Beauty: My Makeup Routine

After receiving lots of emails and questions about the left picture above, I decided to do a post on how to achieve this look, as well as my everyday makeup routine. Other than changing my lipstick, I usually wear the same makeup when I get ready and my look doesn't really change that much. That being said, I am always looking for the next best thing when it comes to beauty products, so I have tried a lot of different ones over the years. Most of the products I use on a day-to-day basis are favorites that I continue to come back to over and over.

1. Primer: After my moisturizer and sunscreen, I always apply primer before my foundation. For me, I have found that it does make a difference in how my foundation looks and how long it lasts. My all-time favorite primer is the NARS 'Pro-Prime Oil Free Pore Refining Primer.' It feels great on the skin and helps my makeup last all day. Recently I've been using the Bare Minerals 'Prime Time' Foundation Primer which I also like.

2. Tinted Moisturizer/Foundation: On days when I don't want to wear a full foundation, I use the Bare Minerals 'Pure Brightening Serum Foundation.' Before I tried this I was definitely skeptical, but I was pleasantly surprised at the type of coverage it gives for how "liquidy" and light this serum is. This serum does a good job at evening out my skin and covering up most of my skin imperfections, but is definitely best-suited for someone with really great skin. Most of the time I prefer a foundation with a little more coverage, so for those days I mix my favorite Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer with Revlon 'Colorstay' foundation. The Revlon foundation is a little too heavy so I like to mix it with my tinted moisturized for the perfect medium to full-coverage foundation. I just mix a little bit of each on my hand and then use a Beauty Blender to apply--I concentrate the most product on my problem areas and then apply the thinnest amount on the perimeter of my face and forehead so it doesn't look too heavy.

3. Corrector/Concealer: The Bobbi Brown corrector and concealer are my absolute favorite for brightening the under eye area. I have tried a few others, but I have not been able to find one that beats the creamy consistency of these. I really hate concealer that looks cakey and creases--these do a pretty good job of looking natural, as long as you have a light hand and don't use more than you need.

4. Powder: I always set my foundation with a powder before I apply bronzer and blush. My favorite powder is the Makeup Forever 'Pro Finish Multi-Use Powder Foundation.' Even though this is technically a powder foundation, I like to use it very lightly to set my foundation. It can also be used on its own or over a tinted moisturizer as your foundation.

5. Bronzer/ Blush: I prefer a matte bronzer and my favorite is Bobbi Brown's Bronzing Powder in 'Golden Light.' It is a beautiful golden bronze color that doesn't look muddy or orange. I use this year round and apply it on the perimeter of my face, under my cheekbones and jawline and a little down my neck to make sure everything matches. I am a total blush girl and I have mentioned my all-time favorite blush before: Laura Mercier's 'Lotus Pink.' This blush is the perfect coral pink color and gives the most beautiful pop of color. I honestly can't say enough about this blush. I also love the color 'Lush Nectarine.' This is a slightly more peachy color and gives a really natural flush. I like to use this on days when I'm wearing less makeup for a more natural look.

6. Eyeliner: I've used the same Maybelline 'Line Express' pencil eyeliner for years...it's nothing special, but it's creamy enough to avoid any pulling of the eyelids and does the trick for a simple brown line above the lash line. I like the 'brownish black' color because it's a little softer than black, but still gives my eyes nice definition. 

7. Eye Shadow: When it comes to eyeshadow I never really experiment with different colors and I usually switch between two that come in the same NARS Duo Palette in the color 'Alahambra.' This palette has two beautiful shimmery colors, one gold and one that is more of a pinky peach color. They are both gorgeous and really make your eyes pop. I rotate between both colors and just use my pinky finger to apply a quick swipe on each eyelid. Super easy.

8. Mascara/Lashes: Anyone who knows anything about me when it comes to makeup knows that I am very serious when it comes to mascara and lashes. I LOVE mascara and I have mastered my own technique when it comes to applying it. First off, curling your eyelashes is key. Straight lashes do nothing for your eyes, but curling them will make all the difference in opening them up and really making your eyes pop. I use the Shiseido curler and love it. Once I've curled my lashes, I first apply a coat of Lancome 'Hypnose' mascara--I have used this mascara for years and it has become my go-to mascara. It has the perfect consistency (not too wet, not too dry) and the brush is great for separating and really coating the lashes. I love it! Once that has dried a little bit, I apply a coat or two of the Dior 'DiorShow Blackout' mascara to add some more length and to get my lashes really black. When I really want my lashes to look amazing (for pictures, going out, etc.) I will add some individual lashes as well. My favorite are the Ardell individual lashes--I like these because they look so much more natural than strip lashes and you can blend them in with your own lashes with a coat of mascara.

9. Eyebrows: I naturally have full brows, but I like to use the Anastasia Beverly Hills 'Perfect Brow Pencil' to fill in a few sparse spots. My brows are fairly dark and I use the "Blonde' shade which is the perfect color and looks totally natural. Just make sure to comb through your brows once you've filled them so they don't "look" filled in.

10: Lips: I swear by Aquaphor to keep my lips soft and moisturized. I never leave the house without this stuff and I will literally have four tubes in my makeup bag or purse at any given time. A lot of times I will just wear Aquaphor (like I am in the left hand picture above), but when I do wear lipstick, I have a few favorites: MAC in 'Hot Gossip' (I recently discovered this and I love it because it has a little more color than my natural lip color. Really pretty. Shown in the right hand picture above.); MAC in 'Creme Cup' (a soft pink color) and Chanel "Rouge Coco Hydrating Creme Lip Color" in No.20 'Rose Comete' (a beautiful rosy pink with some shimmer).

You can shop all the products I've mentioned here:

Sorry this post got a little lengthy, but hopefully it was helpful and answered any questions you may have had about my beauty routine. Feel free to comment or email me with any other questions. Thanks for reading!