SKINCARE ROUTINE

at nighttime…

1. to begin, i remove any eye makeup using a few drops of baby oil & a cotton round. i've found baby oil removes all traces of eye makeup extremely well & is incredibly inexpensive.
2. next, i hop into the shower where i give my skin a pre-rinse of water & the cetaphil gentle skin cleanser to remove my foundation & any extra bits of eye makeup.
3. i then move into cleansing my skin using my clarisonic & again, the cetaphil gentle skin cleanser. i prefer to use the sensitive skin brush head & honestly i think it's a good idea to be as gentle on your skin as possible & use products meant for sensitive skin whether or not you consider yourself to have it. i'd also like to add that i only use my clarisonic every other day at nighttime because i find it to be slightly rough.
4. every three days or so i will exfoliate my skin (mainly around my nose to prevent blackheads.) currently, i have been using the freeman black sugar & charcoal mask.
5. when i get out the shower i moisturize my skin with bio oil which is meant to improve the appearance of aging skin, scars, stretch marks, & uneven skin tone. i make sure to also apply a bit to a scar of mine while i'm at it & i prefer to use this at night because i found it difficult to apply foundation on top of in the morning.

in the morning…
1. i again shower & cleanse my skin using the cetaphil gentle skin cleanser & my hands only. for those who may judge my two-shower-a-day system i must say that at nighttime i wash my body & face, leaving my hair tied up & i save the hair washing for the morning #curlyhairprobs?
2. i skip any exfoliating in the morning to prevent redness & moisturize my skin using the clinique dramatically different moisturizing face lotion.

& that's it, i've always believed the less products i use on my skin the better, & less product makes for less steps & therefore a very simple skincare routine that is both inexpensive & easy to stick to.

*i'm still looking for a sunscreen to incorporate into my routine that is gentle enough on my skin, so don't grill me on my lack of spf! i've tried nearly every sensitive formula out there & even attempted to use plain zinc oxide, but the majority of sunscreens burn my skin & the zinc oxide was not strong enough. if you know of a sunscreen that works well on sensitive skin or also experience burning/stinging when using sunscreen share below!

EVERYDAY MAKEUP ROUTINE

my makeup routine has changed quite a bit recently & i've fallen in love with a few new products i wanted to share with you.

here's a look at the makeup products i use (in order) on a daily basis:

1. prestige primed & ready face primer

2. covergirl clean whipped creme foundation | 310

3. urban decay naked eyeshadow palette

4. clinique color surge eyeshadow duo | sparkling sage/daybreak

5. physicians formula shimmer strips gel cream liner | hazel eyes

6. great lash big mascara

7. revlon super lustrous lipstick | 616 wink for pink

8. bobbi brown blush | 13 sandstone

9. face prime makeup primer & setting spray

& here is what i do each morning step by step:

1. apply prestige primed & ready face primer all over my face & eyes

2. dot on covergirl whipped creme foundation and blend into the skin with my fingers

3. fill in my eyebrows using "buck" from the urban decay naked palette

4. apply "daybreak" from the clinique color surge eyeshadow duo all over my lid

5. line my upper lash line with the physicians formula gel eyeliner in the brown/black shade (i use the sonia kashuk angled eyeliner brush)

6. curl my eyelashes & apply great lash big mascara to my upper and lower lashes

7. apply revlon super lustrous lipstick in the shade 616 wink for pink

8. lightly contour my cheekbones using the bobbi brown blush in the shade sandstone & a fluffy blush brush (i like to save contouring for the last step to allow my foundation time to set)

9. finally, i set everything using the face prime makeup primer & setting spray from victoria's secret (love the dewey finish it leaves)

& that completes my simple everyday makeup routine, let me know your current favorite makeup products in a comment below.