I have never been a big beauty guru. I enjoyed watching beauty videos in the heyday of the beauty vlogger, but I’ve never been particularly adventurous when it comes to my own makeup. I have always tried to keep things simple and streamlined since I am often pressed for time in the morning. I wanted to share some of the products I’ve settled on as part of my everyday makeup routine and why I have settled on each one in particular. Once I’ve found a product I like, tend to stick with them for a long time because I know they are reliable. Here is my everyday makeup routine.
Primer and Foundation
Primer is one of those products that took a long time for me to incorporate into my routine, but I am so glad I did now. It sets the stage for everything else you are going to put on your face and helps it not look uneven. The Benefit Pore primer has been in my lineup for many years as I have not yet found another primer that isn’t greasy and truly does help make your pores look smaller.
Once I have primed, I use Tarte’s Amazonian Clay Foundation. This foundation has been consistently ranked as one of the best full coverage foundations, and for good reason. It covers without being cakey and you can build as much or as little coverage as you want. I recommend taking the time to get professionally color matched to any foundation you plan on using so you don’t end up with a too dark or too light color. It only takes a few minutes, but the added benefit to you is exponentially higher.
After foundation, I add bronzer all over and a little blush. I tend to change my blush shade depending on the season, focusing on more peach and pink tones in summer and spring, and more mauve or darker pinks in the fall and winter. I don’t do any contouring, mostly because I’ve never really been able to figure it out. I’ve tried, but the results are always questionable at best. So for a normal day, I stick with just a touch of bronzer and blush. I like a more matte bronzer that doesn’t have a lot of sparkle or shimmer to it since I tend to have oily skin so I don’t need any more help in the shine department.
Eyeshadow, Eyeliner, and Mascara
After my face is done, I move onto eyes. I fill in my eyebrows pretty heavily since my natural eyebrows are very light and sparse. I use the benefit ka-BROW gel to fill in my brows since most pencils and gels can’t get me the shape I want since my natural brows just kind of stop abruptly and don’t taper out nicely. I have been using the same bottle of Benefit ka-BROW for over a year now, so if you do fill in your brows more, I highly recommend this product. It is a great value and lasts a long time.
I keep my eyes simple and don’t do a lot of different colors for eyeshadow for a workday. I tend to stick to browns, golds, and some muted purples for eyeshadow and blacks for both eyeliner and mascara. I love the Urban Decay NAKED pallets, especially 1-3 since they have such classic colors that all blend well together. I use an eyelid primer from Estee Lauder to keep my eyeshadow from clumping or sweating off. This is especially important in the summer in Texas.
After I apply eyeshadow, I add a swipe of Neutrogena’s Gel Eyeliner in Black just across the top lid. I’ve tried to do under eye lining, but it always ends up looking like I just woke up from a long night out on the town or like I am going through a goth phase again. I can rarely get it to look right, so for most days, I just skip it. I prefer gel eyeliners since they have a more saturated color and tend to go on easier.
Last but not least, black mascara to finish out the look. I love any of the Benefit mascaras, but right now I’m using the Roller Lash and Bad Gal Bang formulas. Both of them layer easily and don’t flank off during the day. I don’t curl my lashes because they tend to fall out easily and a curler only speeds up that process so just a few coats of mascara is all I use.
I finish the process by dusting my face with Fenty’s power since even in the few minutes from finishing my foundation to finishing my mascara, I have already become shiny. I love finishing with loose power because it sets everything and keeps me shine free for a few hours. Sometimes I remember to add a setting spray, if its a good day.
All of this takes me anywhere from 5-15 minutes, depending on the morning goes. I don’t like to spend much more time than that because I like to keep my morning routine short and not feel rushed.
Most days I’ll pick out a lip color that corresponds with what I’m wearing so after putting on makeup, I’ll get dressed then pick out a lip color. I don’t wear lipstick every day, but when I do, I prefer more matte formulas since a high shine gloss or super vibrant color isn’t always appropriate for the workplace.
Let me know if you use any of the same products I do or if you have any products in your routine that you think I should try!
