face with Model in a Bottle before applying mascara because the mascara tends to transfer to under my eyes when I use the spray last.
My very last step is to do my lashes. I curl with a curler, add primer and then add mascara. Mascara is one of the areas that I don't typically buy at the drugstore because I can tell a difference. I've talked about several of my preferred mascaras in previous monthly favorites posts.
All of this may seem excessive but it holds up pretty well. There are days that I leave the house before seven, workout and get home after eight with my makeup not looking to worse for the wear. Also, from start to finish, I usually complete the entire process in 20 to 30 minutes. I can do it faster if necessary and if I want to get creative with my eyes I can take longer but it really is a quick process.
