Once upon a time, my mom bought me an Urban Decay makeup palette for Christmas. Lil old me had no idea how to make a good eye look out of it so I did what any normal person does, I looked up a tutorial on YouTube. I found one YouTuber who I thought was so beautiful yet down to earth – she reminded me of one of my college BFFs. One video led to another and the rest is history. Here I am over a year later and I am addicted to watching YouTube makeup gurus every night before I go to bed. Part of it is to learn more about beauty and skincare and the other part is that its become ritual. It may sound lame, but it starts to feel like these personalities are like your friends.
Some of the products I list here are from YouTube recommendations, others were random finds, and some were recommendations from real live friends. I have no idea if you’re interested in my beauty routine at all, but I’ve found some really good keepers so I thought I would share just in case! This is not my entire makeup collection – just my absolute staples for the last month or so. Without further ado…
Starting with skin; I feel like I’m so dumb when it comes to skincare. I’m rapidly approaching 30 this year and I’ve yet to figure out the best things for my skin. Since I have a short makeup attention span, it’s been hard for me to stay with something long enough to love it. The products above though? They’ve been working for me for the last month or so and I think I’m in love. Everything feels great on my skin – light scents, refreshing textures, and really easy to incorporate into my bedtime routine. Of all the things, the Origins GinZing moisturizer is probably my favorite. It smells like a tall glass of OJ for my face! Oh and here’s what I look like without anything but moisturizer on:
Yup, that’s me. My biggest qualms with my face are texture and tone. I’ve been trying out lots of foundations and concealers this year (high end and drugstore) and the combo pictured above is the best of the best right now. The other foundations I used this year were: Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Foundation, Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Water Foundation, Maybelline FitMe Liquid Foundation, and Urban Decay All Nighter Foundation. Surprisingly enough, this L’Oreal Infalliable Pro Glow is pretty much the best of all worlds. It gives me good coverage (not too much but not too little) and leaves me looking dewy, like myself. Paired with the Hourglass primer and the Maybelline FitMe Concealer… match made in heaven. At least for now.
A Sephora employee recommended this Benefit Cheekathon palette to me and I was skeptical at first. But it had the infamous Hoola bronzer in there so I figured it was definitely worth the price. Thankfully, all the colors look great on my skin and I’ve already hit pan on Hoola. Woohoo! I’m only sad that it’s lasted so long that I couldn’t justify buying a new bronzer. This Stila Lip & Cheek stain palette and the Colourpop highlighter are a recent addition; I don’t ALWAYS use them but I use them when I want to be extra. You know. You know how it is.
Wow, I just realized why makeup gurus do videos and not blog posts. This is a lot of words. The L’Oreal Infalliable single shadows are bomb – so easy to apply, looks so luxe and great color payoff. This Marc Jacobs About Last Night palette was the showstopper gift on my Christmas wishlist and I’m SOOO happy my mom got it for me. It makes me feel… real classy. I still feel like an amateur when I use it but it’s hella gorgeous.
Ah, lips. I’m fortunate enough to look good in a bold lip and I’ve had my fair share of shades this year. I’ve been particularly drawn to the brick reds and the cool dark plums, perhaps that was just fall. Or maybe I just can’t do a nude lip… I don’t know. These are my favorite lip products to keep my pout looking chic.
It’s me with makeup! No lip color, but you get the gist. You see my outfit posts. I finish off every day with a spritz of Mario Badescu’s rose water spray and then I’m good to go out the door. I don’t know if it does anything really, but it makes me feel pretty. And isn’t that what makeup is all about anyways?
Hope you saw something you’d like to try! If you have any questions about a specific product, please feel free to ask me in the comments. Here’s the full list of products:
SKIN
Cosmedix Purity Detox Scrub & Solution
Origins GinZing moisturizer
Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip Cleanser
Mario Badescu Glycolic Acid Toner
Sunday Riley Good Genes
Sunday Riley Tidal Water Cream
FACE
Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer
L’Oreal Infallible ProGlow Foundation
Maybelline FitMe Concealer
Benefit Cheekathon Palette
Stila Lip & Cheek Stain Palette
Colourpop Highlighter in Wisp
EYES
Marc Jacobs About Last Night Palette
L’Oreal Infallible Shadow
Benefit Good Proof Brow Pencil
Urban Decay Naked3 Palette
LIPS
Dr. Lipp Nipple Balm
SuperGoop Acai Fusion Lip Balm
French Girl Rose Lip Polish
Perricone MD No Lipstick Lipstick
Smashbox Always On Matte Liquid Lipstick in Bawse
Colourpop Satin Lippie Stix
