My Go-To Make-Up Products
Makeup is not something I am super great with so my routine is on the simpler side. These products are my go-to’s that I use pretty much every day and I love them. Living in Texas means my list of requirements for beauty products is steep. I refuse to have dried out skin in the winter and I absolutely cannot have my makeup sliding off my face the other eleven and half months of the year when we have 90% humidity. SPF is another big one, definitely a non-negotiable regardless of where you live, but ESPECIALLY when you live in the south. So here they are, my cleaner beauty staples: (Note: I purchase the majority of my products from the website links attached to the product name, however I have also included specific Amazon links to help out all you Amazon girlies!)
Layer #1: Suntegrity Impeccable Skin Broad Spectrum SPF 30 in Buff (55$) (Amazon Link Here). I looked high and low for a foundation or primer that had SPF, did not smell bad, and did not have a white caste. A few years ago that was almost impossible to find, and when I stumbled upon this orange tube I was smitten from the start. Even though there are a lot more options available now, this is still my tried and true. It is basically a CC cream, with a good amount of pigment and SPF included (but no bad SPF smell or cast). The company also says It has all these good-for-you skin ingredients that are supposed to help fight air pollution and other factors wreaking havoc on your skin. I love that I can use this under my heavier foundation or all on its own for those more natural days.
Foundation: Kosas Revealer Skin-Improving Foundation SPF 25 in #140 (42$). (Amazon Link Here). The formula for my old foundation changed and it was no longer working for me so I had to start the whole foundation search again. I was skeptical to use a liquid again because I never liked them in the past, but after many fails, I gave this a try and was shocked. It makes my skin look SO GOOD, is easy to apply and has good coverage. It stays put and layers over my CC cream without issue. The bottle says it contains good-for-skin ingredients like hyaluronic acid and niacinamide (which I will always take more of!) plus it has SPF included. What more could you ask for? I also think it's worth mentioning the first day I tested it out was at a Texas Football tailgate, and if it can survive all that heat and sweat, it can handle anything!
Finishing Powder: Ilia Soft Focus Finishing Powder (34$). (Amazon Link Here). I LOVE this powder (and have become obsessed with this brand in general). I’ve always stayed away from mainstream makeup brands because they were never clean enough- but this one is. This stuff really blurs out imperfections and once this is on, I can see a noticeable difference in my skin. I found this powder when I was looking for a good finishing powder for my wedding that didn’t have any flashback in photos (it doesn’t!) and it really helps smooth everything out and stay put. I make sure to always have an extra ready to go in my makeup drawer in case I run out.
Blush: 100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Blush in Pretty Naked (37$): (Amazon Link Here). I am not really a blush girl, with my cheeks naturally having redness to them, most blushes accentuate the redness and defeat the purpose of all the other products I have put on. That being said, I really like this blush in Pretty Naked. It has a lot of brown tones so I feel like it gives me a subtle healthy flush without any added redness. Also, I am a sucker for packaging and it comes in this super pretty metal tin with flowers all over it that makes me feel so fancy.
Bronzer: Ilia NightLite Bronzer Powder in Drawn In (34$): (Amazon Link Here). I definitely use bronzer more than blush because of the aforementioned redness I always have. I love how smoothly this goes on, and how easy it is to build up to the darkness you want. It gives just the right amount of dimension on my face without making me learn how to contour (which I refuse to do). This is definitely the product I reach for regardless of the season or my level of tan.
Mascara: 100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Ultra Lengthening mascara (26$) & Ilia Limitless Lash Lengthening mascara (28$). (Amazon Link Here and Here ). I really like both these mascaras and I alternate between them. If you’re using the Think Dirty App to rate your products (with a grain of salt, but more on that in another post) the 100% pure mascara is a 0 and Ilia is a 3. While that may be too much for some people, I am okay using anything 0-3 but I do everything I can to avoid anything higher (especially around sensitive areas like eyes). Before all these health issues I used a benefit mascara that worked wonders but irritated the heck out of my eyes. I have very flimsy, thin, short and light eyelashes and because I don’t wear eyeshadow regularly, I expect my mascara to do a lot in terms of making me look put together. Between the two I would say the Ilia mascara tends to give my longer lashes, but both work great, and both require building the product up with several coats to get the final result. The biggest reason I use these two mascaras over the other ones I’ve tried is this; 1. there is something about my eyes/ eyelashes that causes most mascaras to give my severe raccoon eyes at some point in the day. For me there is nothing worse than looking in the mirror and realizing I had makeup halfway down my cheeks all day and no one said anything. 2. My eyes are insanely sensitive and easy to irritate and it is essential my mascara does not bother my eyes the entire time I am wearing it. With both of these I feel confident that they will stay put all day, not flake and not irritate my eyes (pretty eyelashes are a bonus).
Lips: Au Naturale Lip Slick Tinted Lip Oil in Rosé (15$) (Amazon Link Here). I only wear lipstick on rare occasions, but I do really like feeling put together with something on my lips. I found these lip oils and became immediately obsessed. They come in three interesting colors, a blue, a purple and the pink color I use most often. These go on sheer-ish, giving a little extra boost of color, a little bit of shine, but also absorb really well and moisturize your lips as you wear them. If you like that natural, but a little extra, look these might be perfect for you.